26/05/2006
NEWS STORY
As the teams work in the Monaco pit-lane today, thoughts are already turning to tomorrow afternoon's qualifying session…
Pat, how did practice go yesterday for Renault?
Pat Symonds: We had a couple of good sessions. We ran more laps than usual to let the drivers get dialled in to the circuit, and they were both happy with the car. The R26 was behaving well, as were the Michelin tyres, and Fernando and Giancarlo both reported the car was easy to drive.
What has the team been doing on its 'day off'?
PS: There may not be any running on the track, but it's still a working day! We check the cars over thoroughly ahead of tomorrow's sessions, and take time to plan our programmes for practice and, of course, qualifying.
Looking at yesterday's times, Ferrari seemed to be some way back – do you expect that to last tomorrow?
PS: One of the unique factors about Monaco, is how much the circuit changes over the weekend. The first day of practice seemed to indicate Michelin had the more suitable tyres, and that McLaren would, on the face of it, be our main challengers. But this is Monaco… there are no guarantees that it will stay the same on Saturday!
The 2006 qualifying format has led to a lot of discussion ahead of tomorrow's session. What are you expecting?
PS: A very tense hour!
Will you be employing any special strategies?
PS: To be honest, there is not much room for manoeuvre in terms of our approach. It is not like in the pre-2003 qualifying format, where you had an hour to make the runs. We only have 15 minutes to do our runs, which limits when you can go out on track with new tyres, and there are always going to be circumstances out of your control. The teams will try to get the cars on track at the right time, but it will then be up to the drivers to find the space for a clean lap. It is not going to be an easy task.
So after a positive first day, are you optimistic for the rest of the weekend?
PS: Absolutely. We know there will be a strong challenge from McLaren, and possibly Ferrari. But we are confident that we can secure good grid positions tomorrow – and have a very strong race on Sunday.