Why Fernando Alonso was disappointed despite Brazil GP qualifying heroics

Fernando Alonso admitted he was partly disappointed despite securing his best Formula 1 qualifying result of the season at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. 

Two-time world champion Alonso capitalised on the treacherous conditions caused by torrential rain at Interlagos to showcase his talent as the wet weather levelled out the advantages between cars. 

Alonso used all of his experience and skill to advance out of Q1 before putting his uncompetitive Aston Martin in Q3 for the first time this season. 

The 45-year-old Spaniard was the first driver to switch to intermediate tyres as conditions improved for the pole position shootout and finished ninth quickest. 

“It was tough but I thought that we were maximising the performance on the full wets, the lap was good enough, I couldn’t maybe repeat it,” Alonso told Sky Sports F1 about his gamble to go to inters. 

“I said ‘we are P9 so if we change nothing and we keep going, probably we will be out of Q3’. So it was better to change for inters. If it works we are Q3, if it doesn’t, we will be out of Q3 anyway with the full wets. So it was worth trying.” 

Yet Alonso was still not totally satisfied, having felt a top five qualifying result could have been possible if he maximised Q3. 

Asked if he was a bit disappointed, Alonso replied: “Yes, absolutely. I was first in the queue and I thought ‘ok, maybe gives us the possibility to be top four or five if the rain comes’. But the intensity was not as strong as we thought, so the weather held for two timed laps for everybody. 

“Then second I didn’t optimise the Q3 at all. The first lap I had the tyres ice cold. I had no grip at all. And then on the second, I used a lot of deployment on lap one because I thought it was only one lap qualifying.

“I ended up in no-mans land. In the first lap I didn’t have the tyres ready and in the second I didn’t have the deployment ready, so I need to learn from this experience.” 

Alonso, who will start P8 on Sunday due to a grid penalty for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, is eyeing a rare opportunity for Aston Martin to add to its meagre tally of seven points from the first 19 races of 2026. 

“I think we have a better chance,” he said. “Wet conditions, you can have a DNF with a stupid mistake or you can score points. I think at this point in the season we prefer to take the gamble.

“In dry conditions we struggle a little bit more than expected this weekend. In P3 I think we were P18. So I prefer wet tomorrow.”