- Chinese Grand Prix - Qualifying
Alonso hoping for rain on race day
Fernando Alonso is hoping for mixed weather conditions during Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix to help boost his chances of a good result.
Alonso won the rain-affected Malaysian Grand Prix three weeks ago and starts from ninth on the grid in Shanghai this weekend. The latest weather forecast suggests it will be dry on Sunday, but after rain on Friday Alonso is hoping for more on race day.
"The more variables the better for us," he told the BBC. "We are starting ninth and in a normal race if you finish ninth you get a couple of points, so it is better to risk. There is not much to lose starting ninth so it's better if we have a crazy race."
But even if it remains dry, Alonso is confident of moving forward from his grid position.
"In Q3 we did the best lap we could, which is ninth and we have a tough race ahead of us," he said. "But we have to say on Sunday that the car normally improves so tomorrow maybe we will see a better performance, but it's going to be tough."