Fernando Alonso took his first points finish of the season at Silverstone, with the double World Champion taking tenth place for his McLaren-Honda team.
The Spaniard took advantage of other driver’s misfortunes on Sunday, and praised the team for all of the hard work they have put in to try and make the car more competitive, and reiterated the project is long-term.
“It’s not the best of results, but 10th position helps to motivate everyone,” said Alonso.
“The whole team is incredibly focused – they’ve been working day and night to improve the car – and we all know this is a long-term project, and there are no magic solutions, but to get a decent result, and to put some points on the table, is always important.”
Alonso felt the start was ‘unbelievable’, believing drivers were far too aggressive at the beginning of the race, which ultimately saw him take avoiding action to avoid the crashing Lotus drivers that saw him hit team-mate Jenson Button.
“The start was unbelievable. It was a big mess as we arrived at Turn Three,” said Alonso. “The two Lotus drivers were far too aggressive, and they touched each other; in avoiding them, I had a half-spin, and touched Jenson. There were a lot of retirements, and little common sense on display.
“Still, we know we’re improving, and today has been a good day for morale.”
Button was unfortunate to retire due to the contact between the team-mates, with the impact causing his car to switch itself off. The Briton was disappointed to see his race end so early in front of his home fans.
“On lap one, there was an incident between two cars at the apex of Turn Three,” stated Button. “Fernando tried to move to the right in order to miss them, and in so doing I think he lost the rear end and clipped my rear tyre.
“The impact lifted the car up and turned it off. With the engine not running, I had no option but to retire.
“When you start towards the back, there’s always a greater chance that incidents may occur because the closing speeds between cars are much larger.
“I just want to add that the crowd has been amazing all weekend – they were even clapping and cheering me after my race. It’s been such a nice atmosphere – very special – and I just wish I could have done more for them today.”
