10/07/2004
NEWS STORY
The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team placed its two cars fifth and sixth in qualifying today for the British Grand Prix. Unfortunately, following an engine failure this morning that required the unit to be replaced, Fernando Alonso's R24 will lose ten grid positions. His team-mate Jarno Trulli will start fifth.
Jarno Trulli: "I did my best on the lap: the car was well balanced, but a lost some time in the first sector through Becketts. After that though, I managed to claw some time back in the second, and then did very well in the third sector. It was windy, but I don't think it was much different for me than the other drivers. I am pleased with fifth, and we now need to say how the strategies play out tomorrow."
Fernando Alonso: "It was a day of two halves for me. My problem this morning was bad luck and it is disappointing, but I can't do anything about it now. In terms of qualifying, I found the wind very difficult and the car balance was changing in every corner, but I also knew that with the grid penalty, I really had to push. I didn't leave any margin for error, and took quite a lot of risks - it would have been easy to make a mistake. Tomorrow, I think I will need some unusual incident in the race or unpredictable weather to finish high up, but I will still be looking to score points."
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "Undoubtedly, there will be much discussion about what happened in the first qualifying session, but it should come as a surprise to no-one. The rules have been like this for a long time, and the consequences were understood by the teams when they were first published. It only goes to reinforce our view that there is nothing wrong with single lap qualifying, but that the first session is unnecessary.
"Both drivers did excellent qualifying laps with no major problems. However, as is usual for Silverstone, the variable wind kept the drivers on their toes throughout. It is unfortunate Fernando must drop ten spots after his problem this morning, but we know he will race strongly from wherever he is on the grid."
Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager: "In terms of pure performance, we are where we expected to be. But we are nonetheless disappointed to have suffered our first engine problem of the year, which will cost Fernando ten grid positions. Fortunately, our initial analysis suggests that the failure, which was located in the upper engine, was an isolated incident rather than a cause for general concern. However, Jarno's strong fifth position means we can realistically hope to finish on the podium tomorrow."
The entire team offers its deepest condolences to the family and friends of John Walton, and the entire Minardi team. John was a close friend of the team, having worked for both Toleman and Benetton in the 1980s and 1990. We share their loss of a respected and much-loved member of the F1 community.