Alonso makes 'best dreams' claim after 'lucky' Singapore result

Fernando Alonso has claimed that his eighth-place finish in the Singapore Grand Prix was beyond Aston Martin's "best dreams".  The two-time F1 champion's "lucky" result was partly down to Sergio Perez starting in 13th, following the Mexican driver's latest Q2 exit.  Alonso qualified an impressive seventh and went on to drive an excellent race to score the Silverstone-based team four points.  Eighth was better than Alonso had hoped, although revealed that the AMR24 still felt very difficult to drive at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Asked whether eighth was the best he could have achieved, he replied: "Yeah, absolutely. Behind the top four teams, just in front of Checo.  "So normally, it's ninth and 10th available [to him], so finishing eighth is a bit better than our best dreams. "Again, good points, but still one lap behind and not great pace. [It was a] difficult car to drive the whole weekend.  "We were just lucky. We got points, but it was possible to be P15 and have the same feeling."

Aston Martin upgrades push

Despite Aston Martin not reaching the heights of last season, the British outfit is in a comfortable fifth position in the constructors' championship, 52 points ahead of RB which is in an intense battle with Haas.  The British team is unchallenged for its position in the standings, however, Alonso still wants the performances to improve.  Recent street races in Azerbaijan and Singapore have worked more to Aston Martin's strengths, with Alonso expecting difficulties when F1 returns to more traditional circuits next month.  A bonus for the Spaniard and team-mate Lance Stroll, though, is that upgrades are scheduled.  "I think the last street tracks in Singapore and Baku maybe give us an opportunity," said Alonso.  "Now we need to raise the level. We have some new parts coming in the next few races, hopefully, they will help us come back to a more strong performance."