Fernando Alonso: 'Fifth was best Ferrari hope'

Fernando Alonso has insisted that his fifth place on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday was as much as Ferrari could hope for at the moment.

The two-time world champion was more than a second-and-a-half behind pole sitter Lewis Hamilton after a wet qualifying session in Melbourne, but Alonso is expecting a race where just finishing may prove difficult for some.

He told reporters: "People say the first priority is to finish the race which maybe sounds pessimistic or a little bit strange but I'm sure all the drivers, the guy on pole position, cannot be 100% that he will finish the race.

"Fifth, which is our natural position, I think opens a good possibility to get some strong points tomorrow."

Alonso finished second in the 2013 drivers' championship.