Fernando Alonso secured third place on the grid in Formula 1 sprint qualifying in China – How the Aston Martin driver coped with the rainy conditions in SQ3
Fernando Alonso finished third in Formula 1 sprint qualifying in China and will therefore start Saturday morning’s sprint from the second row of the grid. The Aston Martin driver benefited from the onset of rain in the final qualifying segment, as the AMR24 “wasn’t super competitive” in the previously drier conditions of SQ1 and SQ2.
“To be honest, it was pretty stressful,” admits Alonso after the session. “In SQ1 we were just looking at the radar and the threat of rain was there from the first minute. We made some progress in SQ1 and I think we just about made it in SQ2 because we were P8 or P9. So in the dry we weren’t particularly competitive.”
In dry conditions, the Aston Martin looked to be fourth at best behind Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, but Alonso mastered the tricky business of tire temperature in the rain and was ultimately only beaten by pole-sitter Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes.
“The conditions were a little different on every lap,” said Alonso, explaining the situation in SQ3. “The tires were a bit better every lap, but the track was a bit worse because of the rain, so it was difficult to judge the grip and the risk you wanted to take. So I’m extremely happy. “
Zhou overtaken in the pits? That’s why Alonso didn’t get a penalty
With the rain getting heavier and heavier, there was a scramble in the pit lane before the start of the third sprint qualifying segment, as every driver wanted to be out first to get the best conditions. It appeared that Alonso had overtaken local hero Guanyu Zhou in the Sauber in the pit lane, which was investigated by the stewards, but the Spaniard was cleared.
The stewards’ statement said: “The stewards examined the data from the positioning and maneuvering system as well as the video recordings in the vehicle and determined that car 14 [Alonso] overtook car 24 [Zhou] in the pit lane exit and not in front of the pit lane exit.”
“Car 14 lined up in the overtaking lane and maintained the order in which it entered the overtaking lane until the pit lane exit, as required by Article 34.8 of the Sporting Regulations. There was therefore no infringement of the regulations and we took no further action. “
Sprint in the dry: What’s in it for Alonso?
For the next two days, however, the rain should no longer play a role, which could be bad for Aston Martin based on Friday’s findings. As the long run pace could hardly be tested in the first free practice session due to the sprint format, the teams are still in the dark about the balance of power.
“I don’t have a clear idea yet,” says the Spaniard when asked about the race pace of his AMR24 in Shanghai. “But we will find out tomorrow. We now have a lot of race laps this weekend. The sprint race tomorrow and of course the main race on Sunday – so yes, let’s see if we can qualify well again tomorrow and then we’ll see.”
In the sprint race, the drivers will complete 19 laps without a mandatory pit stop. As this means there are no tire advantages, it will be more difficult for the competition to overtake, which could help Alonso. However, his team-mate Lance Stroll will have to rely on a minor miracle to finish 15th on the grid for the sprint, as only the first eight drivers will receive points in Saturday’s race
Stroll: Rain messed up second round in SQ2
The Canadian complains that he “didn’t have the necessary grip” in the decisive sprint qualifying session, although the pace was still very strong in the first free practice session when the 25-year-old was the fastest driver. “Then the rain surprised us a little, so I wasn’t able to do a second lap in SQ2,” he added.
“Our options are limited in a short sprint as we start from P15, but we will take the lessons from today and see what we can do for the rest of the weekend. “
