• Chinese Grand Prix

Alonso expects Ferrari to struggle to make Q3

Fernando Alonso is not expecting Ferrari to have made progress since his Sepang victory © Getty Images

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• Race:
• Chinese Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso

• Teams:
• Ferrari

Fernando Alonso believes it will be difficult for Ferrari to make it in to the final part of qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.

Despite winning the last race in Malaysia Alonso has been keen to play down expectations. That result came in wet conditions which he was able to exploit, and he maintains that the car is not competitive in the dry. While Alonso admitted that the upgrades Ferrari is bringing to Shanghai should improve the car he said that he expects the other teams to do the same and as a result is preparing for a difficult grand prix.

"Nothing has changed since Malaysia and so I expect a tough weekend," Alonso said. "There will be no big surprises, as although the car has some small improvements, there is nothing big coming for this race. I expect this is the same situation with the other teams, which is why I feel the general picture will be the same as at the last two races. This means we will struggle to get through into Q3 on Saturday and then on Sunday, we will be hoping to get a good start and then do a good job of tyre management."

Alonso added that in order to secure a positive result he would need luck on his side, but warned that another wet race would not guarantee a better chance of being competitive.

"We can also hope for a little bit of luck, because this is a factor we often forget but it is there, as we saw in Australia and then again in Malaysia where I was lucky to avoid a first corner accident. You need a big package to win and luck is part of it, so let's hope it stays with us for this weekend ... Sure, if it was wet that would help, but even then it can go both ways, because you can either find yourself on the right tyre at the right moment or the wrong tyre at the wrong moment."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.