31.07.09 TURVEY THIRD FASTEST IN PORTUGAL RSF driver Oliver Turvey was third quickest overall in qualifying for tomorrow's Formula Renault 3.5 races at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Turvey - struggling for grip in the hot, slippery conditions in Portugal - finished second in the B Group qualifying session, 0.448s behind his Carlin team-mate and newly-promoted Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Jaime Alguersuari. But with only a single session in which to dispute grid positions due to the cancellation of Superpole, he lost out on the chance to go one better. He will now start third in tomorrow's feature race behind Charles Pic. The Frenchman was classified first in the earlier Group A session after Fairuz Fauzy, the initial fastest group qualifier, was stripped of his best lap when his car was found to be underweight. The Superpole session was abandoned due to the crowded race programme at the Le Mans series meeting at which the FR3.5 races were the support act. "The track conditions were totally different from those in the second free practice session this morning which made things a bit difficult," said Turvey who will start fifth in the reverse grid race. "The ambient and track temperatures had both risen significantly and there was a strong head wind on the pit straight which totally changed the balance and the feeling in the car. "It meant we lost grip overall and especially at the rear which gave me a lot of oversteer. But I was able to adapt and put in a good lap right at the end of the session to qualify second in the group." << back to news