Alonso targets points in Sao Paulo after wet Q3

Fernando Alonso said the first Q3 of the season felt good after he qualified ninth in wet conditions ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver was among the top half of the field across all three segments, finishing eighth, seventh and ninth, with the best of the conditions arriving at the start of Q3. He described the session as not fun given the tricky conditions and said the team had little practice in wet running.

Aston Martin have struggled this season under the new regulations, and Honda's power unit is still lacking power and reliability, although a mid-season revised car has helped. Alonso has scored the team's only points so far, with top-10 finishes in Monaco, the Netherlands and Malaysia. He starts eighth due to a grid penalty for Charles Leclerc.

Alonso said the wet conditions could give Aston Martin a chance to score in Sunday's 71-lap race if the rain persists, though he added that the team would otherwise return to its natural position.