French GP, Saturday
The Renault F1 Team emerged from a busy and challenging qualifying
session this afternoon at Magny-Cours with third and seventh
positions for Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella on
tomorrow's grid for the French Grand Prix.
In sweltering conditions that once again saw track temperatures
peaking at over 50°C, the R26 package proved competitive
over a single lap – although not the class of the field
over these short runs. The third qualifying session was spiced
up by an intriguing on-track battle between Fernando Alonso
and Michael Schumacher, that the Spaniard will be looking
to resume tomorrow afternoon. As always, the team's primary
consideration has been race strategy – not qualifying
position – and the consistent performance of the Michelin
tyres means both drivers go into the Grand Prix optimistic
about their chances of making up positions during the 70-lap
race.
FA
Heat 1 1:16.328
Heat 2 1:15.706
Super-Pole 1:15.785
GF
Heat 1 1:16.823
Heat 2 1:15.901
Super-Pole 1:16.345
Fernando Alonso, 3rd position
I am pleased with third position, because after Indianapolis
I think it is important for me to be among the top cars in
qualifying. We knew that Ferrari would be very competitive
on a single lap, but I did my maximum today and I am feeling
confident for the race. The conditions out there were very
hot, and we expect similar temperatures for tomorrow, so we
will need to see how the tyre performance evolves –
but so far, the Michelins have looked consistent on the longer
runs. Qualifying was quite enjoyable today – I had a
little battle with Michael in the third part because we both
wanted to have a clear track for the fuel burning laps, and
it was fun to pass each other. The real business comes tomorrow
though. The grip levels will be improving all the way through
the race so we need to wait and see how things develop.
Giancarlo Fisichella, 7th position
We have been working with the race in mind all weekend, and
I am confident that I have a good race set-up on the car.
I had some understeer all around the lap in qualifying that
we couldn't get rid of, and that definitely cost me time.
But ultimately, the race performance is what counts and I
think we are in a strong position with the consistency of
our Michelin tyres. I am confident that even from seventh,
we can use a good strategy to make up positions and score
lots of points. It will be nice to make up some places at
the start if I can, but I think things may well unfold in
our favour tomorrow.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
The team's target for this afternoon was to get both cars
on the front two rows, and we only partially achieved it.
However, as is usual with our team, we have not compromised
our optimum race strategy for grid position. So far this weekend,
the Michelin tyres have withstood the demands of extremely
hot track temperatures very well, offering good performance
on a single lap and excellent consistency. We are certainly
confident that Fernando can have a strong race against Ferrari,
and that we can call on some strategic options that will help
Giancarlo turn the race to his advantage.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
As always, the qualifying order brings with it several uncertainties
in terms of strategy and tyre performance in race conditions.
However, a first look at the times suggests that we will be
starting the race as challengers rather than clear favourites.
Fernando's third position means he is ideally placed to race
the two Ferraris, while Giancarlo has more work to do to from
seventh position. However, we have prepared thoroughly for
the race without any unexpected incidents. The C spec engine
is performing well, as our strong position in the speed charts
suggests. We now need to wait for the first round of pit-stops
to begin tomorrow afternoon in order to understand our true
level of competitiveness.
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