Fernando Alonso finished qualifying for the 2023 F1 Round 17 Japanese GP in 10th place. Aston Martin’s setback may not have drawn attention to his performance in qualifying at the Suzuka circuit, but he quipped that he was “proud”. Aston Martin got off to a strong start, finishing second in the opening race of 2023, but has since been pushed by Mercedes and Ferrari, and recently McLaren, which has gained momentum in the middle of the season, has also moved into the top ranks.
Aston Martin finished without points for the first time this season in Singapore, and in Japan Alonso’s teammate Lance Stroll was eliminated in Q1. Alonso made it through both Q1 and Q2, but in Q3 he had the lowest time out of 10 cars. “I was 14th in Q1, 10th in Q2 and 10th in Q3. I was always on the edge of the cut line,” Alonso said. “It’s been a tough weekend. In Q3 we were in the top 10 in every session, but today we were just barely there. “The fast corners and characteristics of Suzuka are theoretically the best for us, as they were in Qatar. “I didn’t think it was going to be a great circuit.” “However, even on a difficult day, I set a very good lap and managed to advance to Q3. Qualifying like this doesn’t attract a lot of attention. Alonso said he was “at the same level all season, but at the beginning of the season we were fighting for 9-10 points and now we are fighting for 4-5 points. But I’m on the same level,” he said. “It’s the same feeling with Max (Verstappen). He didn’t wake up this weekend and he’s leading again. He was 11th in Singapore when he was asleep and was the best of us. “It’s like Max (Verstappen). He didn’t wake up this weekend and was back in the lead, but in Singapore he was just sleeping. He’s 11th in Singapore. He’s the best of all of us. I was the best, I took pole position today and I’m still the best.” Fernando Alonso: “It was difficult to find a better pace today. I got the most out of my lap.” , I’m happy to be able to stay in Q3. Performance levels keep changing depending on the track. We knew it was going to be a difficult race today. It’s going to be an interesting race, but I’m hoping we can get some good points tomorrow. I’m optimistic. Usually we race better and let’s see what we can do.”
2023-09-23 13:31:54
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