Alonso aiming for perfect race after qualifying fifth at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Formula 1
Fernando Alonso of Ferrari might be able to finish in the top three positions at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit only if he gets to pulls off a flawless race.
The twilight race, which is the third race to be staged at this circuit, is scheduled for Sunday, November 13, 2011.
Alonso landed at the fifth place at the qualifiers on Saturday, November 12, after clocking 1 minute and 39.058 seconds behind Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing.
Despite his fifth pole position, the Spaniard feels that his team has what it takes to challenge the Red Bulls and McLarens.
It has happened quite a lot of times this season that Alonso started the race at fifth position on the grid, nevertheless he managed to secure a place on the podium. Hence, he is not worried at all about his qualifying position at the moment, as he knows
that with a good race strategy and start he can easily make it to the podium.
Alonso had initially planned to save some tyres during the qualifiers however he decided to go with the opposite in the end, as tyre degradation on the circuit seems to be low as of now.
He said, “Maybe the best time could have come on the second or third flying lap, but going down that route would have compromised our strategy, as we would have to start on tyres that were more worn than those of our rivals. I will start from the clean side
of the track and hope to make up some places: the first lap is a good window of opportunity.”
The new front wing that was introduced to this year’s car caused some problems at the recently held races. The issue however has been tackled by the team prior to this weekend’s race, by installing a new front to Felipe Massa’s car. This change will let
the team obtain a better understanding of the new front wing while the development of the next season’s car.
Let’s see how Alonso performs at the race that is set to take place on Sunday, November 13, 2011.
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