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Montreal 04

Air Canada

13/06/2004

12/06/2004

Jarno Third And Fernando Fifth

Jarno Third And Fernando Fifth

The Team Is Optimistic For Tomorrow'S Race

Mild Seven Renault F1 Team drivers Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso finished third and fifth in qualifying today for the Canadian Grand Prix. Building on a successful start to the weekend, these promising positions leave the team optimistic for tomorrow's race.

Jarno Trulli:
"This is the fourth race in a row that I have started from the second row or higher, and that obviously puts us in a strong position for tomorrow. I had a good lap, but couldn't repeat my time from this morning - I think the hotter track conditions may have had something to do with it, and I think we will see some variation in strategies tomorrow. However, third is a good result, and the car has been competitive on the longer runs. We will see what happens tomorrow."

Fernando Alonso:
"I am happy with fifth, even though it is not as quick as I did this morning. On my out lap, I hit some debris from Sato's car, and then made a small mistake at turn 8 on the qualifying lap, and we found that the car was damaged at the end of the run. I had a bit too much understeer to be really quick, but to be in the top five is enough to race well."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering:
"We have been quick all weekend, and third and fifth are good starting positions, bearing in mind our strategy. Some of our competitors challenged us hard today but as always, it will not be until well into the race that we will be able to make a definitive judgement as to the relative speeds of the cars. Jarno's lap seemed good, although his straightline speed was down a little, and we need to look at this. Fernando's car was reasonably damaged by the end of the lap, and that undoubtedly cost him time."

Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager:
"It was a satisfying qualifying performance for the team, and confirms the order we saw begin to establish itself this morning. The performance of the two cars was comparable, and we are certainly optimistic for the race, starting so close to the front. The new engine specification functioned perfectly on the first occasion it was used to its full potential."