Hungarian GP, Saturday,
The Renault F1 Team today experienced its most unusual qualifying
session of the 2006 season so far, at Budapest's Hungaroring
circuit.
Superficially, with drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando
Alonso starting seventh and fifteenth on the grid, the outcome
appears to be a negative one; however, the complex technical
and political background to this thirteenth qualifying session
of the 2006 season (which included a mandatory two second
penalty for Fernando in each part of qualifying) set them
in a more positive light. With both drivers expecting to make
up positions thanks to the consistent performance of the Michelin
tyres in the unexpectedly cool conditions, the team seems
set for a dynamic, attacking race tomorrow afternoon in what
could prove to be the most topsy-turvy Grand Prix of the year
so far.
FA GF
Heat 1 1:19.792 (1:21.792) 1:20.614
Heat 2 1:19.364 (1:21.364) 1:20.154
Super-Pole n/a 1:20.924
Giancarlo Fisichella, 7th position (following Button's
engine penalty)
We said yesterday that the grip level was very low out on
the circuit and with the cool temperatures continuing today,
it hasn't changed much. The balance of the car on new tyres
was a bit different in qualifying compared to practice and
I struggled with low grip, but things felt much better when
we had some fuel onboard in the final fuel-burning part of
the session. In terms of my timed laps in third qualifying,
I put in one solid lap then made some mistakes on the second
one, so couldn't improve my time. But I am on the clean side
of the track for the start, and feeling very positive for
tomorrow – much more so than in the last few races.
The car is getting better and better with every lap we do
this weekend, so I am expecting a fun race.
Fernando Alonso, 15th position
This was a really unusual qualifying session for me, but everything
went well. It is a shame to have lost positions with the penalty,
but now is the time to stop talking about it and look forward
to making the most of the race. It hasn't changed anything
for me, apart from the starting position, but with Michael
penalised as well we have not lost so much. We know the Renault
is working well with the Michelin tyres because I was able
to set competitive times, and I think it will be even better
tomorrow. Nobody has really done any long runs at all yet
this weekend, so it will be a learning experience for us all
in the race. I have the feeling we will be quite strong thanks
to the tyre consistency, so let's keep our fingers crossed,
stay positive and focused, and see what the race brings.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
Giancarlo will have plenty of work to do tomorrow in making
up ground from seventh on the grid, but the strong performance
of the Michelin tyre meant we adjusted our strategy accordingly,
so his relative position once we have taken fuel loads into
account may not be as bad as it might seem. As for Fernando,
he was obviously limited in what he could achieve with the
imposition of his two-second penalty. He did everything possible
to mitigate its effects and put in some exceptional laps in
the first two sessions. Once again, we hope the tyre consistency
will pay for him tomorrow, and I hope his fight with Michael
will be as enjoyable as if it had been happening at the front
of the field.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
Even more than usual, the early stages of the qualifying session
today served as the best clue as to the balance of power in
terms of single-lap performance this weekend. The penalties
applied to Fernando and Schumacher in the session have left
us with the two strongest cars starting in the midfield –
and the promise of a spectacular race. The cornerstone of
the team's work this weekend has been achieving strong race
performance and concentrating on the management of our tyres.
We believe we have found a good compromise and on the engine
side, every session has run smoothly. Looking to tomorrow,
there are still plenty of question marks – particularly
in terms of the true race performance of our competitors and
the weather. I think we can expect an action-packed afternoon.
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