Alonso: Brazil masterstroke proves Aston Martin 'knows what it is doing'

Fernando Alonso has praised Aston Martin's quick work in identifying the threat posed by the storm during the final stage of Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying.

A major storm was predicted to hit the circuit during the qualifying hour, with dark clouds bubbling up just before Q3 as the weather moved in.

The timing of the rain caught some teams out with the timing of what turned out to be the sole runs, with heavy rain arriving mid-way through the final segment, leading to the final minutes of the session being abandoned.

Aston Martin was able to capitalise on this by sending both Stroll and Alonso out early for their laps, with the two securing third and fourth on the grid - the team's best qualifying result of the season.

Alonso hailed the team for the call as it looks to arrest a slide backwards over recent races as it has fallen off in the development race.

Alonso: We needed that result

"We needed [that result], I think the last two Grands Prix we were a little bit experimental in starting from the pit lane," Alonso told F1 TV.

"We needed a nice result here in Brazil for both cars to give up some hope in the team and just prove that we understood few things and that we are competitive.

"This proves that we know what we are doing and I'm happy with that."

The call from Aston Martin turned out to be the correct one, as Oscar Piastri brought about an effective end to the session with yellow flags for his off at Turn 12.

This affected the laps of those behind including Lando Norris and Sergio Perez - both of whom felt a front-row was within their grasp.