German GP: Renault Friday qualifying notes

A pleasing first day for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team at the German Grand Prix. After making good use of this morning's private test session, the team's two drivers finished third and fifth, Jarno Trulli ahead of Fernando Alonso, in the first qualifying session.

Jarno Trulli, 3rd, 1:15.004

"A good day! We worked on tyres and set-up during the morning, and the result is that we have made a good tyre choice and the car is reasonably well balanced. We lost a bit of time this morning, which may have cost a little in terms of our competitiveness, but I am looking forward to tomorrow. This could be a good weekend for us."

Fernando Alonso, 5th, 1:15.214

"I am in a good position: everybody knows that the important thing on Friday is to make sure you get a solid result, and my run tomorrow will be when the track conditions are at their best. Today, our programme was based around tyre and set-up work. The car is still understeering a little bit, but we can work on that some more tomorrow."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"A straightforward qualifying session. The balance on both cars is nearly there, but there is still a little work to do. The car obviously has the raw speed at this track, and our concentration must now be on ensuring we get good straightline speed with our race set-up, and look after the tyres, which are under a lot of strain at this circuit in these hot conditions."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:

"Relative to our performance this morning, we are where we expected to be. It has been a satisfying first day, during which we completed our planned programme. We are in a good position in terms of pure performance, and I think we can expect a strong result from the rest of the weekend."

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