Alonso 'the animal' muscles his way to 13th!

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Qualifying 13th may not sound impressive, but McLaren-Honda's Fernando Alonso drove like 'an animal' to get there this afternoon in Shanghai.

By his own admittance, the Spanish driver was surprised by his performance given his car's inherent weakness and power deficit.

Alonso clocked in 10th at the end of Q1, ensuring his passage to the second segment of qualifying, and telling his team over the radio that he was "driving like an animal"!

"I was flat out in some of the corners," Alonso explained when it was all said and done.

"Sometimes you don't care anymore if you have a snap, or you have a spin, or whatever.

"We are not very competitive, we felt this morning that we would have a very difficult weekend ahead of us, we were 17th and 19th with all the power available to us etc.

"We thought that this circuit was quite difficult for us but in qualifying, surprise surprise, everything was better than expected and 13th is a good gift."

McLaren and Alonso hold off on contract talks!

The McLaren driver admitted that his only hope for a good result on Sunday is if the weather wreaks havoc on the race.

"If it rains in the race as predicted there will be some chaos in the race, as with all wet races, and we need to take as many risks as possible because we are not in the points so we need to take advantage of all the circumstances."

Gallery: All the pictures from Saturday's action in Shanghai

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.