F1 | McLaren, Alonso confirms himself as a points man: "Positive result after a difficult first lap"

Points finish for Fernando Alonso in the Spanish Grand Prix, fifth round of the 2018 Formula One world championship. The Spaniard, in his home GP, managed to continue his positive streak, finishing the fifth race in the points. An important eighth place which boosts morale in view of the upcoming championship events. Different story, however, for Stoffel Vandoorne, blocked with a gearbox problem with a few laps to go.

“We started on super soft tires for yesterday's qualifying – commented Fernando Alonso – and so the plan was to gain position in the group of riders in front of us. Instead we lost several positions due to the first lap and the accident at the first corner. I honestly didn't think, at least today, it was possible to get into the points. Fortunately, however, we completed a good race, putting together an excellent strategy and scoring four important points. I was hoping for rain at a certain point in the race, especially when looking at the sky in some corners, but it didn't arrive."

“Overtaking today was difficult. We still lack a bit of speed on the straights and that's something we're working on. We have made a good step forward here, but we know that between now and the end of the season it will be a battle. It will be important to score points in every race and so far we have done it in five races. I am happy", he concluded.

Here are Stoffel Vandoorne's impressions: “I felt that the ending could give us something, especially with the strategy we had, but we weren't able to finish as we expected. We had a very long first stint on the soft tyres, managing the compounds well. We wanted to attack, but we couldn't. Analyzing the race, I can say that I had a good start for the first time. At the first corner, however, I encountered an accident and it was difficult to keep the car on the track."

“We still don't know exactly what happened at the end of the race, but it seems that something is broken in the gearbox. It was a real shame because we had a great pace"he concluded.