Fernando Alonso was convinced he could have scored a podium last time out in Singapore, had it not been for the first-corner dramas. And in Malaysia on Friday he and McLaren again looked strong, beating both Mercedes to fifth place in FP2. So what will it take for Alonso to sign on the dotted line for next season? It remains all about long-term competitiveness…

Q: Fernando, it looked pretty positive for you today. Was this just because it’s Friday, or is there really a very visible upward trend? Malaysia is not a track where McLaren were expected to do well…

Fernando Alonso: Yes, it was a pretty decent day. We’ve been doing well in both sessions, even if I missed out on laps compared to others in the morning session. I agree that being 1.3 seconds behind is nothing to cheer at, but some of the hot candidates were even more behind. So yes, not a bad day. Now let’s see what tomorrow brings. The conditions will play a major role in qualifying and race. Maybe I would opt for rain as everything is possible then – and we have seen here the many surprising results in the wet.

Q: Did you shed some tears, knowing that this will be the last race in Malaysia? You have won here twice: in 2007 with McLaren and in 2012 with Ferrari…

FA: No tears, no, but I do feel sad that we will not come back, as we have enjoyed many fantastic and unpredictable races here – a lot of dramas! (Laughs) This is an incredible circuit, with a very challenging layout for the drivers and the engineers. So we want to really put on a super show to thank the fans here who will now have to follow us on TV.

Q: Talking of fans, they are all following your situation very closely right now: will he stay or will he go? What is the latest state of affairs in your talks with McLaren, after team boss Eric Boullier said in Singapore that a signing was imminent? But that was two weeks ago…

FA: Still the same as in Singapore. It is still ongoing. We are talking. My intention is to study everything to see that we have a competitive package – that the idea that I have for next year will come true: I want to be competitive in 2018. And I know that the team has all the ingredients to be competitive.