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Fernando Alonso feels he lost around a couple of tenths due to the damage on the floor caused by an incident earlier in the session. The Spaniard was one of the drivers who was caught out by the tricky mixed conditions at the start of the qualifying. The driver slid into the gravel and that trip off the track damaged the floor of his car.
As a result, in qualifying, Fernando Alonso was unable to put together a strong lap and will now be starting the race in P8. When questioned after the session how much time he felt he lost due to floor damage, the Spaniard told Sky Sports it was maybe a couple of tenths. He said:
"The damage was worth a couple of tenths, no more than that. The guys did a good job trying to repair it every time we went in the garage. The last lap in Q3 was quite competitive but I also went the damp part in Turn 10, so it was not my best Saturday. Hopefully a good Sunday tomorrow."
Looking forward to the race, Fernando Alonso was not too confident about a podium as he said:
"Maybe the podium is a little bit too far away. Top five is something we should target. We have good pace, good degradation. Let's see with the new layout if it's easier or worse to overtake and what we can do with strategy. But today, was not my best day and I'm sorry for the team and fans. Tomorrow is the race and we will give it our all."
Fernando Alonso's teammate had a strong run
Fernando Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll had a strong run in qualifying and was hopeful of a good race. The Canadian also out-qualified his teammate for the first time this season. Looking back at the session, Stroll said:
“We had a solid qualifying session today and found a strong rhythm on track. The car was feeling good – a big improvement from yesterday – so I’m pleased with the set-up changes that we made overnight. The field was incredibly tight though and there are a few cars that are out of position across the grid which will make for an interesting race."
It will be interesting to see what kind of progress drivers like Alonso and others make in the race. The starting grid appears to be a bit jumbled and quite a few drivers including Charles Leclerc and George Russell will be looking to make their way through the grid.
