F1 star Fernando Alonso: Disappointed despite best qualifying result of the year

It came as no great surprise that Fernando Alonso was able to capitalise on the poor weather in Brazil on qualifying Saturday. After all, the two-time world champion from the Aston Martin team is regarded as one of the best drivers in the world. And he proved in qualifying at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos that, even at the age of 45, he has not lost his ability to push himself to the limit.

The 32-time Grand Prix star first secured his place in Q2 with a strong lap on wet tyres. There, he was the first to venture onto the track on intermediates – and was rewarded with a place in Q3. For the first time this year, the ambitious Asturian was among the top ten in the final practice session.

He ultimately finished in ninth place, but thanks to the engine penalty incurred by Ferrari star Charles Leclerc, he moves up to eighth on the grid. Despite his favourable starting position, Alonso was not entirely happy after getting out of the car.

Fernando Alonso: Self-criticism after Q3 performance

Speaking to colleagues at ‘Sky Sports F1’ about the risk of being the first to take to the track on mixed-weather tyres, he said: “I said that we probably wouldn’t make it into Q3 if we didn’t take the chance to switch to the intermediates, because I’d set a good lap on the wet tyres, which I probably wouldn’t have been able to repeat. I said: ‘If it works out, we’ll make it into Q3; otherwise, we’re out – but we’d have been out on the wet tyres anyway.’

And when asked whether he was nevertheless a little disappointed, the driver with 444 Grand Prix starts to his name confirmed: “Yes, absolutely, because I was first in the queue and thought to myself, perhaps the weather would give us the chance of a top-four or top-five spot. But the rain wasn’t as heavy as we’d thought, and everyone was able to set two timed laps.”

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“I didn’t get the most out of it in Q3 either,” said Alonso, being self-critical. “On the first fast lap, the tyres were freezing cold and I had absolutely no grip. On the second lap, I didn’t manage my energy optimally because, on my first attempt, I’d assumed I’d only have one fast lap. That’s why I ended up in no man’s land. I need to learn from that,” he added dryly.

Nevertheless, the Formula 1 veteran reckons he still has a chance of scoring points in the race. Alonso is hoping for more rain: “I think we have a better chance in the wet, because there you can lose everything with a silly mistake or get into the points with a good strategy. That’s why we prefer to take the risk. In the dry, we also struggled more than expected; in the third free practice session, I finished 18th. That’s why I’m hoping for a wet race.”