US GP: Renault Friday qualifying notes

Mixed wet-dry conditions struck the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this afternoon during first qualifying but the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team nevertheless scored a pleasing result ahead of tomorrow's final session, with both drivers completing their timed laps before the rain came. After topping the times during the first two sessions of the day, Jarno Trulli confirmed his pace on the timed lap to take the provisional `pole' position by almost three tenths of a second. Team-mate Fernando Alonso, running slightly earlier than Trulli, went seventh fastest.

Jarno Trulli, 1st, 1:09.566

"Of course, I am extremely happy with this result. Everybody did a very good job this morning, and this result is based on that good work during testing and practice. I was happy with the handling of the car straight away this morning, and we seem to be very fast. Looking ahead, I am very confident for the rest of the weekend."

Fernando Alonso, 7th, 1:10.556

"No dramas for me on the timed lap. I have been suffering from understeer all day, and that improved slightly on low fuel for this afternoon's qualifying session. Overall, I think we did a good job this morning and Jarno has shown that the car is competitive here. We still have some work to do on set-up, but with the information we gained this morning, I think we will be strong for tomorrow and Sunday."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:

"Jarno put in a fantastic lap to take a well-deserved provisional pole position. With the possibility of rain tomorrow morning, and drier conditions later, the fact that Jarno will be last to run could prove a decisive advantage. The balance on Fernando's car has improved throughout the day, but is still not quite where he would like it, hence his lower position. If it is dry tomorrow, it should be no problem to fine-tune the set-up, and even if it is wet, we have enough data to get very close."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:

"A superb first place for Jarno this afternoon, which is the result of all the elements of our package functioning at their optimum. Having said that, the gap between our two drivers illustrates how important it is to have everything working right in order to fight with our usual rivals. We will continue working this evening and with everything we have learned today, I believe we will be very competitive during the rest of the weekend."

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