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Renault jubilant over double triumph
Kuala Lumpur, Mar 22: Renault drivers Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli will start Sunday`s Malaysian Grand Prix from the front of the grid after a stunning performance in qualifying. Spaniard Alonso - who became the youngest man in history to take pole position in a world championship F1 race - and Italian Trulli beat world champion Michael Schumacher into third place.
Kuala Lumpur, Mar 22: Renault drivers Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli will start Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix from the front of the grid after a stunning performance in qualifying. Spaniard Alonso - who became the youngest man in history to take pole position in a world championship F1 race - and Italian Trulli beat world champion Michael Schumacher into third place.
Schumacher's team-mate Rubens Barrichello was fifth with David Coulthard's McLaren separating the Ferraris in fourth. The Williams team struggled badly - Juan Pablo Montoya was only eighth fastest, with team-mate Ralf Schumacher down in 17th place on the demanding Sepang track.
Jenson Button was ninth fastest - three places ahead of his BAR team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. British rookies Justin Wilson and Ralph Firman brought up the rear of the grid in the Minardi and Jordan.
Alonso revealed he had been struggling with a fever all day, but admitted: "I feel much better now. I am dreaming. I will try to relax tonight and take some medicines because I know it will be a hard day for me tomorrow. "The feeling for me at the moment is fantastic. It's my first pole position, I am 21 and in my first year with a big team like Renault so to get pole is an amazing feeling."
Alonso, who scored his first points with seventh place in Australia a fortnight ago, said: "We have been very strong all weekend and I was pretty confident in my lap and qualifying. But I didn't think we would get pole or the first row."
Renault's pace will lead to speculation that the team ran their cars with less fuel than the Ferraris - new rules this year dictate that teams cannot refuel between qualifying and race.
That means a team with a slower car can get it into an unrepresentative, higher grid position by opting to start the race with less fuel than would be ideal for the best strategy.
However, Renault technical director Mike Gascoyne said the team were "on the right strategy" for the race. The performance of the Michelin tyres may also have had some impact on the pace of the Renaults - who had given a hint of their potential with quick times in the Saturday morning practice session.
Michelin - which supplies Renault, McLaren and Williams of the top teams, while Ferrari use Bridgestone tyres - was very competitive in Malaysia last year. Ferrari, by contrast, are said to have had to take a harder tyre to ensure it is durable enough for the race - Sepang is notoriously hard on tyres.
Schumacher said: "If you can get on pole that's fantastic, but the way the rules are you have to concentrate on the race. I do not know what the Renault guys have done, but obviously they have done a good job and you can't take anything away from them. But at the end of the day we will have to see what happens tomorrow."
LEADING POSITIONS 1 F Alonso (Spa) Renault 2 J Trulli (Ita) Renault 3 M Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 4 D Coulthard (GB) McLaren 5 R Barrichello (Bra) Ferrari 6 N Heidfeld (Ger) Sauber
Schumacher's team-mate Rubens Barrichello was fifth with David Coulthard's McLaren separating the Ferraris in fourth. The Williams team struggled badly - Juan Pablo Montoya was only eighth fastest, with team-mate Ralf Schumacher down in 17th place on the demanding Sepang track.
Jenson Button was ninth fastest - three places ahead of his BAR team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. British rookies Justin Wilson and Ralph Firman brought up the rear of the grid in the Minardi and Jordan.
Alonso revealed he had been struggling with a fever all day, but admitted: "I feel much better now. I am dreaming. I will try to relax tonight and take some medicines because I know it will be a hard day for me tomorrow. "The feeling for me at the moment is fantastic. It's my first pole position, I am 21 and in my first year with a big team like Renault so to get pole is an amazing feeling."
Alonso, who scored his first points with seventh place in Australia a fortnight ago, said: "We have been very strong all weekend and I was pretty confident in my lap and qualifying. But I didn't think we would get pole or the first row."
Renault's pace will lead to speculation that the team ran their cars with less fuel than the Ferraris - new rules this year dictate that teams cannot refuel between qualifying and race.
That means a team with a slower car can get it into an unrepresentative, higher grid position by opting to start the race with less fuel than would be ideal for the best strategy.
However, Renault technical director Mike Gascoyne said the team were "on the right strategy" for the race. The performance of the Michelin tyres may also have had some impact on the pace of the Renaults - who had given a hint of their potential with quick times in the Saturday morning practice session.
Michelin - which supplies Renault, McLaren and Williams of the top teams, while Ferrari use Bridgestone tyres - was very competitive in Malaysia last year. Ferrari, by contrast, are said to have had to take a harder tyre to ensure it is durable enough for the race - Sepang is notoriously hard on tyres.
Schumacher said: "If you can get on pole that's fantastic, but the way the rules are you have to concentrate on the race. I do not know what the Renault guys have done, but obviously they have done a good job and you can't take anything away from them. But at the end of the day we will have to see what happens tomorrow."
LEADING POSITIONS 1 F Alonso (Spa) Renault 2 J Trulli (Ita) Renault 3 M Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 4 D Coulthard (GB) McLaren 5 R Barrichello (Bra) Ferrari 6 N Heidfeld (Ger) Sauber
Bureau Report