Q & A with Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso: It's nice to be third. Obviously, taking advantage of Hamilton's penalty, if not we were fourth. It's more or less what we expected. In Q1 and Q2 we were fourth or fifth and to be fourth in Q3 shows we are not too far off our competitors in terms of strategy and that opens up the possibility to think about the podium, which was not the possibility in the past.

We were always dreaming of a podium in the past but we needed luck and something to happen to the others. This time, the McLaren is at the back and the BMW is not performing too well, so it is up to us to be on the podium.

Q. Is the fourth place here a bigger achievement that the fourth place in Montreal?

FA: I don't think so. In Montreal we were more happy with the fourth place because we knew we were stopping some laps after the others and were heavier than them. So that was more of a surprise than today when we were equal to everyone.

Q. Has the Renault developed to the point where it can be this strong without being dependent on the circuit?

FA: In qualifying we have gone quite well. In the last five races we have been strong, so qualifying is not too bad. But we need to finish the races and we need to take the points. So far we haven't finished the races on Sunday. In Montreal maybe what we did in qualifying was a surprise. But it's true that the car seems to work better here.

Both cars did very well, Nelson did about the same time as Kubica in Q2 - 11th but only half a tenth behind. The car is no longer at the back of the grid. We are happy with the improvements and there is more to come. We know what we lack in the car and we're working on it, but it's not something you can do in one or two days. You need a development programme over a couple of months. So we are on it.

Q. Ferrari seem to be faster here, but looking at the long runs in practice do you think you can challenge the other teams?

FA: I think so. Ferrari is not our main competitor because they are too strong for us no matter what we do. The guys I have with me on the grid aren't that far apart. Sometimes we were quicker, sometimes they were quicker. We can fight with them for the podium. Hopefully we can take the benefit of our better starting position.

Q. How much better is it for you to be fourth than third?

FA: It's much better because you start on the clean side plus you take out one of the opponents. Beating Ferrari or McLaren in normal conditions is nearly impossible for us, so when one of them starts from the back it's a big improvement in our chances.

Q. Can the scheduled improvements to the engine in the coming races make a big difference?

FA: We'll see. I am not aware of how the engine will develop in the coming races. I know that they are working on it, trying to find some more horsepower but it is not easy with the engine freeze rules. If we can manage to improve a little bit that would be a big help because that's an improvement.