Fernando Alonso's rear wing problem came at a crucial time in the race © Sutton Images
Fernando Alonso is confident he will not experience a repeat of the Drag Reduction System malfunction he had in Malaysia.
Alonso was closing on Lewis Hamilton for third place at Sepang when his moveable rear wing stopped working, forcing him to attempt an overtaking manoeuvre into turn four rather than turn one. He made his move on lap 46 but clipped Hamilton as he went past with his front wing, forcing an unscheduled pit stop and incurring the wrath of the stewards after the race.
"In Malaysia, we had the problem from the middle of the race," he was quoted as saying in the Shanghai paddock by Reuters . "We discovered the problem so everything should be okay for this race. It was a hydraulic connector, it should be okay, all fixed."
However, Alonso admitted that the more fundamental problems with the car - namely its lack of pace over one lap - are proving more difficult to solve.
"We are not quick enough... we know we need to work to improve the car," he said. "There are no secrets in Formula One, aerodynamics are still the main thing for performance. If we are some gap behind the leaders, it is because we need to improve aerodynamically mainly. We will try to do it as soon as possible.
"Now is the time to score as many points as possible and when we have a competitive car we need to deliver the win. At the moment we need to be more realistic and honest with ourselves and think about maybe the podium as a main target.
"I expect again a difficult weekend. But it's true that this is a different circuit... so hopefully this is a good one for us and we can be much closer to them in qualifying and especially in the race."
Credit: ESPN F1 (en.espnf1.com)
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