GP – No surprise from Renault

After a final practice session on a wet and then drying track this morning, the track conditions improved, allowing the drivers to start this afternoon on a completely dry and therefore relatively competitive track.

Nelson’s session was cut short as the young Brazilian failed to get past the first stage of qualifying. He will therefore start tomorrow from the eighth row and is consequently preparing for a challenging race. The team will try to help him as much as possible.

Fernando Alonso, for his part, managed to qualify for the final phase this afternoon, ultimately achieving his best lap of the weekend so far and securing seventh place for tomorrow’s race.

Fernando Alonso – 7th:

« In Monaco, more than anywhere else, qualifying is crucial, and our goal today was to get into Q3. If overtaking is very difficult, we know that anything can happen, so the race is very open, especially since we’re not competing for the championship; we can therefore be particularly aggressive and possibly take some risks. It will be a very contested race, I’m sure of it; we’ll see under what conditions it will be run. »

Nelson Piquet – 17th:

« I am very disappointed, that’s for sure. I had a small brake issue in Q1, so I wasn’t up to speed. The car was very delicate, and we saw later with Fernando that it improved as the qualifying session progressed, which is all the more frustrating. A race at the back of the grid is always difficult, even more so in Monaco, but I will do my best, and my only real chance would be if it rains, which could shake things up… »

Pat Symonds – Executive Director of Engineering:

« It wasn’t an easy day with track conditions this morning that didn’t really allow us to complete our program. Therefore, we approached this qualifying without really knowing which type of tires would be the most suitable. Nelson suffered from his lack of track time, whereas Fernando once again had a superb qualifying and can be pleased with his spot on the grid, which will certainly allow him to have a great race tomorrow. Let’s now wait to see the weather conditions become a bit clearer.

Denis Chevrier – Head of Trackside Engine Teams:

« Fernando once again demonstrated great control today, while Nelson on his part was unable to pick up the pace and failed in Q1, which I believe does not reflect his potential. We are inevitably disappointed because everything now rests on Fernando. Nelson, for his part, must prepare for a difficult race, but all this might need to be reconsidered tomorrow depending on the weather conditions, which could drastically change the situation.

According to a Renault F1 press release