Front row for Kubica after extraordinary afternoon
For a while, it seemed that Renault F1 Team driver Robert Kubica was going to take pole position at Monaco this afernoon after some extraordinary laps. However, the young Pole's time was beaten by a phenomenal lap of Mark Webber. This means that Kubica will start tomorrow's Monaco GP from second position on the grid. Team mate Petrov qualified 14th after a small crash in Q2.
Robert Kubica, R30-03, P2, 1:14.120
"Second on the grid at Monaco is a great result for us. The car has been great all weekend and I think we got the most from it today. We took a different approach to the session and saved two sets of option tyres for Q3 so I could do two runs on new tyres. On the final lap of my second run I did a very quick first sector, but for the second half of the lap the tyres were already gone so I struggled for grip and could only match my earlier lap time. When you come so close to pole, you are always a bit disappointed to miss out, but I think we can be very happy with our performance because we are in a great position to have a strong race tomorrow."
Vitaly Petrov, R30-02, P14 1:15.576
"The balance of the car is quite good here in Monaco and we made quite big changes in time for qualifying so I think it would have been possible to make Q3 today. But unfortunately in Q2 I was struggling with the brake balance and my front tyres were locking all the time. I tried to change the brake balance to the rear, but it was too much for my first flying lap and the rear locked, I spun and touched the wall. For tomorrow my target will be to finish the race. It’s very difficult to make up ground at the start, but anything can happen so hopefully I can score some points."
Eric Boullier, Team Principal: "Robert’s second place today is a great result for the team after an awesome qualifying session. The car has been very quick throughout all the sessions and this performance confirms the progress we have made recently. It’s also a great to see three Renault engines in the first three places. Obviously we are a bit disappointed for Vitaly because he has done a good job all weekend and was looking on course to make Q3. It’s a reminder that it’s very easy to get caught out in Monaco. We are now looking forward to an exciting race tomorrow and hopefully coming away with a great result."
Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer: "To qualify on the front row here is an excellent result for the team. The car has been working well all weekend and Robert has been exceptional. Starting near the front is very important at Monaco so today’s result is especially rewarding. It’s also nice to see three Renault engines at the front and we are looking forward to racing the Red Bulls tomorrow. Vitaly will start in 14th and was unfortunate to get caught out at the first corner in Q2 because he was looking competitive and would have been very close to making Q3. I’m sure he will race hard tomorrow and hopefully challenge for some points."
