Alonso: points out of reach even without Massa run-in

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Fernando Alonso, the star of yesterday's qualifying session, admitted that points would have probably remained out of reach even without a Turn 2 incident at the start with Felipe Massa.

The Spaniard believes that his McLaren-Honda's persistent power deficit would have points a difficult proposition at the end of the day.

"The cars in front were making contact and I took a risk," said Alonso of his start.

"Maybe I could have stayed behind but I had nothing to lose so I tried to go around the outside, knowing that maybe he [Massa] wouldn't see me.

"But even without that I think that, with our speed on the straights sooner or later, you start to drop down. Your rivals prepare it little by little and at one point it's impossible to defend or impossible to attack.

"I'm happy with the weekend anyway. Yesterday I had a super lap. Today my car finished without major problems, so step by step."

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The McLaren driver also found Dany Kvyat's Toro Rosso in his path after his first pit stop, with overtaking an almost insurmountable challenge.

"In terms of race pace we knew we couldn't match the cars in front and, even if we had it, we lost all our chances behind Kvyat after the pitstop," he said.

"We can't pass on the straight so we stayed behind him and from there the race was more complicated.

Despite having his first reliable race outing of the race, Alonso did not see it as a turning point in his season.

"The inflection point will come when Honda brings a powerful update. We are not bad with the chassis to be in Q3 and in the top 10 regularly. But we are lacking power and reliability.

"Hopefully reliability has improved seeing that the car finished perfectly. But let's hope things keep improving."

Alonso will fly across the Atlantic tonight to prepare for his Indy 500 venture, with preparation starting as early as tomorrow morning in Indianapolis.

"Tomorrow at 9.00am I need to be at the Brickyard, and at 12.00pm noon I’ll be in the car for first practice.

"So I now have 14 hours to rest, nine of which will be spent on the plane, so we need to switch into Indy mode now, and for the next two weeks my full focus will be on that."

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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.