Alonso happy with third position but cautious: "We're waiting for the race"

Fernando Alonso is satisfied with third position on the grid at the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 GP which puts him in an excellent position to win the drivers' championship since his direct rival, Mark Webber, will only start fifth.

“It was difficult qualifying for everyone, with positions constantly changing even in Q1 and Q2. We didn't know how fast we would be in the end. The first attempt wasn't that great, I also found some traffic in the first sector, then I knew that with the second set of tires there would be room to improve" explained the Ferrari driver.

“So I pushed to the limit to get third place, a great position. Yesterday we did a good job with the set-up to find a good race pace and today we did a great job in qualifying. At this point we simply need one last good day" added Alonso.

“We are more or less in the same situation as two days ago. We know the competitors, there are four of us fighting for the title. Everything will depend on tomorrow's race. We have seen in the last two or three races that there have been changes: in Korea Red Bull was very strong but they lost due to mechanical problems. In Brazil there were problems at the pit stops. Anything can happen in the race, we have to complete the 55 laps without any problems. It will be a difficult race, a long race, but we are in an excellent position” concluded Alonso.