Alonso thought beating Verstappen would mean a 'good result' in Brazil

Fernando Alonso thought that finishing ahead of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton would mean a good result for him at Interlagos.

No world champions made it through to Q3 on Saturday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 along with his former teammate, while Max Verstappen finished only P16.

After the session, Alonso told the media that he had expected others to improve following the Sprint, and therefore anticipated dropping further down the order after finishing fifth in Sprint Qualifying on Friday.

He said at Interlagos: "No surprises to be honest. Our strength is always on Friday. We race here 21 years, so we know the track, we know the bumps, we know everything and we maximise on Friday.

"Then people learn a little bit of the tricks for Saturday and you fall to your natural position.

"I mean if you had told me yesterday that I would qualify in front of Max and Hamilton, I would have said that it was a pretty good qualifying."

"So what I mean is that it's tricky for everybody, it was tricky for us."

Alonso aims for another points finish on Sunday

During the Sprint, Alonso already collected three points for Aston Martin. As a result, the Silverstone-based team is now level on points with Racing Bulls in the battle for P6 in the constructors' standings.

"If we see the glass half full, we are P11, only one place [away from] the points. With a good start, good strategy, everything is possible."

According to the Spaniard, more points would have been possible during the Sprint as well.

He explained: "I think we've been very unlucky in the Sprint. When I saw that everyone was starting on the softs, I thought that P3 maybe was possible in the sprint because the medium for us was definitely stronger.

"Then [after] the red flag, we have to fit the softs because we don't have unlimited mediums. The people that started with the softs, they learn and then they put the mediums and then they were flying, like the Ferraris.

"Without that red flag, it could have been even better, but three points is three points."

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