Alonso teases race-winning potential after securing front row berth

Sam Hall
Saturday 18 March 2023 21:10

Fernando Alonso has talked up his chances of a 'better Sunday' after qualifying second at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard was promoted to the front row after Charles Leclerc was demoted 10 places for fitting a third control electronics unit for the season - this taking him one beyond the prescribed limit.

Although Alonso fell 0.465secs short of pole-sitter Sergio Perez, the Aston Martin driver is confident the weekend will only get better for the team.

"It has been a very good weekend for us," said Alonso.

"Qualifying was our weak point in Bahrina but today, the cars seemed to perform very well on one lap.

"Let's see what we can do from here.

"Obviously, Charles has a penalty, so we will start from the first row of the grid so this is just amazing."

Alonso is seeking the 33rd win of his F1 career, although he has been waiting since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix to add to his tally.

In this regard, much has been made of the fact that Alonso is residing in garage 33 in Jeddah this weekend - something that has been viewed as an omen for success.

Assessing Aston Martin's race pace, Alonso added: "We are confident.

"I think the gap on the long run yesterday was affected a bit by traffic but the car felt very strong.

"Still, I think the strongest point of the car is the long-run pace and how we treat the tyres, so it should be better on Sundays than Saturdays. Starting on the front row feels very good."