F1 | McLaren, Alonso: “In Q1 we showed how strong we are”

“Disguised” qualification in Mexico for the McLaren: aware of having to face heavy penalties on the starting grid, the Woking cars did not complete any flying laps in Q2, in order to preserve their tires for the race.

Fernando Alonso, surprisingly 5th in Q1, will start from the race 18th place due to a penalty of 20 positions: “I am extremely satisfied with the car's performance this weekend” – declared the Spaniard. “It went great both yesterday and today, with excellent grip in the corners which gave me good sensations even in the high speed areas. In Q1 we showed how strong we are on this track. Being just two tenths off the fastest time shows what a great job from McLaren can do. It was fun. Obviously safeguarding the tires in Q2 was our main priority. With the straight line deficit we have here, in the race it will be difficult to overtake. Starting from the back will mean racing with traffic for the whole race, but we will try to be aggressive and if something happens in front of us, we will take any opportunities.".

Stoffel vandoorne, however, will have to serve a penalty of 35 places on the grid which will force him to start from 19ª position: “Our attention was on the race and certainly not on qualifying” – explained the Belgian pilot. “Also in Q1 I ran with a high fuel load, in order to prepare for the race and improve balance. After the problems I had with the engine yesterday in FP1 and FP2, straight away in FP3 I felt much more comfortable in the car. Our package is competitive here. Overtaking on the straight will be difficult for us, so we will have to drive aggressively, thoughtfully and ambitiously, hoping we can have a good race. Qualifications were not a priority for us today, so I'm looking forward to racing in the race”.

Federico Martino