Seventh place starting in Abu Dhabi for Fernando Alonso. The Aston Martin driver showed good pace at Yas Marina, now having the conditions to finish the season on a high note, which he considers to be one of the best of his career.
The Spanish veteran confirmed that he was pleased with the qualifying result after the uncertainty he faced in the session: ‘I am very happy with seventh place. We were not competitive at the beginning of the day in the third free practice – 14th and 15th – so I had doubts about our overall pace this weekend. Then, in Q1, we were stronger than expected: I gained confidence throughout the session, so seventh place is a good result’.
Next, Alonso explained: ‘It is an art to adjust to the fast evolution of the track here, and changing from used soft tires to a new set means there are many mixed indications from the car. This made qualifying complicated’.
Finally, the two-time champion of 2005 and 2006 anticipated Sunday’s race: ‘I think tire degradation will make it a survival race – let’s hope for some chaos’.
