Alonso hails McLaren's step forward

Alonso will start from the front of the field for the first time since the Monaco Grand Prix and was delighted at finally getting things spot-on on a Saturday afternoon.

"It is great to get pole position," he said. "I have been doing some good qualifying laps at the last races but they have not always come together in the final session like it did today.

"The car has been working really well all weekend and we already had a good idea that we would be fast from the test. The team has really taken the opportunity between now and Turkey to focus and from their efforts there has been a definite step forward in our pace.

"I am looking forward to the race tomorrow where hopefully we should have the same result."

Teammate Lewis Hamilton missed out on the top spot by just three hundredths of a second and praised the team's efforts after a difficult week for the outfit.

"It was a good battle with Fernando throughout qualifying," he said. "My first timed lap wasn't the best, but I was able to improve on it for my final attempt. The result today shows just how hard everyone at McLaren and Mercedes-Benz has been working.

"We have all put our heads together and this has resulted in us locking out the front row. For the team I hope we can maintain these positions throughout the race tomorrow."