Alonso’s hopeful ‘pain’ after aiming for pole in Canada

Saturday changes conditions in Canadian Grand Prix They complicated the qualifying session, in which Fernando Alonso managed to reach the third part of qualifying and qualify sixth, +0.228 behind the 1:12.000 achieved by Max Verstappen and George Russell in the fight for pole.

Speaking about how it went, the two-time champion admitted it was a good result, but in hindsight he could have done better: “It’s a good position to start after two Grands Prix fell in the first quarter . a very windy session, changes in direction and rain, which makes you lose confidence. I don’t think anyone did a perfect lap, neither did I, I didn’t do it perfectly in Q3 and when you see that’s the case. just two tenths away from pole position, it hurts a bit. But yeah, I think it’s the same for everyone.”

When Alonso was asked if he knew at what stage of the circuit Gilles Villeneuve lost these tenths, he explained: “Yes, exactly, it was all in the second turn. I had been through so much and lost the car so much that I thought about stopping the lap and going into the pits or continuing, I continued to go sixth, so you think tenth places would put you on pole, maybe it was all in the corner.”

After qualifying third in China, Alonso also admitted that he was considering canceling his return. Repeating this in Canada, Motorsport.com reminded him: “Yes, I drove very aggressively after that to make up for lost time. But yeah, I think it was difficult.”

Digging deeper into how Aston Martin felt at this Grand Prix, he continued: “Without a doubt the car felt a little better this weekend. Already on Friday we felt a little more confident with the car, and on Saturday too in the race. It will be full control of the tires without the long runs of FP2, in the race we are plunging a little into the unknown. And if it rains, this is one of those races where you know you’ll end up on intermediate or dry tires. , one “One lap too late or one lap too early, the race is over, so you need to succeed, and for that everyone will need a little luck.”

Motorsport.com also asked him if he understood why his car now seemed a little more competitive: “Yes, I think after the first eight races we already had a clearer idea of ​​the car. So we were hoping for a slightly better weekend. “That was the case on Friday and I hope now we can solve the problems and be competitive everywhere.”

Finally, on whether he expects this to continue during the next Grand Prix, he admitted: “You never know. I think we’ve seen that things can change quickly race by race. Ferrari was on pole, dominated in Monaco and now beyond. In the third quarter, RB is very fast here, Alex is also with Williams, so it is difficult to put the order and be sure that in Barcelona we will be in the third quarter again. I don’t think anyone can guarantee this.