2008 German Grand Prix, Saturday - 19 JUL 2008
It was a case of contrasting fortunes for the ING Renault
F1 Team this afternoon as Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet
qualified in 5th and 17th places respectively for tomorrow's
German Grand Prix in Hockenheim.
Fernando Alonso, R28-02
Nelson Piquet, R28-01
Q1
1:15.917, P11
1:16.189, P17
Q2
1:14.943, P4
n/a
Q3
1:16.385, P5
n/a
Conditions were overcast as qualifying got underway with
the threat of rain in the air, although the track remained
dry throughout the qualifying hour. Nelson had a difficult
afternoon and was unable to progress beyond the first stage
of qualifying, ending the session in 17th.
Fernando progressed through to the top ten shootout and confirmed
the strong pace he had shown earlier in the weekend, setting
his fastest lap of the weekend in Q2. He then proceeded to
secure a third row starting slot with the 5th fastest time
in the final part of qualifying.
With Fernando well placed the team can aim to fight for a
strong points finish tomorrow, while supporting Nelson's fight
through the field on a track where overtaking is possible.
Fernando Alonso P5
"Our performance today is a nice surprise because we
still had some doubts this morning and the first two parts
of qualifying were not easy, and the field was very closely
matched, as Nelson found out. The track conditions were slightly
different to this morning and there was a bit more wind. We
must now aim to maintain this pace in the race, which has
been our weak point so far, and, if we can do that, we can
hope to have a great result in the race tomorrow."
Nelson Piquet P17
"After a very promising practice session this morning,
I am of course disappointed not to have passed through the
first stage of qualifying. During my lap, Vettel was in front
of me, which unsettled me a little, although the FIA felt
that he did not impede me."
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"Fernando ran some excellent laps in Q2 and Q3 and we
are confident that our third row starting position has been
achieved with a competitive fuel load. Nelson had some difficulties
in the first part of qualifying, but we expect him to have
a solid race. The weather predictions seem to be better for
tomorrow and so we are looking forward to a good race."
Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Track Operations
"We saw once again that qualifying can be difficult,
but we can be happy with the superb qualifying performance
of Fernando. This fifth position allows us to have solid hopes
for the race tomorrow, even though we know the battle will
be very competitive towards the front. It should not rain
tomorrow, and so the track should not change radically, which
will certainly make things easier for the drivers. Nelson
must prepare to approach the race aggressively, and we will
do our best to help him move forward."
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