Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin will be in contention for pole position on Saturday after a “fun” first day of racing in Monaco, with the Spaniard and teammate Lance Stroll feeling confident behind the wheel of the AMR23.
Alonso enjoyed a good start on Friday, trading fastest lap times with Carlos Sainz in FP1 as he finished the session in second place, before setting the fourth fastest time in qualifying sim races in second practice. .
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Reflecting on his day after jumping out of the cockpit on Friday night, Alonso, a two-time Monte Carlo winner, said: “It was good. I think it was a good day for us. We completed the career program.
“A couple of red flags that were the same for everyone, but we did enough laps to get confident with the car, which is very important here – getting into the rhythm of the weekend. The car felt good, easy to drive, which is what you would expect on this type of track, so I’m happy.
“I came in with a lot of confidence already because this car gave me positive things throughout the year, so it didn’t disappoint me today; It was nice to drive, I had fun and I’m ready for tomorrow.”
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Aston Martin arrives in Monaco second in the constructors championship with 102 points, six points more than their rivals Mercedes, who brought an improved car this weekend, and Alonso was very wary of the pace of the Silver Arrows.
“I think they were always there,” Alonso said, when asked about Mercedes’ pace. “In race three, Australia, they were outstanding. They finished P2 so I think throughout the season there will be ups and downs for everyone.
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“We just have to be consistent, try to deliver every weekend, maximize the points available knowing and accepting that sometimes we will be faster than them, sometimes slower, and we still need to score points.
When asked if he could get his first pole position of the season, Alonso replied: “Let’s see. I think tomorrow everything is to play [for] but we should be one of the candidates, yes.”
His teammate Stroll was ninth fastest in FP1, before setting the 11th fastest time in the second hour of the race, and while the Canadian is happy with the car’s performance, he believes there are a few things that will need to be addressed during the night.
“It’s always complicated here with the traffic; It’s a short lap and it’s always tricky, but we had a good race today and learned a lot,” said Stroll. “We’ll keep working on the car tonight and see what we can do tomorrow.
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“The car is working well here. He’s definitely behaving well, and I think it’s just a matter of adjusting the last few things overnight and seeing what we can do tomorrow.
Asked if a top three finish was on the cards for qualifying, Stroll said: “It’s really been tight all year and I think it’s just, like I said, tweaking some parts and tying it all together as well. Staying out of traffic is very important, getting good laps, all that kind of stuff around here makes a difference.”
He later added: “Just the exit lap with no traffic, and then the central sector, I think, penalizes when you have a car close to you. Going out of line and stuff, picking up dirt. All those things make a difference here.”