Fernando Alonso says Ferrari have reasons to be happy after challenging at the front of the pack during Saturday's qualifying in Canada.
Ferrari's 2012 campaign got off to a dismal start in Australia, however, in recent weeks the Italian stable has taken steps - or even leaps - to turn their fortunes around.
Improvements in Spain and Monaco resulted in back-to-back podiums for Alonso, who felt that Canada would be the true test of Ferrari's improvements.
Running new parts for his F2012 this weekend, the double World Champion qualified in third place, 0.367s down on pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel. However, he was only 0.064s short of Lewis Hamilton's time.
"The car felt quite good," said the Spaniard.
"Yesterday when we tested some new parts, we feel much more happy with the balance of the car. It's a first step
"Obviously the world and other teams will never stop but at the moment we are extremely happy and I'm thankful for the guys in the factory."
Looking ahead to Sunday's grand prix, Alonso reckons a win could be on the cards for Ferrari.
"You never know," said the Championship leader.
"Races this year, they are difficult to predict. What we think on Saturday afternoon normally is not what happens on Sunday. We will see.
"It would be nice to win here, but we know at the moment there are two guys quicker than us. They proved it today and tomorrow we need to do better if we want to win.
Related Links
Qualy: Vettel storms to Canadian pole
Saturday's shots from Canada
