We're in good shape - Nelson
Fernando Alonso’s chassis race engineer with the Renault F1 Team is feeling confident for tomorrow, as they aim for a podium finish. Fernando Alonso will start from 5th position tomorrow and hopes to repeat last season's victory.
Rod, how has your weekend been until now? "Pretty good. The track was dirty yesterday and all the drivers were complaining they had no grip, especially where it had been resurfaced, but Fernando was quickest at the end of the day. We made some set-up changes this morning to suit the conditions, and found a pretty good balance."
Is Fernando happy with qualifying?"From the outside, fifth position might seem a bit disappointing, but this is the result of our strategic decisions before qualifying. In those conditions, Fernando put in a very, very good performance."
What will he need to make up ground in the race?"Firstly, a good start. If he can pass Massa on the way to the first corner, that would be a positive move. But he has to watch his mirrors if he manages it, because Massa has been known for some optimistic braking! After that, we will have to see the pace of the Hondas. I am not sure how fast they will be in the race, and for us, the risk will be of getting stuck behind them for too long and to not be able to catch Schumacher afterwards. They may be running quite light, so I think we are in good shape… We are aiming for the podium, for sure."
In your opinion, what will be the priority tomorrow – out-scoring McLaren, or fighting Ferrari for the win?"Out-scoring McLaren, without a shadow of a doubt. They are the ones who are the biggest danger for the championship."
So you don’t expect Ferrari to be fighting at the next races?"Not yet. Ferrari have always been very quick at Imola and they have confirmed it again today. Schumacher will be going for the win tomorrow, but I am not sure he will be able to do it regularly in the coming races, at least…"
Source Renaultf1
