Formula 1 News: Alonso expects Aston Martin to be fast in China

Fernando Alonso believes the straight-line speed of his Aston Martin AMR24 will help in this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

The Shanghai circuit has a long 1.2 kilometer front-straight, meaning cars with good straight-line speed, especially with the DRS open, can excel.

“I think, always, it gives us a little bit more of an opportunity when you have a little bit of deficit on the pace,” he told media after the Australian Grand Prix.

“Mixed conditions or a sprint weekend, all these kinds of things always give you something extra. But it’s gonna be tough.

“I think China, with these long corners, a front-limited circuit – maybe like Australia – I expect Ferrari to be very fast.

“But also Red Bull and… let’s see.

“We have a very powerful DRS, and maybe that helps on the long China straight, so let’s see.”

Asked what he based his assessment of the pecking order on, Alonso smiled: “I drive the car on track, and I see it!”

“I think there are a couple of things in the pipeline to improve our car,” Alonso said.

“I think this first package is just the baseline of what we will introduce later in the season. So we still need to analyze many things.

“But, as I said, we are executing very well on Sundays, maximizing the points, even more than what we deserve normally.

“The pit stops were great – actually, on the second stop, when I saw the green light and I went, ‘Maybe they didn’t change all four tires’ because it, for me, felt like the fastest ever.

“So there are small things here and there that are making it possible to get the results. But I think, fundamentally, the pace is not where we want to be. And this is something we need to focus on now.”