Fernando Alonso described sixth place on the grid for the Brazilian Grand Prix as “fantastic” for McLaren, as he strives to for a points-paying position at Interlagos.
Alonso set the seventh-fastest time in Q3 but will move up to sixth spot on the grid due to the engine penalty incurred by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.
“I’m happy with P7 today, particularly because it was a difficult qualifying,” said Alonso.
“Conditions were very tricky: you see drops of rain on the visor, and that takes some confidence away even when the asphalt is completely dry.
“So you have to trust what the car is doing, and commit to the corner even though your mind is saying something different.
“Yesterday, we weren’t completely happy with the balance of the car and with the performance, but today the car stepped up and we were more competitive.
“P6 is a fantastic starting position for scoring points, but we know that [Lewis] Hamilton and Ricciardo will come back very strongly tomorrow.
“I’ll try to defend as much as I can even though tomorrow we expect a very sunny day and completely dry conditions, so it’s not going to be easy to hold on to our position.
“A little bit of rain is always welcome for us. We seem to be more competitive in damp conditions, but being in the top 10 tomorrow is our goal.”
Team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne will start from 12th position on the grid.
“If I reflect back on Friday, our long-run performance looked quite strong, so hopefully we can take those positives into the race,” said Vandoorne.
“We know it’s always difficult for us to overtake, but from where we’re starting there’s always a chance for points. If we can get a good start and drive the perfect race maybe it will be possible.”
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