Fernando Alonso: “Still a little pain”

After being provisionally authorized to compete in FP1 of the Chinese Grand Prix yesterday, Fernando Alonso had received the green light from the FIA ​​doctors and the Shanghai event to take the rest from the third round of the 2016 season;

12th and 11th timed in the two sessions on the program this Friday, the double world champion admits to having impatiently awaited this moment, and however has to deal with some small persistent pains.

“I really missed driving the car for the last twenty-six days, underlines the pilot McLaren. I felt good today. There is still some pain, because the rib has not fully recovered since the fracture, which is normal. But this pain is completely manageable. »

The old pilot Ferrari et Renault focused in particular on understanding the sets of Pirelli slick tires for this day, while the weather could disrupt the Chinese round tomorrow. “It was important to get a good view of the tires because rain is forecast tomorrow. So today was perhaps our only chance to test the dry tires before Sunday. We are happy with today's results, but we still need to find an optimal balance for the dry. We are lacking a bit of traction and grip at the rear, so we need to make some changes to be more competitive. »