Fernando Alonso, who finished in sixth place in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, has labelled his first fastest lap of the 2017 season as a ‘gift’
On a day where both cars started inside the top 10, it was imperative for the team to secure maximum points where possible, Alonso ran a smooth race despite a couple of small scuffles with compatriot Carlos Sainz to claim eight points, ahead of where he and the team expected.
Alonso said: “We were probably looking at seventh or eighth position today, but with Ricciardo out of the race, sixth place became possible, and we grabbed it. Still, we worked for that result all weekend – no mistakes, good practice sessions, strong qualifying, and then a perfectly executed race.
“Still, we worked for that result all weekend – no mistakes, good practice sessions, strong qualifying, and then a perfectly executed race.
“The battle with Carlos was a close-run thing. We were together at the start, at the restart after the safety car; we came into the pits together, we exited together and I knew I had two laps where I could really push and stress the new tyres a little bit.
“I tried to do that with some kamikaze moves at times because, after those initial two laps, I knew it was going to be impossible. It worked out fine.
“Also, the fastest lap at the end of the race was a surprise – a gift – but one we’ll take! It was definitely a good race, so let’s go into the summer break with smiles on our faces.”
The Spaniard explained the team are fully aware of the difficulties other circuits pose to the weakness of the MCL32, however, the double world champion was keen to point out the team must make the most of the races where they can be competitive.
The 36-year old added: “There are three or four weekends in a season where we can be competitive, so we need to maximise those and fully capitalise on our potential – and that’s exactly what we did this weekend.
“Races like Spa and Monza are going to be more difficult for us, so let’s just enjoy this result and think about the difficult ones when they come.”
