• Singapore Grand Prix - FP2

Ferrari uncompetitive in Singapore - Alonso

Fernando Alonso: "It's clearly not the result we were hoping for" © Associated Press

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Fernando Alonso has admitted that Ferrari is simply not competitive in Singapore this weekend, but insists he is not throwing in the towel just yet.

Alonso was sixth fastest in the second session and 1.4s off the pace of his championship rival Sebastian Vettel. He said Ferrari was not where it wanted to be and thinks qualifying will be a tough challenge.

"We can't say this was a good start, because we weren't competitive, but if we consider that last year, at the end of a difficult weekend we managed to get on the podium, we definitely aren't throwing in the towel yet," he said. "We have yet to analyse the data, but we certainly have to be realistic, because when you have one car in sixth place and the other in fifteenth, it's clearly not the result we were hoping for, without taking into consideration the updates we have brought for this race.

"Now, we have a lot of work to do to find the right set-up and the best strategy. Then we will need to put in a very good qualifying lap and attack from start to finish in the race. However, we know that won't be easy because on tracks which require high downforce, we suffer more and, just as in Hungary, apart from the fact that Mercedes seem to be on a par with Red Bull here, there are others who also look strong, like Lotus and McLaren".

Felipe Massa finished the second session 15th fastest and said he took the wrong direction with his set-up.

"This was a difficult day, because I struggled to find the right way to move forward in both sessions. In the first session, we concentrated on evaluating various aerodynamic components, while in the second one, we managed to complete the programme, doing a long run, starting on the Supersofts and ending on the Mediums. Along with the team we decided to go in another direction to try and find a set-up with which I was more comfortable on this track. Unfortunately this did not produce the results we were expecting. I think that for tomorrow's qualifying we need to retrace our steps, trying to improve the balance of the car. I am sure it will be better and that I will manage to once again find the car I'm used to driving".

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.