Formula One news

Alonso expects to be competitive in Japan

After winning the Singapore Grand Prix one week ago Fernando Alonso is determined to continue his strong performance at the upcoming race at the Fuji Speedway. The Spaniard does realise though the fan shouldn't expect another race win from him already.

"We worked hard to develop some new parts for Singapore, but also for the final three races of the season so I think that we can be on the pace in Fuji," Alonso said. "We will give our maximum to try and make that the case and to benefit from the free practice sessions on Friday as much as possible.

"The circuit has a very long straight and so aero settings will once again be crucial. There are also several medium and low speed corners and the last few turns in particular are taken in second gear. So the team will have to work hard to determine the level of downforce and the mechanical grip which will be especially important in the slow sections. We will be running a similar programme to that which we run at other tracks that we visit once a year."

Speaking about his ambitions for the Japanese Grand Prix he said: "After our victory in Singapore, the whole team is determined to have those feelings again as soon as possible. We must remain focussed and try to repeat our level of performance from Singapore to fight at the front. However, I remain realistic as it will be difficult to race the Ferraris and McLarens, but we will give our maximum to score as many points as possible because the fight for fourth in the championship remains very close."

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