Renault pin hopes on Bridgestone graining

Although Ferrari dominated qualifying yesterday, and Bridgestone's advantage helped Toyota secure the second row, Renault are bullish that things will be much closer over a race distance.

Renault's director of engineering Pat Symonds said about Bridgestone: "Just using that very good data acquisition device, the eyeball, it looks like their tyres are not quite as good as they might wish them to be.

"The analysis is that the tyres' first lap is very, very good. Very, very fast. But the appearance of the tyres at the end of qualifying shows there is quite a lot of graining on them, so it doesn't mean that everything is over.

"Ferrari have got good grid positions, we haven't got disastrous grid positions, so maybe if our tyres hang on in the race better, then there will still be a good race."

Giancarlo Fisichella, who starts sixth on the grid alongside teammate Fernando Alonso, is equally optimistic that the team will be stronger today than yesterday.

"It is quite impressive how the Bridgestone performance is good on the first lap on the tyres," said the Italian.

"We have been a bit far away so far, at least one second from the Ferrari, but I am sure it is going to be better in the race. It will be a lot closer.

"When I saw the tyres in parc ferme they had quite big graining, both Toyota and Ferrari, and our tyres were in quite a good condition. It is more promising for the race, but we will see. It is going to be a tough race."

Symonds is aware, however, that evidence of graining after a few laps is no sign of definite problems for tyres.

"I don't think that anyone knows how it will go," he added. "Because of the weather conditions we haven't really seen the long runs.

"There was one long run from Williams this morning that did show high degradation, and the appearance of the tyre doesn't look great, but we have seen that before with the Bridgestone.

"We have seen after a couple of laps this very, very heavy graining. We first saw it at Magny-Cours and we have seen it a couple of times since then.

"They seem to have the ability to pull it off and get the performance back, so it is a hard one to call."