Trulli exceeds Renault's expectations

The Italian was just 0.019s slower than Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher, and attributed his time to having a "perfect car" beneath him. Fernando Alonso could not quite match the performance of Trulli, with the Spaniard setting the tenth fastest time.

"Overall a very successful day for us," said Pat Symonds, Renault's executive engineering director. "We knew we would be more competitive here than at the previous race but Jarno's result today went beyond our expectations, and we are very pleased for him. Fernando's car didn't quite have the speed required but we think there will be no problem in getting him into a good position tomorrow. It looks very encouraging for us."

Trulli said: "I had a perfect car this afternoon, thanks to the whole team. This morning we were quite busy, sorting out minor problems and working on a series of different things on the car. It all paid off with this very positive second place."

Despite being down in tenth, local hero Alonso refused to be downbeat about his performance. "This afternoon my lap was good and I am confident that we have a more competitive car than in Imola," he said. "Tomorrow's qualifying should be good for us."