Renault Not Looking Strong, Says Trulli

Italian Jarno Trulli says his Renault team will have to work hard in order to be competitive at this weekend's European Grand Prix.

The French squad, currently in fourth place in the Constructors' Championship, failed to get close to the top of the times in first qualifying at the Nurburgring, with Trulli finishing in seventh place more than a second behind pace setter Kimi Raikkonen.

"I had a clean lap this afternoon. We worked throughout the morning on finding a good set-up, and the right solutions for the tyres," said Trulli after the session. "We both changed our set-ups before qualifying, and the result wasn't too bad.

"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."

Spaniard Fernando Alonso finished right behind his teammate in eighth position, and the young Renault driver also said the team will have to work overnight to find competitiveness.

"From my point if view, the balance of the car was the best it has been all day," Alonso said. "We had a good morning, and managed to complete the programme without any problems, learning about the tyres and set-ups.

"My lap was good, with the car well-balanced and I didn't make any mistakes. 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."