British GP, Saturday - Qualifying
As he crossed the line this afternoon at Silverstone, Fernando
Alonso whooped with joy in the radio.
"Four in a row boys, fourth consecutive pole" he
said as he thanked the team. And so, after taking pole position
in Europe, Spain, Monaco and now Great Britain, the world
championship leader will start from the front row for tomorrow's
British Grand Prix, alongside Kimi Raikkonen. The secret to
his spectacular pole lap? Keeping his foot flat to the floor
in the daunting, seventh-gear Copse corner.
On the other side of the garage, Giancarlo Fisichella secured
a strong third-row starting spot for tomorrow's race. Some
minor set-up changes prior to the session meant he was unable
to fully display the potential of the R26 at his disposal,
as he lost time in the opening sector. However, running a
competitive strategy, he hopes to make progress up the field
in tomorrow's race.
FA GF
Heat 1 1:21.018 1:22.411
Heat 2 1:20.271 1:20.594
Super-Pole 1:20.253 1:20.919
Fernando Alonso, Pole position
I was really pleased to get pole today – my fourth in
a row. I made a little mistake on my first flying lap in the
super-pole and I knew it was close with Michael. So we fitted
another set of tyres, and I managed to do a better lap. I
think conditions out there today were quite difficult for
everybody, so we made some changes to the car before the session
that gave us some more grip, and stabilised the car balance
a little bit. Tomorrow's race is going to be interesting because
nobody has really done any long runs, so I think there may
be some surprises with the tyres. So far, though, the Michelin
tyres have been excellent and I am confident. This a great
pole for the team, because it proves that Renault is not relaxing
– we are taking the fight to Ferrari.
Giancarlo Fisichella, 5th position
We made some changes to the car before qualifying and the
car was on an edge in the first sector. I couldn't attack
the quick corners properly and I was losing time in the first
sector. So fifth is a bit disappointing, because we had a
front row car today. Even so, I am still in a strong position,
and very optimistic for tomorrow's race.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
This was a really exciting qualifying session, and a great
result for the Renault team. Fernando's last lap was something
really special, and he took turn 1 at Copse as close to flat
as makes no difference. We must not forget Giancarlo either,
who is in a strong position. I am happy we have not compromised
our race strategy for qualifying performance, and the high
temperatures this weekend seem to be suiting both our car
and its Michelin tyres. We are looking forward to a good strong
race tomorrow.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
We spent much of yesterday learning about a circuit that is
very different to when we last tested here, owing to the significant
swing in temperatures. Today, though, we really got to the
heart of the matter with a fascinating qualifying session.
Both cars enjoyed smooth sessions, progressing from the first
and second sessions without any problems. The car and its
RS26 engine were clearly performing competitively, and we
have a driver at each end of a very close, competitive group
of cars. We believe we have prepared sensibly for the race,
and that the ingredients are in place for a strong team result.
It's going to be a tough fight – and one that we will
relish.
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