Alonso sees opportunities: 'Without Checo we are now thinking about the championship'

Fernando Alonso is extremely pleased with his results in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. After qualifying, the Aston Martin driver made it more than clear how much he enjoyed the session.

So far, Alonso has been the biggest surprise of the season. His move to Aston Martin was initially seen as a step down, but currently the Spaniard is third in the championship, with only the two Red Bulls ahead of him.

"This feels fantastic," Alonso beams in a video on the Twitter page of Aston Martin. "When you drive these Formula One cars, with low fuel and new tyres, everything feels alive. Everything feels great. I really enjoyed every single lap and we are ready for tomorrow."

In Australia, Alonso qualified fourth. Not as good as two weeks earlier in Saudi Arabia, when the Spaniard still got to put his Aston Martin on the front row of the grid. Still, Alonso sees mostly a good side to it. After all, Sergio Perez starts at the very back due to a crash.

"Putting the car in the top six is already very good ," he reflected at DAZN. "With Checho out of it, of course we are also thinking about the championship. Scoring points tomorrow - or at least more than him - would bring us a bit closer to the championship. So all in all, a good day."