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Alonso Believes Fourth Fastest Time Was Possible

Spanish Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso believes it was possible to set the fourth fastest time in today's qualifying session in Suzuka, with the Spaniard finishing in sixth after Kimi Räikkönen-yellow flag situation made him slow down. When the Lotus spun off at Spoon Curve, the current Drivers Championship leader and a couple of other drivers were forced to back off.

Räikkönen's Q3-incident highlighted the risk in the Spaniards’s strategy of attempting only one flying lap, with the tactic having been used in a bid to save tyres

“What can I say, other than get angry about being unlucky?” the Ferrari driver said. “The yellow flags came at the worst possible moment, when I was going into Spoon. Up until then, my lap was great and there was every chance of setting the fourth fastest time of the day, which would have then seen me start from third on the grid. From there, the race could have taken on a completely different picture, but we have to accept what happened. We were unlucky today, so maybe we’ll be lucky tomorrow!"

“We are up against some very strong opponents, like Red Bull who are in front and there is also McLaren who are behind, so we will have to keep an eye on both sides of the track. I’m expecting a difficult Sunday: the main aim will be to finish, reliability is crucial and bring home a good points haul.”

With six races remaining on this year's calendar, Alonso leads the Drivers Championship, 29 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who took his fourth pole position of the season today in Suzuka.

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2026 F1 Championship Standings (as of March 29)

PDriverTeamPoints
1Andrea AntonelliMercedes72
2George RussellMercedes63
3Charles LeclercFerrari49
4Lewis HamiltonFerrari41
5Lando NorrisMcLaren25
6Oscar PiastriMcLaren21
7Oliver BearmanHaas17
8Pierre GaslyAlpine15
9Max VerstappenRed Bull12
10Liam LawsonRacing Bulls10
11Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls4
12Isack HadjarRed Bull4
13Carlos SainzWilliams2
14Gabriel BortoletoAudi2
15Franco ColapintoAlpine1
16Esteban OconHaas1
17Valtteri BottasCadillac0
18Nico HülkenbergAudi0
19Sergio PerezCadillac0
20Fernando AlonsoAston Martin0
21Lance StrollAston Martin0
22Alexander AlbonWilliams0
PTeamPoints
1Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team135
         Poles: 3       Sprint wins: 1       GP wins: 3
2Scuderia Ferrari HP90
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
3McLaren Mastercard F1 Team46
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
4TGR Haas F1 Team18
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
5BWT Alpine F1 Team16
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
6Oracle Red Bull Racing16
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
7Visa Cash App Racing Bulls14
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
8Audi Revolut F1 Team2
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
9Atlassian Williams F1 Team2
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
10Cadillac F1 Team0
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
11Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team0
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings (as of March 29)

PRiderTeamPoints
1Marco BezzecchiAprilia Racing81
2Jorge MartinAprilia Racing77
3Pedro AcostaRed Bull KTM60
4Fabio Di GiannantonioPertamina Enduro VR4650
5Marc MarquezDucati Lenovo45
6Raul FernandezTrackhouse Racing40
7Ai OguraTrackhouse Racing37
8Alex MarquezGresini Racing28
9Francesco BagnaiaDucati Lenovo25
10Luca MariniHonda HRC Castrol23
11Enea BastianiniKTM Tech322
12Brad BinderRed Bull KTM17
13Franco MorbidelliPertamina Enduro VR4614
14Johann ZarcoCastrol Honda LCR13
15Fermin AldeguerGresini Racing13
16Diogo MoreiraPro Honda LCR9
17Fabio QuartararoMonster Energy Yamaha6
18Alex RinsMonster Energy Yamaha3
19Joan MirHonda HRC Castrol3
20Toprak RazgatlıoğluPramac Racing1
21Maverick ViñalesKTM Tech30
22Jack MillerPramac Racing0
23Michele PirroGresini Racing0
PTeamPoints
1Aprilia Racing158
         Poles: 1       Sprint wins: 1       GP wins: 3
2Red Bull KTM Factory Racing77
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 1       GP wins: 0
3Trackhouse MotoGP Team77
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
4Ducati Lenovo Team70
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 1       GP wins: 0
5Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team64
         Poles: 2       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
6BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP41
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
7Honda HRC Castrol26
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
8Red Bull KTM Tech322
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
9Honda LCR MotoGP22
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
10Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP9
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0
11Prima Pramac Racing1
         Poles: 0       Sprint wins: 0       GP wins: 0