Canadian GP: Renault Saturday qualifying notes

A promising result for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team at the end of the second qualifying session for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix. At Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Fernando Alonso secured an excellent fourth place on the starting grid. Jarno Trulli suffered an accident at the end of the warm- up, and was thus forced to use the spare car for his run. He set a time good enough for eighth place in spite of starting second in the order.

Fernando Alonso, 4th, 1:16.048:

"I am very happy, not just with qualifying but with our work throughout the day. We had a good morning, trying lots of different set-ups, and we were always competitive in the wet. In qualifying, it was definitely a small advantage to be running towards the end of the session. The car was good and I didn't make any mistakes: to be fourth on the grid is a good starting point for tomorrow."

Jarno Trulli, 8th, 1:16.718:

"First of all, I need to say a big thank you to my mechanics, who did a brilliant job today. I had to use the spare car, which was originally set up for Fernando, and the timed lap was my first in that car this weekend. Taking that into account, I think I can be pleased to be starting eighth tomorrow."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"Weather conditions this weekend have a played a large part in the event so far. Our Friday testing has paid off once again, and we find ourselves in a competitive position. Jarno's accident at the end of the warm-up forced him to use the T-car, but this did not compromise his position as he felt the car was good. Fernando's position is particularly encouraging and we hope that he will be able to make use of our launch control to further improve on this at the start of the race."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:

"In light of the circumstances we have encountered today, I think we can say this is an excellent result. We had a good day, with the exception of a single incident which didn't stop us from getting a favourable result. On the technical side, the weekend has been problem-free so far, even if the wet conditions are less demanding mechanically than in the dry. If the weather holds, I think we can challenge strongly tomorrow."

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