03/09/2016
NEWS STORY
Renault Sport Formula One Team struggled to find pace at the Autodromo di Monza in qualifying for the Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2016. Jolyon Palmer proved the faster of the team's drivers, with a 1min 24.230secs lap placing him on the tenth row of the grid tomorrow.
Kevin Magnussen: "We expected both Belgian and Italian qualifying to be tough and whilst we qualified better than expected in Spa we didn't achieve that today in Monza. I hoped that with a really, really fantastic lap, we might just have a shot at Q2. I gave everything I had on the first run, I then tried to get a tow from Lewis on the second one but it didn't work. For the third run, I just tried really to give it everything but I went off. We're always aiming higher and I really went for it this afternoon."
Jolyon Palmer: "We knew it was going to be pretty challenging here and so it was proved to be. On the positive side, I had a nice race simulation yesterday and the car does feel well balanced so better things should be possible on Sunday. I'll be hoping for a bit of spice in the race to help us on our way!"
How was qualifying for the team?
Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: We knew this was a track which would not suit us in qualifying and it was proven today. Both drivers did good jobs although Kevin did lose a little bit of time running wide on his final run. Although our qualifying positions are not great, we expect to run better in race conditions.
What are the considerations for tomorrow's race?
AP: We're expecting similar hot weather to that experienced today so tyre degradation will be a consideration. We have a good selection of fresh tyres available so we can explore a number of different strategy permutations for both drivers. Our long run pace from P2 was encouraging and there are numerous permutations possible for the race. With our qualifying positions we can afford to explore our options.