European GP: Renault Friday qualifying notes

Changing track conditions during the qualifying hour saw Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso claim seventh and eighth positions respectively following the first qualifying session at the Nürburgring. Running early (Alonso third, Trulli eighth), both drivers completed their single lap on a dry circuit, before heavy rain began to fall halfway through the session. The change in conditions meant the times set by the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team drivers were not bettered by any of the runners who followed.

Jarno Trulli, 7th, 1:31.143

"I had a clean lap this afternoon. We worked throughout the morning on finding a good set-up, and the right solutions for the tyres. We both changed our set-ups before qualifying, and the result wasn't too bad. However, we are not looking particularly strong at the moment, and we have a lot of work to do tonight and tomorrow morning in order to investigate, and try to solve, the problems."

Fernando Alonso, 8th, 1:31.533

"From my point if view, the balance of the car was the best it has been all day. We had a good morning, and managed to complete the programme without any problems, learning about the tyres and set-ups. My lap was good, with the car well-balanced and I didn't make any mistakes. I am quite pleased, but we are still a long way from our competitors, and we need to work tonight to try and find some solutions."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"In spite of changes made for qualifying, we still have not got the car working well at this circuit. We need to look at a lot of data, and study our models, to make improvements for tomorrow. If the wet conditions persist in the morning, we will have some difficult choices to make."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:

"Already this morning, it was difficult to establish a reliable hierarchy of performance, but this became impossible after rain disrupted qualifying. On the engine side, we are pleased to note that the engines in each race car completed more than a race distance today. We now have to continue working on our preparation for the race."

-renault-