Renault Duo Happy after Strong Start

Italian Jarno Trulli was encouraged following a promising start to his Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit.

The Renault driver posted the sixth quickest time of Friday's qualifying after taking full advantage of the two-hour testing session this morning.

Trulli, who finished in fifth position at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit, is looking forward to another strong performance in Saturday's decisive qualifying session.

"It was a good Friday session," Trulli admitted after qualifying. "This morning we had a productive test and free practice session, trying different set-ups and tyres in preparation for the race.

"This afternoon the car was very well balanced and our times are close to those of the top teams, so everything is looking good at the moment, for tomorrow's qualifying."

Trulli's teammate Fernando Alonso, suffering from oversteering during his flying lap, had to settle for tenth position in the second R23. The young Spaniard, however, was still confident of a better showing tomorrow.

"I think it was a good day for us overall," said Alonso. "This morning we ran on a damp track, which allowed us to test a couple of things in case of rain in Sunday's race. This afternoon, our lap times look quite competitive and I am confident we can move up in tomorrow's qualifying."