Fernando Alonso believes Ferrari must have won the Singapore Grand Prix, ending just behind Carlos Sainz.
The Aston Martin driver scored 4 points and finished eighth on the Marina Bay Circuit, ahead of Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, with whom Alonso shared the identical team, and Charles Leclerc, who finished fifth.
Alonso, who finished in the highest ten for the fourth time in five races, claimed to have outpaced the AMR24’s real-world pace throughout the weekend.
Asked if he managed to get probably the most out of his time, the two-time champion, who finished first among the many overtaken riders, replied: “Yes, absolutely.
“Behind the highest 4 teams, just ahead of Checo, so it’s normally ninth and tenth available. Finishing eighth is a bit higher than our wildest dreams.
“Good points, but still one lap down and never the perfect pace, a difficult automotive to drive all weekend. So yes, we were just lucky to get the points, but you could possibly have been P15 and had the identical feeling.
“I think we should [have] be 15th and 16th. We are eighth, two seconds behind Ferrari. So I don't know if I can do more.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
The Ferrari duo began from a disadvantaged position after a nightmare qualifying session, with Sainz crashing early in his first lap of Q3 after which Leclerc losing his best performance for exceeding track limits.
Leclerc and Sainz were eliminated from the race after showing competitive pace in practice sessions, although two of the three sessions were held in unrepresentative conditions.
However, each drivers' progress was hampered by slower drivers throughout the race they usually were forced to make use of strategies to interrupt into the highest 10. However, Alonso believes the Scuderia would have taken the victory had they been in position.
“The Ferraris were, I mean, they should have won that race, probably. They were the fastest car that weekend.”
