Alonso lap was "maximum risk"

It’s so sad for us fans to see such a titan of the sport spend his final few races in such a slow car.

McLaren were so far off the pace in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix tomorrow, meaning that two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso could only manage 18th place in Q1 at Suzuka, ahead of just his team mate Stoffel Vandoorne and the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson, who crashed.

The Spaniard was half a second quicker than Vandoorne, who is also leaving the team at the end of the season, with his F1 future still undecided.

Such was the difference in pace between the McLaren and the rest of the field, Alonso described his lap as “the maximum” he could have got out of the car.

18th and 19th is McLaren’s worst qualifying of the season, but they are unlikely to start in those positions, with several drivers receiving penalties for various infringements.

Alonso explained after the session: “I was convinced when I crossed the line that we could be in Q2 easily because probably it has been one of the best laps I did in my life here at Suzuka.