Spaniard delighted to be back, but long right-handers hurting ribs; Jenson Button aiming for Q3 despite tyre-pressure issues
Saturday 16 April 2016 16:23, UK
Fernando Alonso was delighted to return to the cockpit in China, but admits he is still in pain from his rib injury.
The Spaniard had to pass a medical examination on Thursday and another after Practice One in Shanghai having been forced to miss the previous race in Bahrain following his huge accident in Melbourne.
Alonso completed five laps in Friday's opening session, before proving his fitness with 31 laps in Practice Two.
"I felt good. Obviously I missed a lot the feeling of being in the car even if we are not super competitive. I love what I do and I love to be in the car racing," he told Sky Sports F1.
"There was a little bit of pain, which is no surprise as the rib still has a little bit of a fracture - that is normal - and also it is a circuit that has very long right-handers, which is not a good combination. But the pain is manageable and there is no other risk with being in the car, so that is the positive thing.
"It was important to be in the car today and then to do some laps as we have rain forecast for qualifying so today was the only time to test the dry tyres for the race on Sunday. We are happy with the results, we need to find a little bit more performance in the car as I think we can be more competitive compared to what we saw today. We need to work on that tonight."
McLaren finished Practice Two 11th and 12th on the timesheets, but both their drivers felt Pirelli had set the mandatory minimum tyre pressures too high.
"I think everyone is really struggling with the tyres out there with graining and overheating. The minimum pressures are very high and it is tough for everyone out there," said Jenson Button.
"They are massively high, the minimum pressures we can run, so the tyres overheat immediately so it is a quite a big issue, particularly on the longer runs."
Asked if the pressures were too high Alonso said: "Yeah, no doubts. It is the same for everyone so we just need to adapt. Definitely the tyre pressures are too high.
"But when people are two seconds ahead of you you cannot say [anything]. First we need to be two seconds quicker then we can say if the pressures are too high or not."
However, despite the issues, Button feels a Q3 appearance could be on the cards.
"We are definitely more competitive than it looks. I think our pace is okay, probably not as good as the last race, but it is still pretty good," the 2009 world champion said.
"If it is dry I think we will be knocking on the door of the top 10 and maybe even get in. If it is mixed conditions you can make a big mistake and get it totally wrong, but you can also get it very right."
Watch the Chinese GP weekend - LIVE ONLY on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 7am on Sunday, with build-up underway from 5.30am. Or watch without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV.
