Saturday: Renault stays awake thanks to Alonso

At the end of qualifying, Fernando Alonso secures the 6th fastest time and will start from 5th place on the grid following a penalty to one of his competitors. His teammate, Romain Grosjean, will start in 19th.

It’s once again night and day between the two drivers. Contrary to popular belief, one might say that ‘night’ is Alonso since the Spaniard fares well in the dark streets of the city-state. The Frenchman is unable to make up for the delay since the start of the trials and finds himself in a very bad position this evening.

Fernando Alonso – 15th and 5th (6th time)

« We will be starting in 5th position, which is good for us. It will be difficult to fight for the podium tomorrow, but our goal will be to finish in the top 5. During free practice, our race pace wasn’t exceptional and we will need to improve it a bit tomorrow. It will certainly be a defensive race for us, and I want to hold on to this 5th place until the finish. »

Romain Grosjean – 19th and 19th:

« We experienced brake issues, and the team did everything to try to resolve them in time. In the end, the session was difficult, and I don’t think the 19th place reflects my true competitiveness. So I’m focusing on tomorrow and hope to take advantage of the race circumstances. I maintain a positive mindset and want to gain experience on this track. »

Bob Bell – Team Director:

Unfortunately, Romain had a tough session. He encountered brake issues which penalized him. In Q2, Fernando gained performance, perhaps because the track temperature had dropped, or because more rubber had been laid down on the circuit. This improved the car’s balance and gave Fernando more confidence. He did a great job in Q3 and benefited from the incident that befell Barrichello. We are in a favorable position, better than we expected before the qualifying.

According to a press release from the Renault F1 Team