'First Q3 of the season feels good' – Alonso has 'feet on the ground' after best Qualifying of the season in Brazil

Fernando Alonso admits that "the first Q3 of the season feels good", as the Aston Martin driver finished ninth quickest in a wet Qualifying ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The two-time World Champion enjoyed his best Saturday of the season at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, during a session which was initially delayed due to heavy rain.

Once proceedings resumed, Alonso circulated in the top half of the field, finishing P8, P7 and P9 across the three Qualifying segments, with the best of the conditions coming at the very start in Q3.

"Not fun because the conditions were tricky. The level of focus was quite high today," said Alonso when asked about the session.

"Unknown conditions for everyone, especially on this year's car. I think we didn't have much practice on the wets. It was all experimental a little bit and the first Q3 of the season feels good."

Aston Martin have endured a difficult season under the new-for-2026 regulations, and although a revised car mid-season has helped to improve performance, Honda's power unit is still lacking power and reliability.

Alonso has scored the team's only points this year, with top-10 finishes in Monaco, the Netherlands and Malaysia.

The Spaniard, who will start P8 due to a grid penalty for Charles Leclerc, believes that more points could be possible in Sunday's 71-lap race, but only if wet weather appears.

"It opens a new possibility for us. Obviously the conditions, let's see if tomorrow is wet all through the race, maybe we have a chance to score points," said Alonso.

"If not, I think we will go back to our natural position. FP3 in the dry was a little bit disappointing, so we need to remain with the feet on the ground."