Japanese GP: Renault Saturday notes

After a dramatic session, marked by Alan McNish's spectacular accident, from which the Toyota driver came out unscathed, the Mild Seven Renault F1 team concluded the final qualifying session of this season with Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli respectively in 10th and 11th position.

Jenson Button 10th position

"A good qualifying for me, compared with the last two races, in Monza and Indianapolis. It's great to be in the top ten again. Everything has worked fine during the session and I could even have improved my time. All my runs were clear but I made a slight mistake on my last one into the chicane I got crossed up and went sideways, losing a bit of time there. Fortunately I had made up some of ground in the last sector."

Jarno Trulli 11th position

"I am quite disappointed with my qualifying today, after the weekend had looked more promising. I had a good first part of the session, but after the break (McNish's shunt) I just couldn't keep up with the others, who in the meantime had got quicker. Now, I just have to look ahead and do my best for tomorrow's race."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, Mild Seven Renault F1 Team

"Today we felt we should have had both cars in the top ten. We were confident enough in Jarno to allow him only three runs in order to save the tyres for the race. Unfortunately, during the two runs after the red flag, Jarno didn't get a good lap and as a consequence he dropped to 11th position, while the track was rapidly improving. Jenson had one run aborted by the red flag, but he managed to put in some strong runs afterwards, reaching 10th position. He was extremely lucky because during his last lap the telemetry showed there was a problem, however we managed to get him across the line before stopping."

Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering (Engine), Mild Seven Renault F1 Team

"Everything was promising until the red flag. The morning was productive and we thought qualifying would bring us good news, as we knew the top teams were improving. But tomorrow things may take the right turn for us."

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