Fernando Alonso: Ferrari not quick enough, should have saved tyres in qualifiers – Formula 1
Spanish Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso has said that his Ferrari car was not fast enough to be able to hold on to the first position.
Alonso also added that he wasted his one set of options in qualifiers which proved to be a demon in the race.
The Spaniard was leading the first part of the Spanish Grand Prix but soon was left alone for a fifth place finish. Talking about the race, Alonso stated, “We were not quick enough. That is the main issue. We had a great start and found ourselves leading
the race but not with the pace to lead the race, so step by step, lap by lap, you are losing ground.”
Spaniard explained that his second run in qualifiers meant that he had one less set of options for the race. He added that he should have started the race in eighth position with a new set of option tyres rather than charging for pole against Red Bulls and
McLarens.
“And then, at the end with hard tyres, we were not competitive with them all weekend. We were slow with the soft and very, very slow with the hard,” concluded Alonso.
Nevertheless, the homeboy was able to put up an impressive show in the race when he clinched an unexpected first spot on the first straight. Alonso overtook Lewis Hamilton and the two Red Bulls to take the lead in front of his home crowd.
Alonso kept the top position for about 20 laps before losing it to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.
The Spaniard added that he had a really good time leading the race in front of his home crowd and enjoyed some tough time from the cars behind.
In the end, it came down to bad pit-stop timing and an old set of tyres when every other car was on fresh options.
Alonso is still fifth in the drivers’ championship table with 51 points and will look to consolidate his efforts in the upcoming Grand Prix of Monaco on May 29, 2011 if he is to challenge for this year’s championship.
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