Saturday – Renault remains optimistic with Alonso

It was under a cloudy sky and uncertain weather conditions that Renault took part in this afternoon’s qualifying session for the thirteenth round of the world championship.

Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet both managed to comfortably qualify for the second round, thus confirming the encouraging performance level of the team since the beginning of the weekend.

In Q2, Nelson Piquet lost his spot for the final phase and had to settle for twelfth place for Sunday’s race, while his teammate secured the valuable qualification to ultimately finish 6th at the end of the session; an encouraging result that allows the team to hope for a strong outcome tomorrow afternoon.

Fernando Alonso – 3rd and 6th:

« I am satisfied. We know that under normal circumstances, aiming for the top four spots in qualifying is not possible, so securing fifth or sixth place is a good result, it means we’ve done our job. We now have a real chance to achieve a strong result tomorrow, which is important from a championship perspective. I am quite confident. »

Nelson Piquet – 9th and 12th:

I am obviously disappointed not to have made it to Q3, I was capable of getting there, I was on pace but my last run in Q2 was probably not fast enough and I narrowly missed my place in the top 10. I will now work with my engineers to best prepare for tomorrow’s race because it will certainly not be easy, but I am determined to do my best to climb up and finish in the points.

Pat Symonds – Executive Director of Engineering:

« Our optimism is confirmed today after a very good qualification from Fernando Alonso. Nelson Piquet was also competitive and missed the final phase by a little. Spa generally offers great races, and we are eager to race here tomorrow. »

Denis Chevrier – Head of On-Track Engine Teams:

« Once again, we have seen how difficult qualifying can be. The top four positions are still out of our reach, but Fernando Alonso’s sixth place is a source of satisfaction because it allows us to hope to score big points tomorrow. Of course, we must not make mistakes and manage our tires well, as the race promises to be close but also particularly interesting on this demanding circuit, both for the machine and for the drivers. As for Nelson Piquet, he must prepare for another challenging race, but we will do our utmost to help him move up! »

According to a Renault F1 Team press release