Alonso still hopeful of scoring points

The Spaniard has so far scored points in every race of the season, and was the closest challenger to Michael Schumacher in his home race a fortnight ago, but he now faces an uphill challenge to keep his scoring streak alive.

"In qualifying my lap started very well but I made a mistake that took me off the track and put me at the back of the grid," said Alonso. "In spite of this, I feel confident I can make my way up in tomorrow's race and, who knows - even score some points."

Renault had expected to struggle at the A1-Ring, because the circuit rewards engine power that the French manufacturer's V10 is currently lacking. Because of this, Jarno Trulli was very satisfied with sixth on the grid.

"I am very happy with my sixth place, considering that it was a tough qualifying for everybody, on a very dirty track," said Trulli. "This morning's hard work n the set-up paid off as I felt that the car balance was perfect in qualifying. I feel good and ready to attack in tomorrow's race and my objective is definitely to bring home some points for the team."