Fernando Alonso feels he would have been within contention for victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had he been equipped with a more competitive package.
In a crazy race in Azerbaijan, Alonso made progress from 19th on the grid to run as high as fifth, within sight of the podium, before ultimately slipping back through the order during the second half.
Alonso came home in ninth position, registering McLaren-Honda’s first points of a difficult campaign, but reckons more should have been possible without the team’s current limitations.
“Starting 19th because of our penalties, on one of our least competitive circuits, yet still scoring our first championship points is unreal; a complete surprise,” he said.
“The race really came to us through the many retirements and a lot of action. I managed to stay away from the walls, just brushing them here and there.
“Nevertheless, I think we could have fought for a podium finish today – and perhaps even the victory. We were behind Daniel Ricciardo during the first Safety Car period.
“Then Lewis [Hamilton] had a problem with his headrest and was forced to pit; Sebastian [Vettel] had a penalty; Kimi [Räikkönen] retired; the two Force Indias touched each other, so we automatically found ourselves in a decent position.
“We missed out on further opportunities because we weren’t quick enough in the race and couldn’t hold on to that position. Still, we got our first two points of the season today, so let’s just take that.”
Alonso's McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne finished in 12th position.
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