Alonso back in Montreal: 'We will be keeping one eye on the radar'

In his home country of Spain, of all places, Fernando Alonso had his lowest weekend of the season. The Aston Martin driver no doubt hopes to return to the podium next weekend in Canada, but the Spaniard does not want to set that as an objective.

After a week of recovering from the hectic home Grand Prix in terms of attention, the season continues for Alonso as well. "Next up is Montréal, which is a historic circuit in Formula One and I have fond memories racing here," he said on his employer's website. "Last year, for example, I started second on the grid after a chaotic and wet qualifying session. It might rain again this weekend, so we will be keeping one eye on the radar."

'Overtaking can be difficult'

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is loved by many drivers, including Alonso: "The circuit is fun and while overtaking can be difficult it can also throw up surprising races, so we will be prepared for anything. We have some upgrades this weekend and our aim is to have a smooth weekend and score the most points possible."

Teammate Lance Stroll is racing a home race in Montreal. On that, he said: "I am really excited to return to Montréal for my home race; it's always special for me to see all the Canadian support at the city I grew up in. It is a circuit that also holds some good memories for me; climbing seven places to finish in the points last year was especially memorable."

In Barcelona, Stroll finished ahead of Alonso for a change. Whether he can do the same in Montreal? "With how close the pecking order has been in recent races, it will be interesting to see what the characteristics of the circuit do to the competitiveness up and down the pitlane this weekend. The margins will be very tight so we'll be pushing hard to put on a good show for my home crowd."