Spaniard defies weaknesses of McLaren-Honda package to reach Q2; Finishes seven tenths quicker than team-mate Vandoorne
Saturday 8 April 2017 12:11, UK
Fernando Alonso says he "drove like an animal" to qualify 13th for the Chinese GP in his McLaren-Honda.
Alonso made the remark over team radio as he once again exceeded expectations in the struggling MCL32 to reach Q2 before missing out on a spot in the top-10 shootout.
The Spaniard's performance was all the more impressive given McLaren had only managed 17th and 19th in Practice Three while team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne was knocked out in Q1, lapping five tenths slower than Alonso.
"I was driving like all the animals," Alonso later told Sky Sports F1.
"We really pushed the maximum. We felt really noncompetitive in FP3 so we went into Q1 with pessimism in the targets.
"I did the lap flat out in some corners, not caring too much about the risks over the limit. We crossed the line and I thought 'Wow, P10! That should be enough for Q2'.
"P13 in Q2 is a big surprise for us with the expectations we had before qualifying. Now we need to capitalise on this position and hopefully bring some points.
"The rain will be good for us I think. In normal conditions I think it's unlikely we get some points. A chaotic race will help us. We raced a couple of times here in the wet so we should use that experience to take any opportunity."
Alonso has also maintained the pressure on Honda by insisting his McLaren is as fast as the leaders through corners, where car design is paramount, but the slowest of all on straights due to the weak power of the engine.
"I was flat out through some of the corners," Alonso told reporters.
"In the corners, we are very good - as fast as anyone else. On the straights we are the slowest by far."
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