Alonso confident after Monaco practice: 'We're candidates for pole'

Fernando Alonso believes that Aston Martin are 'a candidate' for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Pole Position after a solid practice day.

Ahead of one of the most vital qualifying sessions of the year, the Aston Martin driver appeared to be on the pace throughout Friday's practice.

After finishing second in free practice one, Alonso remained within one-quarter of a second of Max Verstappen's FP2 benchmark despite falling to P4.

With the Aston Martin team expected to be closer to Red Bull in Monaco - owing to RB19's strengths being on the high-speed elements of F1 circuits - Alonso was pleased with the team's Friday practice progress.

"It was a good day for us as we completed the run programme, there were only a couple of red flags, but it was the same for everybody," Alonso told media.

"We did enough laps to get confidence with the car, which is very important here, getting into the rhythm of the weekend. The car felt good, easy to drive, which is what you would expect at this kind of circuit. So I'm happy.

"We have a lot of confidence already because this car has given me positive things all throughout the year, so it didn't disappoint today. It was enjoyable to drive. I had fun and ready for tomorrow."

When asked his chances of securing the all-important Pole Position on Saturday, Alonso responded: "Let's see... I think everything is to play for tomorrow, but we should be one of the candidates, yes."