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F1 Singapore GP: Alonso: McLaren can fight at the front

Fernando Alonso says McLaren are building with confidence ahead of the 2016 season finale and sees a run of circuits which will suit his car starting at the Singapore Grand Prix.

After accepting back-to-back difficult races at the high speed Spa and Monza tracks F1 moves on to the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore which demands a competitive aerodynamic package and is less demanding on pure power.

Looking ahead to the final seven races of the year Alonso is confident McLaren should be competitive for points finishes at almost all of the remaining circuits Singapore as a key starting place.

"Not only Singapore, I think Suzuka, Austin, and especially Abu Dhabi, I think will be very good," Alonso said. "Even last year we expected a lot in Singapore and we were okay but we were not as good as Austin and especially Abu Dhabi."

McLaren's best result of the season came at the tight and twisty Monaco Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso taking fifth, while his team-mate Jenson Button's top result in 2016 was sixth in Austria, and with tracks like Singapore and to an extent Abu Dhabi sharing the same characteristics as Monaco the Spaniard is targeting the top five again.

"For whatever reason Abu Dhabi was really strong for us last year so I think it can be the same next year. Let's try to be just behind Red Bull," he said.

After neither McLaren or Toro Rosso scored a single point at Monza the British squad will be looking to strengthen its grip on sixth in the F1 world constructors' championship.

With Force India in fifth already on over double the number of points which McLaren has up to this point in the campaign sixth place looks the optimum the Woking-based squad, but it will mark a slow return after finishing a dismal ninth overall last year. 

Zdroj: crash.net