Fernando Alonso He will start tenth in the standings of the Japanese Grand PrixThat was the most he could hope for at Suzuka, a very fast track where Red Bull ‘fly’ and Aston Martin once again show their shortcomings. The car, which started the season as an alternative to the powerful RB19, is gradually moving away from McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. But the Asturian accepts it with honesty, welcomes a season of learning and continues to push himself every weekend. Today, after the bad experience in Singapore, Fernando achieved his goal of continuing his winning streak in the third quarter. Although this time it was on the verge of extinction.

“We didn’t know where we would end up because we’ve seen it before. Free education We lacked a lot of rhythm. We ranked 14th in the 1st quarter, 10th in the 2nd quarter and 10th in the 3rd quarter. Always at the cutting edge. A tough weekend, although this time we were in Q3 it was very fair,” admitted Fernando after qualifying iron fist World Championship leader Max Verstappen. “On paper it was a circuit that did not suit us and we confirmed that. We were worried about the nature of Suzuka and its high-speed corners, just as we are worried about Qatar because it will not be the best circuit.” But we still managed to have a very good lap with it and managed to get into the 3rd quarter. “Such classifications will not be noticed by many people, but I am proud of it,” he emphasized.

“We lack speed, we can’t hide in that sense. At the moment, with the development of AlphaTauri and other teams, we are still better in Q1 and Q2 than in Q3 and still remain in Q3. These little miracles, for example Alonso, said, ‘Singapore’ “The return from what I think is a very good return from Suzuka or the return to Suzuka still keeps us in a little bit of morale, so I’m happy,” he said.

“My level is the same as the whole season. But it’s the same for Max Verstappen; it can’t be said that he performed well again this weekend. In Singapore he was eleventh and the best of all of us, now he’s on pole and he’s still the best,” he analyzed.

I’m looking forward to this Sunday’s race, which will start right behind Mercedes. Alonso will try to finish as satisfied as he was in the time trial: “It depends on what our goal is. We would be disappointed if we thought we were fighting for the podium. We will be happy if we are in the central region. We will try to collect as many points as possible and see what happens next. We have zero points now, we need to see the checkered flag first. In the end, some will have a lot of points and some will have zero. “We should not be among them, we should see the checkered flag and contribute as much as possible,” he said.

In any case, Alonso thinks it is better to see the glass half full and, given Aston Martin’s difficulties, he believes this experience will serve them well next season, his second with Lawrence Stroll’s team: “Inside the car and in the ‘settings’ There are a lot of things with experimental guidance, but also for next year. Maintaining the tires, prioritizing the classification or the race. We learn from everything, we see what our competitors are doing. Especially with the big step McLaren has made this season. This is an inspiration for next year. ”