Formula One news

Alonso targeting podium in Malaysia

Fernando Alonso is hoping that McLaren can keep the pressure on Ferrari at the Malaysian Grand Prix after a solid double podium finish at Melbourne.

The double-world champion has conceded that more work needs to be done and, until McLaren can catch up with Ferrari in the performance department, it's a case of damage limitation for the Woking-based team.

"It was a solid start to the season in Australia," Alonso said.

"We knew we were not as quick as the Ferrari's so we had a good result in light of this. In the early part of the season it is important to keep scoring points and finishing on the podium as we push forward with our development programme.

"The nature of Sepang is quite technical, and the car needs to be really strong in every area. All the important corners tend to be high-speed, so you need a perfect car balance and good aerodynamics. Everyone within Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has been pushing really hard since the Australian Grand Prix to try to close the gap.

"I have always gone well at Sepang, winning there in 2005 and finishing second there last year. So, my memories from the track are great, we will try hard to add to these this year!

"It is always a tough race physically, on the team as a whole and the cars, but we are prepared for that and after what has seemed to be a long gap after Melbourne, we all really want to get back to racing," he added.

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