Audi will hope to make the most of strategy in the second round of the Le Mans Series after being comprehensively outpaced by Peugeot in qualifying at Monza.
Dindo Capello posted the third quickest time in the #1 R10 he shares with Allan McNish although the Italian was well behind the Peugeot's that locked out the front row having knocked a stunning three seconds off their pole time for the 2007 running of the race.
"My first lap was the fastest one because on the second – which was better up to that point in time – I got caught in traffic,” he said. “But more than two, three tenths of a second wouldn't have been possible and for pole it definitely wouldn't have been enough. It'll be a difficult race for us. We need to stay close to the Peugeots and hope for a good strategy and quick pit stops.”
Youngster Mike Rockenfeller in the sister car came close to the time set by his more seasoned team-mate but a small mistake in the Ascari chicane cost him crucial fractions of a second and left him fourth.
“Of course I'd have liked to beat Dindo at his home race in qualifying,” he said. “It was very close, but in the Ascari chicane I made a small mistake. Still, I believe we can be satisfied. Our R10 TDI feels good. I'm convinced we've got a safe car for the race. If we manage a consistent, smooth race, we can score a lot of points, as we did at Barcelona. And that's our goal.”
Audi Sport Team Joest technical director Ralf Juttner admitted that he felt his team would be closer to the pace of the Peugeots when the race kicks off.
"So far, we've driven here without any major problems,” he said. “On Friday we had slight difficulties with brake temperatures at the rear axle. That's under control now. We're well set for the race, even though the time gap to Peugeot is big. But I do think that, like at Barcelona, we'll be closer to them in the race than in qualifying.
![McNish/Capello - Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R10 TDi [Pic credit: Audi]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/426328.jpg)
