"Fifth is like a win for us" - Fernando Alonso sets modest target for 2022 F1 Canadian GP despite starting on front row

Fernando Alonso has set a relatively modest target for himself and Alpine after qualifying in P2 for the 2022 F1 Canadian GP.

The 40 year-old rolled back the years at the rain-soaked Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve to put himself on the front row alongside reigning world champion Max Verstappen in spectacular fashion. However, the Spaniard is not expecting himself to be in the mix for the win come race day.

Speaking in a post-session press conference, Fernando Alonso admitted that even a P5 finish would be akin to a win for the Anglo-French outfit. He said:

“I’m not sure about the classification right now. Who is fourth-fifth-sixth etcetera? So, I’m not sure about what are the possibilities tomorrow realistically. I will say that top five is what we should fight for. We have a very good starting position. But we know our limitations. And we saw in many races already that Ferrari or Red Bull are starting at the last, or having a puncture in lap one or whatever, they still finishing with good margin in front of us.”

He continued:

“So, I think the top four places are locked. So yeah, fifth is like a win for us. And that’s probably the spot that we should aim for.”

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"I've been racing here 16 or 17 years" - Fernando Alonso banking on his experience to shine at 2022 F1 Canadian GP

Fernando Alonso confirmed that Alpine did not experiment with any setups and that is hoping his vast wealth of F1 experience at the Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve will give him an edge in the 2022 F1 Canadian GP.

Speaking at the post-qualifying press conference, the two-time world champion said:

“This weekend, I don’t know...the car was good straight away. We didn’t make huge setup changes, we didn’t experiment too much because the car felt good from the first laps in FP1 so that was a help to build the confidence. It’s also a circuit that I think you need some rhythm into it. You use a lot of curb riding here and it’s quite bumpy. There are a few things that, you know, are there for many, many years.”

He added:

“And I guess for half of the grid it’s either the first time they come here or the second time because after the pandemic it was not many races hosted here in Canada. So I don’t know, I’ve been racing here 16 or 17 years so as I always said, age and experience is always a help, it’s never a downside.”

Alonso went on to say:

“The front row importance? Yeah, I mean, it doesn’t mean much. I know what I’m capable of. Sometimes I do a better job, sometimes not so good and I try to improve. I’ve been working a lot in the last two years but yeah, I mean, it feels good, but it doesn’t mean anything. The race is tomorrow so we need to do a good race tomorrow.”

Fernando Alonso is currently 11th in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 16 points to his name going into the race in Montreal.