Alonso impressed all day in the soaking wet Montreal and proved to have excellent control of his car on the drying track during qualifying. In the closing seconds of Q3 he set the second fastest time, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Alonso was of course not allowed to complain that Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez put his car in the wall and Charles Leclerc gave up after Q1, because he was due to grid penalties tomorrow. gotta start in the back† But despite this, the 40-year-old Spaniard made an impression and as far as he’s concerned, it’s not over yet.
“The car was great in these conditions,” said the experienced Alpine driver. He added with a smile: “I think I’m going to attack Max in the first corner.”
“It was a very good day in very difficult conditions,” he later told Viaplay. “Every lap the grip changed again. I think we can participate tomorrow too. We are not Ferrari and Red Bull, but I think that a place between five and seven is realistic.”