With just four laps to go in this afternoon's German GP, Fernando Alonso was still in contention for points but missed out on a top ten finish as excessive fuel consumption and tyre wear forced the Spaniard to lift off.
The quandary affected both McLaren-Honda drivers but Alonso, who trailed team mate Jenson Button for most of the race, ended up conceding two spots to Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez.
"It was a pretty standard race, as we weren’t really quick and at the end we got no points, which was the goal for today. It’s a shame that way, but it’s a bit the way this first part of the season has gone.
"At the end Pérez was much faster than me, I was going quite slow, so he passed me quite easily and cleanly.
" In the final stages of the race the tyres were going off and I also had to save quite a bit of fuel, after all the battles we had had since the start of the season.
"I think we finished the race with 100g of fuel on board (!) as we may have spent 99,9 Kg during the race!"
Alonso is still keeping his faith however in the potential of the McLaren-Honda partnership, acknowledging that improvements have been made and shall continue.
"I’m very happy with the way this first part of the season went for us, it’s a shame we couldn’t get a few more points here with both cars.
"We also lost the opportunity of a double score in Budapest last week, but in the battle with Toro Rosso we gained a few points, so it was a good race and the only downside is that I didn’t finish in the poin We’re clearly moving up and that’s satisfying.
"We’re clearly moving up and that’s satisfying."
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