Alonso optimistic of strong weekend

Alonso, the youngest champion in Formula One history at the age of 24, did no timed laps in this morning practice session but was fifth quickest in the afternoon.

"We had a good first day," said Alonso, who won last year's race in Bahrain. "The track conditions will be changing a lot throughout the weekend, and I expect them to get a lot better because it was quite low grip today.

"The car feels like it did in winter testing: it is comfortable to drive and consistent, so I am quite happy with our situation," added the Spaniard, whose team, along with Honda, had been dominating most of winter testing sessions.

"It was nice to get back to the emotion of the races today, to check the laptimes and to be back in competition. Also, it was a special moment to go out on the track this morning with the number 1 on the car.

"In terms of performance, we always see the third cars high on the timesheets on Friday, because they can use more revs and tyres than us. Even so, we are P5, so I think we can have a competitive weekend."

Alonso's teammate Giancarlo Fisichella finished in eighth position.