Alonso confident: 'Qualifying will likely be pivotal'

Fernando Alonso travelled to Melbourne feeling very good. All the races the Spaniard competed in for Aston Martin so far, he has finished on the podium. In Australia, he hopes to make that three out of three.

"The car has performed quite well on two different circuits so far. However, our feet remain on the ground and we are realistic that in order to keep scoring strong results we need to deliver in all areas of the team," Alonso added.

In 2016, Alonso had a huge crash in Melbourne, landing upside down in the gravel pit. Still, he has mostly fond memories of Albert Park. "Australia is always a fun race to go to and I am curious to see how the track differs to previous years. It is going to be even faster than last year and hopefully we will see more overtaking."

Alonso knows when to perform at his best: "But as ever Qualifying will likely be pivotal at Albert Park, so we need to make sure we have a strong Saturday to put us in the best possible position to score as many points as possible."