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Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has expressed happiness with his result in the sprint race qualification in China amidst tough conditions on Friday.
Rains increased the challenge on the returning F1 Chinese GP, with heavy rain during SQ3 making the driving conditions worse for the drivers. Max Verstappen even described that it felt "like driving on ice," because of the lack of grip.
While he qualified P4 after going wide multiple times on the lap, Fernando Alonso managed to keep his car together and will start the Sprint tomorrow in P3.
Describing the conditions on the track, the Spaniard revealed that it was quite stressful for the team as they weren't the most competitive in the dry conditions.
"Quite stressful! In SQ1, we were looking at the weather and the threat of rain. We made some progress in SQ1 then just got through in SQ2, so were not super competitive in the dry," the Spaniard told the media.
However, with the rain in SQ3, the laptimes were more based on the drivers' skills because none of them were able to push their cars to the maximum. So Alonso put himself in P3, following Sergio Perez and Lando Norris.
"Then it rained in SQ3 and every lap was a bit different. The tyres were a bit better every lap but the circuit was worse with more rain. It was difficult to judge the level of grip but in the end I'm extremely happy," he described.
This is Aston Martin's first drive on this track since their rebranding in 2021. The Chinese GP has returned to racing for the first time since 2019. This will also be Alonso's first race at the circuit since 2018 as he retired after that season, only to return with Alpine in 2021.
New Aston Martin extension might be Fernando Alonso's final F1 contract
The 42-year-old driver recently signed a new contract extension with Aston Martin and he will stay at the team till at least the 2026 F1 season, when the new engine regulations will kick in. In a statement released by the team, Alonso said that he is "here to stay."
However, this might as well be his final F1 contract. When asked by the media, Fernando Alonso said:
"It’s never an easy time when you have to make some decisions, especially right now for me it’s probably my last contract, so I wanted to make sure that it was the right decision first of all to keep racing in Formula 1, and to have the strength and the motivation to keep racing for a few more years from my side."
Aston Martin has developed exceptionally well since the 2023 season and Fernando Alonso has retained his driving skills despite being the oldest driver on the grid. The team has still managed to stay within the top five this season and is actively challenging Mercedes who is just one point ahead of them in the standings.
