“This Friday doesn't mean much, but we will be like in Australia.”

The start of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix was not what we all expected, and only the first free practice held in the early hours of Friday can be taken as a reference. There, Fernando Alonso finished seventh, behind only Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. However, after that hopeful start, the Asturian did not go off the track during the rain-marred second FP1.

He was seen inside the Aston Martin boot wearing overalls and a helmet, getting into the car looking like he was going to roll over at any moment, but the minutes ticked by as the other drivers (13 in total) tried out the intermediates and some play from the dry tyres, Alonso joining a list that also included Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez. If they don't participate.

When asked to sum up the day, he admitted that his statements could not require much analysis, and in fact took aim at Formula 1 tyres, stating that no tires are perfect enough to ride in those conditions.

When asked what he learned from FP1, he replied: “Not much. Suzuka is great. It's great to drive here. But yeah, there's not much to say today. It's always a shame for the fans who come here, they support us so much and we don't have any tires.” Let's work on it. “So, yeah, I feel sorry for them, they always create a great atmosphere and hopefully tomorrow and Sunday we can provide some entertainment.”

About his performance in Free Practice 1, where Aston Martin improves The outing took them aloneHe admitted that he “seemed strong”, but at the same time explained that “what is today is not really of great importance.”

He analyzed: “We will see, I think it does not matter much, but we should not be in completely different situations compared to Australia.” “So I think we are still fourth or fifth among the fastest teams. Let's see if we can improve everything for tomorrow and qualifying.”And then we'll try to make the most of that in Sunday's race. He concluded his speech by saying: “But the race will be difficult for everyone.”

Alonso will test Aston Martin's new features in FP3 on Saturday, again at dawn in Spain, ahead of qualifying. Despite being in similar positions to those in the previous race, on Friday the British team at least looked ahead of McLaren.