• Chinese Grand Prix

Alonso banking on Ferrari race pace

ESPNF1 Staff
April 17, 2010 « Hamilton unable to explain lack of Q3 pace | »
Fernando Alonso expects to be closer to the Red Bulls in race conditions © Getty Images
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Fernando Alonso is banking on a strong performance in the race, after he claimed to have extracted everything possible from his Ferrari to take third in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Alonso was 0.4 seconds adrift of Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull in pole position, but said he could not have garnered any more pace from his car in qualifying trim.

"I think once again that was the maximum of our potential in qualifying," he said. "We know the race pace is a little bit better for us, and we feel a bit more comfortable with more fuel in the car and on longer runs. But in one-lap performance we maximise always the potential. We did in Bahrain, Australia and here, with three times third on the grid, and in Malaysia we made a mistake in Q1. In a normal situation this is the maximum we can do at the moment."

Alonso is preparing himself for a wet race tomorrow and said that in such circumstances split-second decisions by the team on tyres would be crucial.

"Tomorrow's race will be determined by the weather," he added. "When it rains, if it is wet all race then maybe the first car can lead until the end. But in those races you can make a good choice or a bad choice and lose 10 seconds per lap. It is nice to watch on television but very risky for us."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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