Returning to Q3 for the first time since the Chinese GP, Fernando Alonso set the sixth fastest time in qualifying for the 2024 F1 Canadian Grand Prix. But in a tight session, where the first seven were held in 0″280 and where the pole was even decided on the moment when the best time was signed, the Spaniard harbors some regrets.
So, when he was asked if he could find the 0″228 that was missing to start from first place, he replied: “Yes, for sure, in the second corner. I had so much oversteer and lost the car so much that I wondered if I should abort the lap and go back or continue. And then I continued , and I was P6, so if you think two tenths can put you in pole position, maybe we could find them in a corner.”
“I drove very aggressively after that, just to make up the lap”he then explained, in response to a question from Motorsport.com on the fact that it was not the first time this season that he thought about interrupting a lap that ultimately turned out to be good. “But, yes, I think it was tricky. Definitely the car was a bit better this weekend. Already yesterday we felt a bit more confident with the car.”
“Tomorrow, everything will come down to tire management”he added about this evening’s race, 8 p.m. French time. “Without the long P2 runs, we’re entering the unknown a little bit before the race. And if it rains, it’s one of those races where you know that whether you stop for the intermediate tires or the dry tires one lap too late or one lap too early, your race is over, so you have to do it at the right time, and it will take a little bit of luck for everyone.”
We’re facing some tough adversaries, aren’t we? In front of Pérez, in front of the two Ferraris, who were on the verge of winning the World Championship all of a sudden after Monaco…
Then, interviewed on the Spanish channel DAZN, he added: “It was difficult, because we made quite a few changes between FP3 and qualifying. We took risks in terms of setup and qualifying was difficult, because it was raining, [puis] it stopped raining, you never knew what the conditions were like on the track.”
“But we are facing strong adversaries, aren’t we? [Sergio] Pérez, in front of the two Ferraris, who were about to win the World Championship all of a sudden after Monaco, and others”he said, containing a burst of laughter, before continuing. “So we’re trying, slowly but surely, to do our best, but we still have a long way to go and those two tenths hurt us a little bit more today.”
With Filip Cleeren
