Q & A with Renault's Pat Symonds

Q. Pat, how did qualifying go for the Renault F1 Team?

PS: Quite OK, I think. Fernando and Giancarlo reckon they didn't manage an ideal lap but we've been competitive. The two cars will start from 3rd and 4th positions on the grid and this is a good thing. Montreal has always been a good place for our cars. I think today's classification will lead to an entertaining race.

Q. What shall we expect?

PS: A few teams didn't seem really quick in free practice and are now quite high on the grid. This means all teams didn't choose the same strategy. I can't be 100% sure, but according to our predictions, we're in good shape. Most of the cars should stop twice. However, some drivers have chosen to go for three pitstops. One car, I think, has chosen a one-stop only strategy. The race will develop around lap 17-18, when the three-stoppers head to the pits.

Q. Why are the McLaren so far behind?

PS: I don't really know. Kimi did a few mistakes during his lap. This said, I think this team will be competitive tomorrow and I wouldn't be surprised to see them come back strongly. The ideal scenario, for us, would be to overtake Michael Schumacher before the first corner.