Italian GP,
The Renault F1 Team experienced a frantic qualifying session
this afternoon at the historic Monza autodrome ahead of tomorrow's
Italian Grand Prix.
The team's two cars will start fifth and tenth on the grid,
but the numbers give only the bare bones of a dramatic afternoon
in Italy.
The R26 has demonstrated a strong level of performance during
the weekend, combined with strong performance from the Michelin
tyres, both in terms of first lap pace and consistency on
longer runs. The team therefore went into qualifying with
high hopes, and made it through comfortably to the final knockout
session.
However, it was during the fuel burning phase of third qualifying
that problems struck for Fernando Alonso. A punctured right
rear tyre caught him out under braking for the first chicane,
costing him a long lap at slow speed to make it back to the
pits – and inflicting severe damage on the right rear
bodywork of the car. In spite of this handicap, magnified
at a circuit like Monza where aero efficiency is so important,
he was able to complete two timed runs – and only made
it over the line by two seconds for his final flying lap.
Fernando demonstrated a champion's composure to qualify fifth,
less than half a second from pole.
Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella will start from tenth position,
and is counting on the consistency of Michelin's tyres in
race conditions to help him vault up the field. An inconsistent
balance on the heavier fuel load the drivers run in Q3 cost
him performance, and he will be focusing on delivering consistent
race pace as he climbs up the field tomorrow.
FA
Heat 1 1:21.747
Heat 2 1:21.526
Super-Pole 1:21.829
GF
Heat 1 1:22.486
Heat 2 1:21.722
Super-Pole 1:23.175
Fernando Alonso, 5th position
It was a day when I was lucky and unlucky. Obviously, the
puncture cost me a chance to fight for the pole, with the
damage it caused to the rear of the car. But equally, we had
this problem at a circuit where we are competitive, and we
can make up positions in the race. Things got very tight towards
the end of Q3, and I had to really push to the limit on my
out-lap to make sure I crossed the line in time. In the end,
I did it with two seconds to spare. To qualify fifth after
our problems is a strong start, and we know that our race
pace is extremely competitive. Overall, once the damage has
been fixed overnight, I think we can have a very strong race.
Giancarlo Fisichella, 10th position
I am only starting tenth, but I am still feeling confident.
The car gets better and better on the long runs thanks to
the Michelin tyres, and we know that will be of real importance
in the race. I had a slightly inconsistent balance on my flying
laps in the final part of qualifying, but it did not cost
me a huge amount of lap time. Today's qualifying session was
focused more on the race than on pure one-lap speed, and that
makes me more optimistic that we can gain positions in the
race.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
A difficult qualifying session, but one which showed everything
that is good about the Renault team. We reacted quickly to
Fernando's puncture, ensured the car was safe – and
some quick work by the pit crew meant he was able to cross
the line for his last flying lap with just two seconds to
spare. In spite of quite severe damage to the aerodynamics
at the rear of the car, Fernando was able to put in an exceptional
lap to qualify fifth. Giancarlo seemed to struggle with an
inconsistent handling balance in the final session, and tenth
place is a little disappointing. However, the excellent consistency
of the Michelin tyres this weekend meant we were not obliged
to make any compromises on our optimum race strategy to generate
qualifying performance. Without his puncture and the damage
it caused, Fernando clearly had enough pace in the car to
take pole. This is a race where we may well see some variation
in strategies, so even starting from the third and fifth rows,
I think we can have a very good race.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations
Naturally, we have mixed feelings at the end of a session
like today's. Fifth and tenth are far from being the positions
we had hoped for on the grid, but we know that in spite of
the various on-track incidents today, the car has the pace
to fight at the front of the field. Fernando showed remarkable
composure to qualify fifth after such a disrupted session,
and will certainly have high hopes for the race. Giancarlo
struggled to show the same level of performance, but we need
to see how the strategies unfold tomorrow. On the engine side,
both V8s functioned faultlessly throughout the session –
and Fernando's D specification met out expectations with its
performance. It will be a long race tomorrow, but one in which
we fully expect climb through the field.
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