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Alonso Targets Perfection for Monaco Qualifying

Fernando Alonso recorded a strong start for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, as the Spaniard topped both practice sessions on Thursday. Although his best lap time was not very far ahead of his rivals, the 2-time world champion is as optimistic as one can be prior to tacking the twisty, highly-technical circuit of the Principality.

One thing he managed to do with his good performance on Thursday was build a decent level of confidence ahead of the much-awaited battle in qualifying. Since scoring a pole position in Monaco is usually equal to 50 percent chances of taking the chequered flag on Sunday – overtaking opportunities are a no-show – Alonso set his first target in making an error-free appearance on the streets of Monte Carlo on Saturday.

I think for sure this is a circuit you need to get confidence as soon as possible. It is a circuit that you need to feel okay in the car and to maximise the potential, and it is very good to start in a good way because you don't need to go crazy or change completely the set-up or find a miracle for Saturday,” said Alonso.

However, the Spaniard admitted that Ferrari's rivals will dig deep themselves to find a better set-up for tomorrow afternoon, which is why the Scuderia needs to keep pushing ahead of the Saturday action.

Felipe (Massa) and I were happy with our session, but we know in qualifying it will be very close, as we saw in practice. Within three tenths of a second, there are seven or eight cars, so we cannot afford any mistakes on the driver side or the set-up side. We need to be perfect on Saturday.”

(...) We need to be clever and do a good lap on Saturday. If not you can end up sixth or seventh,” added the Spaniard, whose last win on the streets of the Principality took place in 2007, when driving for McLaren. His winning record in Monaco extends to 2, as he also recorded one victory with Renault in 2006.
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