Formula One news

Second more than Alonso expected all year

Fernando Alonso was singing a different tune after qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix after he ended up a strong second and almost had pole position.

"It was very exciting when I crossed the line because I knew the time was good and I had the team informing me every second and I knew that only Kimi was running behind so I knew I was on the front row in worst case," Alonso said. "It's something for sure that we didn't expect all season, let alone this race, so I'm happy."

"The car feels better and I'm happier with it - we've made a step forward no doubt," he added. "We found more at the test and we saw a clear result and a big improvement in the car. The conditions have been difficult for everyone and we worked hard on finding a set up to work in all conditions. The second place for today is more than we expected for the whole weekend."

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