Fernando Alonso is optimistic over his chances of getting into the final part of qualifying after what he believed was solid running in practice ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
After hitting the ground running in Montreal with a car which he felt was fast upon hitting the track, Alonso was enjoying his Friday running where he finished in the top 10 in both sessions.
The Spaniard has made it to Q3 for past two races in Spain and Monaco and is keen to do so again – but admits he is unwilling to sacrifice race pace as the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit offers plenty of chances to overtake and move up the field.
"It felt quite positive today. The car felt good straight away from FP1, and then we concentrated a little bit more on long runs and set-up in FP2, and I think we’re happy. The car seems competitive here, now we need to deliver the result tomorrow in qualifying.
"On this circuit, you need to prioritise race pace, because you can overtake here so you need to be strong on Sunday. It’s not worth putting all your efforts in on Saturday because there are no points in qualifying, but I think Q3 is possible tomorrow.
"We didn’t have any big issues with the balance – we hardly touched the set-up, we just did some aero tests with the new parts we brought out here and we will now sit down, analyse the data and optimise the car for tomorrow."
Pirelli has brought the Hypersoft compound to the Montreal circuit where the Italian manufacturer believes it will get its true debut.
Despite not doing much running on the pink-marked compound, the double-world champion believes there could be some interesting strategies at play for the race – even suggesting a one-stop race is still possible.
"I tested the Hypersoft only in FP1 and it’s difficult to say how it really is, but maybe it’s a little bit better than expected, as the graining so far is not too bad. It’s definitely the quickest tyre over one lap.
"The race will be interesting with some people going for one stop and some for two using the Hypersoft, and that opens a window to creativity, so let’s see if we can optimise that."
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