F1 | Aston Martin, Alonso: “Surprised by our qualifying performances”

Shanghai - Sprint Race disastrous for Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard started from third position and managed to hold position on two Ferrari di Sainz e Leclerc. With three laps to go the train of DRS led by Fernando breaks down: Sainz tries to overtake his compatriot, Alonso responds, but they also get involved in the fight Perez and Leclerc. Contact arrives between the two Spaniards: theAston Martin she was forced to return to the pits due to a puncture on her right front. Retirement for Alonso, who also receives a penalty of 10s and 3 points on his license - the Spaniard is at risk, he only has six points left before disqualification.

Alonso takes third position in qualifying

In qualifying the Asturian tries again, repeating the result already achieved in Sprint Qualifying on Friday. Alonso achieved third position in qualifying, proving consistent in all the qualifying heats. The Spaniard's joy is evident in the usual photos next to the two drivers Red Bull, but maintaining the position in the race will be complicated. The Sprint Race has already given a taste of the performance of the AMR24, which has proven to be more competitive in the race since the beginning of the season. Alonso expects another game in defence, but dealing with him on the track is not at all easy: behind him, tomorrow, there will be two McLaren and the two Ferraris.

“I'm always happy, it seems like I won the race. Red Bull is used to winning everything, as well as Mercedes and Ferrari, for us results like these are a gift. We are surprised by our speed on this track, especially in qualifying, there is something mysterious, we are much stronger than in the race – explained Alonso – we also saw it in the Sprint: we cannot keep up with the top teams, but we qualify ahead of them. Our matches therefore become a continuous defense, it happened in Bahrain, Jeddah e Australia with Russell, and so on Japan. We never have calm races because we start very far ahead, but we have to improve on Sunday."