Alonso surprised by qualifying showing

"I am very happy, it's a nice surprise," said Alonso after qualifying in fifth position with his Renault.

The Spaniard admitted the team were worried about their chances for qualifying after teammate Nelsinho Piquet was unable to make the cut to go into Q2.

"We arrived in qualifying with some doubts about car performance," he said. "Nelsinho was out in Q1 so were concerned. This fifth place was a nice surprise in the end.

"The set-up was not totally right this weekend. This wind is affecting our car and we are a little inconsistent."

Despite his happiness, Alonso said he is still worried about Renault's race form, which has been the French squad's main problem in recent grands prix.

"We will see," Alonso added. "The race pace is always one of our biggest problems. We slide too much so we wear the tyres more than the others and at the end of stints we cannot be quicker than others.

"Tomorrow is still a concern but hopefully we can keep the race pace until the end."