Fernando Alonso is 'keeping his feet on the ground' ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Neither of the two consecutive third-place finishes, on two very different circuits, is going to make Alonso change his discourse one iota. He knows that the gap between him and the Red Bull team is still too big to think that, under normal conditions, victory can be expected.

Even so, the Aston Martin driver can't hide the fact that he has a good feeling about his car. And that's how he arrives at the third Grand Prix of the season.

"We come to Australia with a good feeling after two podium finishes in a row and we hope to improve on those results this weekend," he said.

That optimism is backed up by the fact that "the car has worked quite well at two different circuits." 

However, he held back from getting too excited. "We are keeping our feet on the ground and we are realistic that, in order to keep getting good results, we have to perform in all areas of the team."

That's where the team is at right now, just ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari in terms of performance. Nonetheless, it will be a tough test in Australia to confirm that they are indeed ahead of those two icons of F1.

What Alonso does know is that it is great fun to drive at Albert Park. "It's always a fun race and I'm curious to see the differences from previous years. It's going to be even faster than last year and I hope we'll see more overtaking."

Despite that possibility, the key will be as it is every weekend, to be strong on Saturday to get the best possible grid position and avoid any problems at the start.

"Qualifying will probably be crucial at Albert Park, so we need to make sure we have a strong Saturday that puts us in the best possible position to score as many points as we can," he added.