Review – Saturday – Renault… Quite Satisfied!

The Renault F1 Team experienced a reasonably satisfactory result this afternoon during the Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying, with Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet securing the ninth and thirteenth fastest times, respectively.

The battle raged from the first round of qualifying with a significant risk of rain at the start and throughout the session. Alonso managed to qualify for the final phase while Piquet Jr. narrowly missed out and ultimately secured the 13th position, showing a performance level that has been steadily improving since the beginning of the weekend.

For the final part of qualifying, the team endeavored to choose the optimal strategy and thus fueled Fernando Alonso’s car accordingly. Renault remains optimistic tonight and hopes to achieve a solid race tomorrow with both its drivers. The weather is still uncertain this evening, but the risk of rain during tomorrow’s race cannot be ruled out.

Fernando Alonso – 12th and 7th (qualified 9th):

« We reached our first objective today, which was to get into Q3, we can now focus on the second, which is to improve our race pace and get into the points once again. I could probably have done better at the end of Q3 this afternoon, I was with Heidfeld on a flying lap while everyone else was on a cool down lap, and that hindered me a bit, it’s a shame. I am convinced that tomorrow’s race will be interesting, hopefully with a few points at stake, like in Melbourne. We must now focus on preparing for tomorrow’s race. »

Nelson Piquet – 7th and 13th:

« I am satisfied with my qualifications this afternoon. I have progressed since the last practice session this morning and my qualification went rather smoothly. Of course, I still have to improve here and there, but I am not too far from my teammate and I look forward to seeing how the race will unfold. My goal tomorrow will be to perform better than in Melbourne, to finish my second Grand Prix, to avoid making mistakes and, if possible, to score some points. »

Pat Symonds – Executive Director of Engineering:

« I believe we can be reasonably satisfied with our level of performance today. Fernando managed to get the car into Q3, and although the times were very tight, it would have been difficult for us to do much better this afternoon. Therefore, we decided to refuel for a long stint, and ninth place in these circumstances is rather acceptable! Fernando is having a good weekend so far, working closely with his engineers to get the most out of his car. It’s unfortunate for Nelson to have missed Q3, mainly due to a few small mistakes in turns 2 and 4. He is doing an excellent job so far this weekend and has shown consistent competitiveness. I am convinced he can have a great race tomorrow. »

Denis Chevrier – Head of Track Engine Teams:

« We witnessed a fierce battle right from Q1 during today’s qualifying, with Q3 spots being very expensive this year. We can be pleased to see Nelson making progress since his first Grand Prix in Melbourne. He’s experiencing a more structured weekend which allows him to feel more comfortable in his car and on this circuit. He conducted a good qualifying session and defended well in Q2. The gap with Fernando is smaller than in Melbourne, and the team’s results are more consistent this weekend. With Fernando, we made it into Q3, which was our goal. The gaps seem quite significant among the top ten, so we can expect that strategic choices will be very different from one car to another, and with Fernando, we’ve by no means sacrificed everything in qualifying! »

According to the Renault F1 Team