Formula 1

Fernando Alonso: “It’s going to be tough to maintain our qualifying position”

1 Mins read
Fernando Alonso will start tenth in Malaysia - Credit: Glenn Dunbar/McLaren

Fernando Alonso was satisfied to see both himself and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne make it through to the top ten shootout for the Malaysian Grand Prix, even if his MCL32 appeared not to work as well on Saturday as it did on Friday.

The Spaniard will start Sunday’s race from tenth on the grid after scrapping into Qualifying 3 by just 0.024 seconds at the expense of Felipe Massa, but he will start three places behind Vandoorne, who put his MCL32 into seventh.

Alonso feels the McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team will do well to retain their positions during the race at the Sepang International Circuit, feeling their qualifying pace is better than their race pace at this point of the season, although he is hoping for a sprinkling of race to make it possible for points.

“I’m satisfied with this result, and with how the weekend has gone in general, but it’s going to be tough to maintain our qualifying position tomorrow,” said Alonso.

“We know that our race pace is not as strong as our qualifying pace, so we’ll probably struggle a little bit more if conditions remain dry. However, maybe some rain will affect the race – some mixed conditions would improve things for us.

“I think performance was there for us this weekend, and getting both cars in Q3 on this circuit is a very good sign. The new parts we brought here worked well yesterday but maybe didn’t work as well today, so we will have a close look to that.

“It’s a very close field: it’s going to be tough to maintain our position tomorrow, but we’ll do our best, as always.”

13769 posts

About author
Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix - TCF Driver of the Weekend

2 Mins read
TheCheckeredFlag Driver of the Weekend is revealed for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals are Saying after the Race

7 Mins read
The ten Team Principals reflect on drivers performances at Albert Park during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw Ferrari claim their first win of 2024.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 2

7 Mins read
Those who missed out on points in Australia reflect on their races, including Max Verstappen, who retired from a Grand Prix for the first time since the same event in 2022.