Fernando Alonso was left amused after reporters asked him if he’d lost his edge in qualifying following four consecutive defeats to team-mate Felipe Massa.
The Spaniard hasn’t outqualified the Brazilian since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year. Should Massa once again get the advantage in China, it would mark the first time Alonso has been outqualified five times consecutively in his 200-race career.
He laughed about the matter when it was put to him in the press conference.
“I haven’t slept since Australia. I’m only eating white rice. I’m losing my hair. A huge drama,” he said, smiling.
“After 200 races, it’s very surprising that two qualifying sessions matter so much. I’m pleased that it’s so important, because it means that when I finish ahead of him it will mean I have done an stratospheric lap.
“We’ll see if I can pull that magic here or later this year…”
The Ferrari driver doesn’t however deny that Massa is back to his best, but says the sessions haven’t been realistic markers for comparing his pace with Massa’s.
“He’s doing a fantastic job,” he added. “It’s true that for these calculations you are using strange numbers, with races from last year, races from this year.
“In Australia qualifying was with dry tyres on a wet track, in Malaysia we qualified with inters on a dry track, so I don’t think they were completely normal tracks.”
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