Alonso ready to attack

The Spaniard, and his team-mate Jarno Trulli, will be promoted up the grid to fifth and sixth respectively following Jenson Button's (BAR-Honda) demotion from third to 13th following an engine change on Friday.

Alonso was happy with his grid slot after struggling for grip for most of the weekend and with the R24's fabulous starts so far this year he is expected to rocket to the front.

"We had a well-balanced car in pre-qualifying," he said "I had more grip, and we managed to dial out the understeer that I was suffering from this morning. I was pleased with my lap in qualifying, after pushing to the limit and making no mistakes.

"We should be happy with our positions, I think. The weekend has not been easy so far, and we were not very quick yesterday, but we have still managed to get a good position to attack from tomorrow."

Trulli, who suffered no ill-effects from his car-wrecking smash at Silverstone two weeks ago, was pleased with the balance of his car and is looking forward to Sunday's race.

"From my point of view it was a strong lap, with no mistakes, and I pushed 100 per cent," the Italian said. "The car was working well today, and the balance was good. We now must wait to see what the conditions will be like tomorrow, and how the different strategies will play out."