Championship point good for team morale - Alonso

It looked like McLaren's drivers were jumping from the frying pan into the fire at the start of Sunday's British Grand Prix, with both cars entangled in a first lap incident originated by Lotus' drivers.

While Jenson Button retired on the spot, Fernando Alonso was able to continue after stopping for a new front wing, with the Spaniard running a relatively uneventful race thereafter to achieve a tenth place finish which appears as quite a feat given McLaren-Honda's disastrous record to date.

"The two Lotus drivers were far too aggressive going into Turn 3," Alonso commented on the first lap incident. "They touched each other and then to avoid them, I had half a spin and touched Jenson as well. Definitely no common sense there."

"One championship point is nothing to get excited about but it's still important for the team's morale and for everyone's motivation," conceded Alonso. "The team is very focused on the job, and we know it's a long term project at the moment because there is no magic, so to get a result and a point on the table is important."

Alonso was quick to acknowledge however that without the rain, tenth would have remained out of reach.

"We deserved to get some points in Barcelona and Monaco, and here we were P11 and thanks to the rain we got P10."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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