Renault on a roll

"It's great for the whole team!" enthused Trulli. "I must admit that I think we deserved more, but we had traffic on every run. We have been competitive throughout the weekend, as our split times show, but I didn't manage to put it all together for a single lap during qualifying.

"Most of all, I want to thank the team for giving me a very good car," he added, "which is getting better with every race."

Pat Symonds, executive director of engineering, was confident about his team's prospects in taking the challenge to Williams, Ferrari and McLaren.

"What a difference a year makes," he said. "Our work yesterday didn't compromise our competitiveness for qualifying, which means we can be confident for the race. The next target must be to improve a stage further in our pursuit of the top three teams."

Button was perhaps more subdued, but still pleased with his performance.

"A good session for me," said the young Englishman. "The car was a little heavy at the start of the session, so we shifted some ballast for the later runs, but managed to keep the balance. I'm pleased to be so close to the McLarens and to be running so competitively."