Saturday Overview – Renault is in a very bad position!

Renault experienced a difficult qualifying session in the context of the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix this afternoon. The R27 did not prove very effective in dry conditions, and both drivers complained of a general lack of grip during the qualifying session.

Heikki made a small mistake in the last corner of his timed lap in Q1, which cost him half a second and consequently prevented him from taking part in the last two qualifying rounds.

Giancarlo pushed his car to the limit, but in the particularly competitive second round, on a circuit where lap times are always very close, he unfortunately failed to qualify for the final stage of the session and missed the top 10 by 0.08 seconds.

Giancarlo Fisichella – 12th and 12th

I was really on the edge this afternoon and I think we did our maximum today. It was very slippery, there was very little grip; so it was very hard to have a perfect lap. It’s disappointing not to get into Q3 for so little. I think tomorrow’s race promises to be interesting, especially if we look at the tire behavior. We now hope to find a good strategy to maybe take advantage of it!

Heikki Kovalainen – 15th and 17th

I was very disappointed not to make it to Q2. I made a mistake: I went into turn number 12 too fast, locked the front wheels, came out poorly and lost more than six-tenths in the process. The grip level was lower than this morning but everyone had to deal with the same conditions. We’ve been in this situation already this year, and the results that followed showed us how important it is to never give up! We’re not going to give up, we’re going to push and seize every opportunity tomorrow, but it will be a tough race, that’s for sure!

Pat Symonds – Executive Director of Engineering

« It seems that we lost a lot of grip this afternoon as the track temperature increased significantly. A small mistake from Heikki was enough to deprive him of Q2 and drop him to the back of the grid, on a circuit where gaps are always minimal. Giancarlo tried to get the most out of the car, but it appears that it just wasn’t enough today. »

Denis Chevrier – Head of Track Engine Teams

« We said yesterday how important it would be to be well-prepared for the qualifying rounds, and it seems we didn’t succeed today. The times were very tight, and we missed our passage to Q3 by some 0.08 seconds, while Heikki paid the price for a small mistake. However, we saw today that tire management will be complicated, especially if the temperatures remain as high; we will try to take advantage of any opportunity.

According to ING Renault F1 Team