Renault left with work to do

Both drivers enjoyed clear runs, and agreed that the set-up on the cars was reasonable, but were mystified by their lack of pace relative to the leaders. The problems are especially galling for the team because it was confident that its cars would run well, due to the characteristics of the Nurburgring circuit.

"We both changed out set-ups before qualifying and the result wasn't too bad," said Trulli, who qualified seventh. "However, we are not looking particularly strong at the moment, and we have a lot of work to do tonight and tomorrow morning in order to investigate, and try to solve, the problems."

Team-mate Alonso agreed. "My lap was good, with the car well-balanced and I didn't make any mistakes," he said. "I am quite pleased, but we are still a long way from our competitors, and we need to work tonight to try and find some solutions."