Hulkenberg takes P7 as ‘a nice surprise’

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg extracted pretty much the most from his car in qualifying this afternoon for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

The German will line up P7 on tomorrow’s grid, a results which underlines the French team’s positive relative performance.

“When we started driving in FP3 I felt immediately positive and happy with the car and its balance,” Hulkenberg said.

“It felt better and more together than in Melbourne, and perhaps this track suits our car a little better too.

“I think from FP3 to qualifying, we were able to improve the car; I was happy, I was confident and it was a nice surprise when I heard the position over the radio.”

• FIA takes precautionary safety measures ahead of Sunday’s race

Like most of its mid-field rivals, Renault isn’t as well prepared as it hoped to be after yesterday’s washout of FP2.

But the Hulk will just draw on his valuable experience and adapt to whatever circumstances prevail on race day.

“The forecast says rain for tomorrow, which brings its own challenges, but whatever happens I’ll approach the race open minded and do my best.”

Gallery: All the pictures from Saturday’s action in Shanghai

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter