Renault satisfied with progress

Fernando Alonso qualified sixth, and although team-mate Jarno Trulli was only 15-hundredths of a second slower, that was enough to demote him to ninth, behind Takuma Sato (BAR) and Mark Webber (Jaguar).

"Sixth is a good position for us as I think the car is quick in race conditions, and that we can be very consistent on the long runs," said Alonso. "On the timed lap, the handling was still a bit nervous but I think that is the same for the other drivers: grip levels have been low this weekend, and that has made our job a bit more difficult. Overall, I am confident and think we will perhaps be able to fight at the front tomorrow."

Trulli added: "A pretty good qualifying session for me: I made some little mistakes in the first and third sectors, but that only cost me a tenth or maybe two. We are hoping for a trouble-free race tomorrow and then we are capable of scoring good points. Clearly, it will be a very close battle, but we worked well today, and I am optimistic for the race."