British GP: Renault Saturday qualifying notes

A surprising result for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team following the second qualifying session at Silverstone. Jarno Trulli was unable to set a single timed lap during the warm-up session owing to an engine sensor problem on his race-car, but in spite of this, he will start tomorrow's British Grand Prix from the front row, having taken second place this afternoon with a perfect lap. Team-mate Fernando Alonso, on different tyres, will start eighth.

Jarno Trulli, 2nd, 1:21.381

"When I crossed the line at the end of the flying lap, my engineer told me I was second: I couldn't believe it! This is a fantastic result for myself and the team, especially as this is the home race for the guys from Enstone. We had some problems with the set-up this weekend, but everything was perfect for my timed lap. We're in a strong position for tomorrow, but of course, it is only on Sunday that you score the points."

Fernando Alonso, 8th, 1:22.404

"The lap was OK. We had some problems with the set-up this morning: I'm not sure if it was because of the change in track conditions, but the overall grip was not fantastic. We tried some new things for qualifying, and they were an improvement. The race tomorrow is a long one and, starting eighth, I am in a good position to score good points."

Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director:

"A superb result for Jarno. He had struggled this weekend, but worked hard together with his engineers (Alan Permane and Nicholas Chester) to get the car right, and they made a good tyre choice. He then drove a fantastic lap. Fernando is running a different tyre, and reported a lack of overall grip. But in general, it's a very good result, we are on the right strategy, and we are looking to win the race tomorrow."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:

"After a qualifying session like that, we have legitimate hopes for tomorrow's race. Weather is obviously still an unknown, but when you are starting from the front row, anything can happen. We might regret that Fernando is not closer to his team-mate, but he is nevertheless in good company on the grid. This weekend, we have also benefited from a new lubricant produced by our technical partner Elf, which certainly contributed to this performance. We know we are competitive; we know need to confirm it in race conditions."

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