Fernando Alonso is looking forward to this weekend's United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, which he reckons should prove a better fit for McLaren than the Sochi Autodrom street circuit in Russia.
Despite the fact that the team didn't go into the Russian Grand Prix with the greatest of expectations, both cars made it to the finish and Alonso only narrowly failed to finish in the points after being pipped by Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen in the final laps.
"It was obviously disappointing to lose out on 10th place in Sochi, but considering it was a circuit that we knew wouldn’t suit our package, we can’t be too disappointed with the result and the positive reliability of the car all weekend.
"Now we move to Austin which is a very different proposition.
"Circuit of The Americas is a great racetrack. It has a bit of everything: fast corners, slow corners, heavy braking zones and corners where momentum is crucial. You need good balance in the car to be quick there.
"The track is a hybrid of corners from great circuits all around the world, which makes setting up the car tricky, but a precise, well-balanced car will definitely help you there, so we need to build on those strengths straight away.
"The circuit is really fun to drive because it’s so varied, so you have to keep your focus 100 per cent all the way around a lap. I had some great battles with Jenson there last year and I’m hoping for more of the same against our competitors this weekend.
"We know it’ll be difficult for us in some of the areas we’ve already seen this year, but we will definitely be working flat out to achieve more progress and another positive result."
Alonso is very much looking forward to returning to the United States, and has nothing but good things to say about the city of Austin itself.
"I really enjoy going to Austin – a fantastic atmosphere and a city that absolutely loves its racing," he said. "It should be an enjoyable weekend."
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