Fernando Alonso could only finish thirteenth in the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, and felt he was always on the back foot following a difficult opening lap at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Alonso started eleventh but found himself pushed onto the grass on the opening lap by fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr, which earned the Scuderia Toro Rosso driver a penalty, but the McLaren-Honda F1 Team racer found himself stuck for much of the afternoon behind Sainz.
Alonso admitted that the team did not have the pace to challenge for the points, but he was disappointed to drop down the order from his starting position, even falling behind team-mate Jenson Button by the chequered flag.
“I guess we could have done a little bit better today, but unfortunately on the first lap we seemed always to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Alonso.
“We also had a small incident, which put us in a difficult position as we were in traffic for the remainder of the race, as we sat behind Carlos [Sainz] for 40 laps or so. We also had a small problem in our second pit-stop, which didn’t help.
“We had one tyre that lasted a long, long time and another that lasted much less long, so Jenson and I went for different strategies, but, even so, neither of us finished in the points.
“At the end of the day, when you have the pace everything is easier, so that’s what we need to focus on.”
