Fernando Alonso believes there will be some contact at the start of the Qatar Grand Prix.”I think there will be some contact during the start. This is my prediction.”- Fernando Alonso
Talking to DAZN, the two-time world champion looked ahead to today’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Alonso said: “We’ll see. I think there will be some contact during the start. This is my prediction.”
When asked whether that would be at the front, he replied: “Yes.”
The three championship contenders completed the top three on Saturday in Qualifying. Oscar Piastri will line up on pole position, Lando Norris completes the front row and Max Verstappen rounds off the top three.
Entering the penultimate race, Norris leads the championship by 22 points ahead of Piastri, and by 25 points ahead of Verstappen.
Alonso finished eighth in qualifying in Qatar – Photo: Race Pictures
Alonso hopes to score points himself
The Spaniard is set to start from eighth on the grid after he scored two points during the Sprint as well. Alonso aims to score points on Sunday too.
Looking ahead, he told GPblog: “I mean it’s going to be difficult. I think our strength is definitely one lap performance, and on the race pace we struggle more, so it’s going to be difficult to win the points but we will try.
“We start on the wrong side of the grid so even if I start eighth, in my mind it’s ninth or tenth by the end of Lap 1, and we need to base the strategy thinking that we will cross the line ninth or tenth.
“From that point, with the pace we saw [during the Sprint], it’s not guaranteed a point.”
Check out the latest episode of GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update here!
Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog’s YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.
Don’t forget to follow us on Spotify as well!
