F1 News
Alonso happy with Q3 but tempers expectations: 'Will be a tough race'
- Toby McLuskie
Fernando Alonso looks back on his qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix with satisfaction. The Spaniard will start tomorrow from seventh position and is happy with the lap he managed to squeeze out in Q3. Alonso is also happy that teammate Lance Stroll was unhurt and is also looking ahead to the race.
Satisfied Alonso after another Q3
Alonso drove another good qualifying session in his Aston Martin. The 42-year-old Spaniard eventually set a lap time that was good enough for P7. Teammate Stroll crashed hard in the first part of qualifying, Alonso is happy that his young teammate was able to get out unscathed after his heavy crash at the last corner.
"My Q3 lap was good," Alonso began. "I told the team on the radio that it would have been difficult to improve that lap time even if I’d driven round all night!" Aston Martin did not seem to be in optimal form in the third free practice and Alonso agrees. He indicated that the car still did not look competitive on Saturday morning, but some changes have been made for qualifying.
Alonso: 'We have to be realistic'
About the race, Alonso is a little less optimistic. "It will be a long, interesting race for everybody tomorrow. We need to maximise every opportunity, but we must be realistic: there are plenty of fast cars in front of us, and we aren’t starting out of position. I will try and gain some places tomorrow, but it will be a tough race," said the two-time world champion.