German GP: Renault Saturday qualifying notes

Mixed feelings for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team after second qualifying for the German Grand Prix. Jarno Trulli claimed an excellent fourth place for tomorrow's race while Fernando Alonso, whose car was suffering from a currently undetermined problem, finished eighth.

Jarno Trulli, 4th, 1:15.679

"It was a pretty busy day, but the result is a good fourth place in qualifying. We tested a lot of things during the different sessions, and the car is well balanced. I am pretty confident that our race pace tomorrow will be competitive."

Fernando Alonso, 8th, 1:16.483

"I had a clean lap but, in the end, it wasn't particularly quick. I didn't make any mistakes and I was relatively pleased with the car's handling. However, the lap time just wasn't there: we now have to take a long hard look at the data to understand where the problem is."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"Another extremely good lap from Jarno, and a well-deserved fourth place. Fernando had a problem with his car that seriously compromised his ability to qualify well. At the moment we are not sure what it is, but as he is eight kph slower on the straight, and because we have also seen a problem with the braking system, we will start looking there. In terms of the race, we still feel very confident with our tyre choice. Of course, it will be on the limit, but that is what racing is all about!"

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:

"Today's results are in line with our expectations, even if we can be a little disappointed with Fernando's position. We continued where we left off yesterday, with a well-managed programme. There are no changes expected in weather conditions for tomorrow, and I think we are strong enough in the areas that will be important during the race. Starting from where we are on the grid, we can legitimately hope for a good result tomorrow."

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