Manor driver Rio Haryanto says he was pleased to hold off the Renault of Jolyon Palmer during the Chinese Grand Prix, but expected a bit more from the race.
The Indonesian was running with the Sauber and Haas cars early in the race but lost touch as it progressed, admitting the team lacked the pace to keep with them.
He eventually finished in 21st place, ahead of Palmer. Haryanto remains optimistic about the future for the team and says Manor knows where improvements are required.
"In the early part of the race we were in the mix with Sauber, as we have been at various parts of the weekend, and also with Haas, but towards the end we were just lacking pace a little bit," he explained after the Chinese GP.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-120x86.webp)
"I managed to hold off Palmer until the end which was good, so while I’m happy that we managed to get both cars to the chequered flag again, I was hoping for more of a fight.
"The signs are good though and I think we know what we need to do to improve and make that possible. My thanks to my crew and the team and let’s keep pushing for Russia."
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-350x250.webp)
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