Alonso: We should be one of the candidates for pole

Fernando Alonso showed some decent pace around the streets of Monaco, and believes he could be one of the drivers fighting for pole come Qualifying on Saturday.

The Spaniard previously said Monaco would be one of the circuits that could boost his chances to achieve his 33rd grand prix win, as the twisty street circuit that doesn’t require a high top speed from the car would allow the Aston Martin AMR23 to shine even more.

Alonso was second fastest in FP1 and fourth fastest in FP2, and was satisfied with Friday around the principality.

“It was good. It was a good day for us, I think. We completed the run programme,” he told the media, quoted by Formula 1’s Official Website.

“A couple of red flags that were the same for everybody, but we did enough laps to get confidence with the car, which is very important here – getting into the rhythm of the weekend. The car felt good, easy to drive, which is what you would expect in this kind of circuit, so I’m happy.

“I came with a lot of confidence already because this car gave me positive things all throughout the year, so it didn’t disappoint today; it was enjoyable to drive, I had fun and I’m ready for tomorrow,” Alonso maintained.

Everything is to play for

The Aston Martin driver, however, is not ruling out Mercedes being in the mix; he said: “I think they [Mercedes] were always there. In race three, Australia, they were outstanding. They finished P2, so I think it’s going to be all through the season up and downs for everybody.

“We just have to be consistent, try to deliver every weekend, maximising the points available knowing and accepting that sometimes we will be quicker than them, sometimes slower, and we still need to make points,” he insisted.

As for his chances for pole on Saturday; the 41-year-old said: “Let’s see. I think tomorrow, everything is to play [for] but we should be one of the candidates, yes.”

Should Alonso grab pole in Monaco, it would be his 23rd, and would set him up nicely for his 33rd grand prix win, but if we learned anything from FP1 and FP2, it is that it would be very close between Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

The advantage, however, seems to be leaning toward the Ferrari and Red Bull, so can Alonso crash their party?