Alonso Happy with Front Row Slot
Fernando Alonso welcomed Kimi Raikkonen's engine change after securing a place on the front row of the grid for tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix
McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya took pole position with Renault's Championship leader Alonso alongside him despite Kimi Raikkonen being the quickest driver.
Raikkonen, winner of the last two races but 24 points behind Alonso with five Grands Prix remaining, will start 11th after he picked up a 10-place penalty for an unscheduled engine change after final practice.
Alonso was happy to be ahead of the Finn.
"Third place is like a victory for us, and following Kimi's engine change it's even better because I'm starting from the front row and without him," he told Spanish television.
The Spaniard, however, is aware that McLaren's speed means Raikkonen will be able to climb back to the top and that Montoya is the favourite to win.
"Winning will be complicated," he added. "The two McLarens are stronger than us and Juan Pablo is the favourite, and Kimi will fight back from behind because you can overtake on this track. We'll see what happens between the three of us."
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