In the season opening race, Alonso qualified 5th for the race, behind the Red Bull-McLaren sandwich, while in the race he was unable to match the pace of either of the two teams. In the end, he crossed the finish line in 4th place, more than 30 seconds behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.
“We will have a few minor updates on the car, but nothing very significant, or the sort of thing you could say would be the key to take a leap forward in performance terms,” confirmed Alonso his team's mild approach on updates for the first few races of the new season.
“I believe we must stay concentrated on our own work and try to understand how to get all the potential out of the 150° Italia and I'm sure there's plenty to come. Before we achieve that, it's pointless standing here making predictions about how the weekend will turn out. We just have to tackle it one day at a time.”
Additionally, the 2-time world champion underlined the importance of getting used to the humidity at Sepang, as it can have a direct effect on a driver's fitness level inside the car if corroborated with the high temperatures. He also addressed the weather predictions for the weekend, which hint the event might be affected by torrential rain.
“The fact that the weather can change so quickly here makes the preparation work for the various phases of work on track more stressful,” he said. “Suddenly it can go from sunshine to a short sharp shower and you need to be prepared for every eventuality. It’s not just a problem for us drivers, as its affects the whole team: in some cases you need to be ready with a plan B or C, or even maybe a D for all the various scenarios!”
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