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[f1ea]

Impressive. I couldn't believe when i saw Alonso in P1
Of course Kimi was right behind and nailed it, but still Impressive as Alonso was very strong in the 3 Q sessions.

Now... while starting 2nd is great for Alonso and Renault, I doubt he will be able to keep Massa and maybe the BMW behind, so I think a 4th place would be amazing for Renault and a huge boost in confidence. Which, with Barcelona being so tough to pass on... I seriously doubt Lewis will be able to make the jump so things could get really interesting in the midfield.

[al4x]

behind ferrari is now the race, i am no longer cocerned with p1,

[8-ball]

To fully assess alonso's performance we will have to wait to see how light he really is. As for Renault being back to full strength i doubt it but they have definitely made strides forward as the performance of piquet shows. it will be good to see Kimi and Alonso having another battle at the start of a GP. It's a return to the good old days

[Denthúl]

To fully assess alonso's performance we will have to wait to see how light he really is. As for Renault being back to full strength i doubt it but they have definitely made strides forward as the performance of piquet shows. it will be good to see Kimi and Alonso having another battle at the start of a GP. It's a return to the good old days

Aye. Hopefully next year we will have four to six teams battling for race wins. Ferrari, McLaren, BMW, Renault and Williams all winning a couple of races throughout 2009 would make for a great season.

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Renault hint at light fuel load

By Simon Strang Saturday, April 26th 2008, 14:28 GMT

Renault's car in qualifying in SpainRenault's Pat Symonds has hinted that Fernando Alonso will start the Spanish Grand Prix with a light fuel load after the double world champion took a surprising front row starting spot in qualifying for Sunday's race.

Speaking to UK broadcaster ITV, Symonds said that while Renault have improved the R28 significantly since Alonso he finished tenth in Bahrain, the team had been 'creative' with Alonso's race strategy.

"Obviously there is some strategy involved," he said. "But I am really pleased to see the proof of the work that we have been doing over the last few months.

"It's also good to see Nelson [Piquet] (tenth fastest) up there in the top ten, it's his first time in Q3 and it proves it's a team effort.

"I don't think it would be any secret to say that Fernando and Nelson are not on the same strategy."

Asked why Renault had chosen to put their drivers on such contrasting strategies, with Piquet evidently running heavier, Symonds replied: "Well it's a question of how each driver can use it.

"We really have improved the car, we've made it lot nicer to drive, a lot more competitive, as you've seen right through the weekend," he added.

"Nelson still needs to learn, he still needs to get races under his belt and it is probably not the best thing to be too aggressive with him."

Despite running Alonso light in qualifying for his home race, Symonds emphasised that Renault were still aiming for a strong finish on Sunday.

"It's Sunday that counts, and with the season we had last year and the way we started this year, we just want to get some good solid results," he said. "And of course it's nice to be up there and we have a history of being quite creative with the way we go racing.

"Here is another example of it and it means a lot to us. Sunday really counts."

[al4x]

willaims seem to have gone bacwards a bit the last couple of races as do mclaren,

its a postive start for renault, (f1 starts in europe anyway!) a step in the right direction, but theres a bit to go before genuine podiums on racey circuits i expect, theyve left most of the midfield behind now at least

[f1ea]

Yes, i think it is pretty clear he is lighter. Piquet was always very close all weekend long...

[Hanwombat]

Crap Result.

[Rivelution]

Aye. Hopefully next year we will have four to six teams battling for race wins. Ferrari, McLaren, BMW, Renault and Williams all winning a couple of races throughout 2009 would make for a great season.

God that would be awesome!! But to be honest I think Toyota will be in that group too.

[al4x]

its been generally a good day, been for a good bike ride, seen renault come back with something resembling a decent race car, looking for double points finish tomorrow, maybe a podium!

watch out bmw/mclaren theres another team coming to get ya!

[texasmr2]

One thing that's sure is it's gonna be one heck of a start and race to turn one. I'm very impressed with Alonso's 2nd place and very surprised by McLaren's starting position's.

[darwin dali]

and very surprised by McLaren's starting position's.

Not really.