Alonso hopeful for rain: "I think we'll be a bit better in the wet."

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon both had a strong qualifying today, but it's the Spaniard who will be starting further back on the grid. Despite this, the Alpine driver is hopeful for a better position come the end of the race tomorrow and that the weather sits in his favour.

"It went well. We only had a few laps in the dry, just FP3, so we had to improvise a bit in terms of set-up," Alonso told DAZN after qualifying, "but I think it went well, with both cars in Q3. It's a good position for tomorrow, on the clean side [for the start] as well."

Alonso hoping for rainy day at Suzuka

The Spaniard finished by stating his hope for rain and how this could turn in Alpine's favour, as they're able to risk a bit more compared to those around them: "The weather is changeable for tomorrow so we'll see how it turns out in the end. I think we'll be a bit better in the wet, or so it seems.

"The best thing would be a race that changes a bit, going from dry to wet. Maybe risk a bit more than the cars in front, who are playing for important things, like the championship. We can risk a bit more and hopefully, that will be the case."