Fernando Alonso has praised Aston Martin’s quick work in
identifying the threat posed by the storm during the final stage of
Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying. A major storm was predicted to hit
the circuit during the qualifying hour, with dark clouds bubbling
up just before Q3 as the weather moved in. The timing of the rain
caught some teams out with the timing of what turned out to be the
sole runs, with heavy rain arriving mid-way through the final
segment, leading to the final minutes of the session being
abandoned. Aston Martin was able to capitalise on this by sending
both Stroll and Alonso out early for their laps, with the two
securing third and fourth on the grid – the team’s best qualifying
result of the season. Alonso hailed the team for the call as it
looks to arrest a slide backwards over recent races as it has
fallen off in the development race. Alonso: We needed that result
“We needed [that result], I think the last two Grands Prix we were
a little bit experimental in starting from the pit lane,” Alonso
told F1 TV . “We needed a nice result here in Brazil for both cars
to give up some hope in the team and just prove that we understood
few things and that we are competitive. “This proves that we know
what we are doing and I’m happy with that.” The call from Aston
Martin turned out to be the correct one, as Oscar Piastri brought
about an effective end to the session with yellow flags for his off
at Turn 12. This affected the laps of those behind including Lando
Norris and Sergio Perez – both of whom felt a front-row was within
their grasp.
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