Fernando Alonso paid tribute to his mechanics as he recovered from a collision midway through qualifying to secure fourth on the grid at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard had a coming together with the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat in Q2, which left the Ferrari driver with a broken suspension.

However, his Ferrari mechanic were able to fix the problem to boost Alonso's hopes of a high grid slot, and he was quick to hail their work.

He told Sky Sports News: "The mechanics did a fantastic job.

"I have to say that the car was not totally repaired - the steering on the right was so light, on the left it was so heavy. It was very strange to drive but enough to complete the qualifying.

"I'm super happy with this qualifying. Probably the biggest smile on the fourth position in my career."

Lewis Hamilton will start in pole position for Sunday's race.