Fernando Alonso suffers damage but "maybe Q3 was possible" in Australia

Fernando Alonso is optimistic about his Aston Martin pace despite early qualifying exit in Australia.

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso has reacted to his Q2 exit in Australia. After getting through the initial round, the Aston Martin driver suffered damage early in Q2, something that ended his session. He will start the Australian Grand Prix from 12th.

The Silverstone outfit confirmed the damage to the media, including Motorsport.com, following Alonso's qualifying exit:

"Fernando sustained some floor damage in his first Q2 run which cost some performance for his final run in the session."

Despite the early exit, the Spaniard remains optimistic about where the AMR25 sits in comparison to its rivals.

"I'm happy with today's feeling, first qualifying of the year, the first moment that you are in the same moment with the same conditions to everyone, so there is always a little bit of curiosity on where are you, so we were in the top 10.

"We were quite fast, then yeah, I made a mistake in Q2, run one. I went a little bit wide in Turn 10, I think I had damaged the floor a little bit.

"So in Q2, I was not maybe 100% with the car, even though still, P12 with a not perfect car... so maybe Q3 was possible today and to be the first qualifying of the year, I think it's a good sign."

When asked if he was happy with the performance of his machinery today, the Spanish driver added:

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

"I think this morning it was a little bit weird. We experimented a little bit with the set-up. It didn't work. I was P18 or something like that.

"We revert to yesterday's set-up, and in qualifying, the car was fast, so I don't know, we are close to the top 10, close to Q3, so I think it's a good start. We need to build from here.

"There's a very competitive field, so we need to improve, we need to raise our level, and don't make any mistake like I did today because it could be very costly."

There is heavy rain predicted for the Grand Prix tomorrow. While this will add an extra layer of difficulty for the grid, Alonso isn't looking forward to the lack of visibility.

"The biggest thing tomorrow is the visibility. If the visibility is fine, then I think the rest could be fun if it rains, but Melbourne is not a straight line so it could be tricky.

"It's not fun when you drive and you cannot see, but we are ready, in the same conditions for everybody, so hopefully we score points.

"That's the target. We start P12, only two positions away from the target, so let's let's try."

The two-time champion ended:

"We are not fighting for top 5 or anything like that. We are at the very back of Q3, but I think we can be in the mix."