Alonso joins McLaren and Ferrari!

After a final practice session on a wet track this morning, the qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix took place this afternoon on a dry track and under very reasonable weather conditions. Both Renault drivers comfortably passed the first round, easily entering Q2. Nelson then missed out on a spot in Q3 while his teammate managed to secure fourth place on the grid for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

These results now allow Renault to hope for a good race tomorrow afternoon, and every point will once again be important for this sixteenth event of the world championship.

Fernando Alonso, satisfied, declared: « We can be satisfied with this fourth place; it’s a good result. We worked well yesterday, and today it paid off. We had some difficulty in Q2, but in Q3, with fuel, the car behaved very well, which is encouraging for tomorrow’s race where we can legitimately aim for the top 5. »

Nelson Piquet is more nuanced: “I am very disappointed, I made a mistake in Q2 and thus let my place in Q3 slip away, which is all the more frustrating because the car was responding really well and I felt comfortable. I’m not letting it get me down, I know tomorrow’s race will be difficult, but I will try my best to climb back up the field.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, provides some details: « Fernando’s place on the grid met our expectations and we are therefore satisfied this afternoon. We now hope to have a great race tomorrow. Nelson has had an excellent weekend so far, he was 7th in Q1, but unfortunately, in Q2, things did not go as we would have liked. Nevertheless, he has shown fast pace so far, and we can hope to have a good race with him as well tomorrow.

Denis Chevrier, Head of Track Engine Teams concluded: Once again, the qualifications were very tight and it didn’t take much to miss out on a spot in Q3. Of course, there are still several unknowns at this stage of the weekend, but we’ve opted for what I believe is a relevant strategy that leaves us hopeful for a good result tomorrow. For Nelson, we will think about it tonight and try to define a perhaps unconventional strategy to allow him to stand out. We must not underestimate our direct competitor in the championship.

According to a statement from the Renault F1 team