Formula 1: 'Special energy' inspires Fernando Alonso at Spanish Grand Prix practice

Two-time former world champion Fernando Alonso said his army of home fans had given him a “special energy” on Friday when he was second behind Max Verstappen in opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. The 41-year-old Spaniard, who has reeled off five podium finishes for Aston Martin in six races this year to take third place behind the two dominant Red Bull drivers in the championship, was only 0.17 seconds slower than Verstappen. “It is so tight here,” he said. “Just one or two-tenths can make a real difference in the classification, but we did all we wanted to do today. “Our upgrades have helped. All of them, which is something that is always the case with this team. “I must say I am very happy with the upgrades, but we will see for real tomorrow,” he added. He added that he was delighted with the big turnout of fans bedecked in the Aston Martin green in the grandstands and said it reminded him of his title-winning years in 2005 and 2006. “I can feel the support and the special energy it brings. I can hear them and feel it and I want to put on a good show for them,” he said after outpacing team-mate Lance Stroll by almost a full second. He said he believed the team had learned about tyre performance and found the track to be a little slower than expected, encouraging him to believe that with more set-up ’tweaks’ he can go faster again. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.