Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso happy with strong start to European Grand Prix – Formula 1 news
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso has said that he is pleased with his positive start to the 2011 Formula 1 European Grand Prix, as he finished his morning and afternoon practice run in the third and top spot respectively.
Alonso also said that they executed all of their planned programmes during the Friday practice sessions and now they are confident for the Valencia Grand Prix.
The Spaniard discussed the Valencia street track and said that it was suitable for their car and that the new Pirelli tyres provide him a comfortable run on the circuit during both the practice sessions.
After the Friday practice sessions, Alonso believes he can beat other strong teams, including McLaren and Red Bull in the Sunday’s race.
He said, “In FP1 and FP2 you try so many things and the track changes very quickly, so it is really impossible to make predictions. Already in the past we have gone well on the first day only to see ourselves losing out by a second in qualifying, therefore
it is too early to say where we are compared to the others.”
The team driver went on to mention, “It's not by chance that red Bull have always taken pole in the first seven races of the year and clearly they are still the favourites. Overtaking will be easier here than in Monaco, but grid position will nevertheless
be important.”
The 29-year-old driver admitted that his 2011 car seemed to behave well during the practice sessions of European Grand Prix. In addition, he said that he has to secure a pole place in the qualifying round in order to get a good start to his race.
Apart from that, his teammate Felipe Massa finished his first practice session in Europe at the sixth place, while he completed his second practice run in the fifth spot.
Ferrari were very happy and satisfied with their strong start to the Valencia race weekend and are looking forward to a race victory in Europe.
After successful practice sessions, Ferrari driver Alonso was confident for the qualifying round of the Valencia race weekend, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday, June 25, 2011.
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