Despite the zero score at Monza, Alonso has set an ambitious course: to compete with Ferrari by the end of 2016!
Italian weekend beyond the top 10 for Jenson Button, 12th; and Fernando Alonso, 14th, but with the best lap in his pocket. Paradoxically, the Spaniard is already looking forward to a battle for the top 5 in the final races of the 2016 season, with his sights firmly set on Ferrari!
For the sixth time in fourteen races, the McLaren team finished outside the points at Monza. However, the specific circumstances of this high-speed track excuse the relative performance of the MP4-31. As this track does not suit the Honda engine, Fernando Alonso even believes that the “best is yet to come.”
After a good start, placing him in ninth position, the double world champion dropped out of the top 10 after his first pit stop, which was slightly extended due to a green light issue at his pit spot. Clearly, the McLaren’s race pace was a bit too slow, despite a bit of fun at the end of the race. After refueling for the last time three laps before the finish, Alonso clocked the fastest lap on the very last lap, with a time of 1:25.340, the first for a Honda engine since the Portuguese Grand Prix in 1992: “We didn’t have the pace today to be in the points. But we knew that coming here. So these results are just a confirmation.”
On the other hand, euphoric from his fastest lap or not (he hadn’t achieved such a performance since 2013 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, at the time with Ferrari), the Spaniard was surprisingly excited for the end of this 2016 season: From Singapore onwards, we need to be regularly in the points given the current performance of the car. I’m thinking of a few races, like Austin, Abu Dhabi, where we can be in the top 5, battling with Ferrari, at least I hope so! It will be a different championship that will start for us. The car seems competitive, so we can finish comfortably in the points.
But what did Jenson Button think on his side? His teammate’s optimism had visibly rubbed off on the 2009 world champion: « Being so close to eleventh place and only thirteen seconds away from 10th place is not too bad for us. I really enjoyed being out there today. If I hadn’t been forced to take the escape route at the first Lesmo by a Sauber, we should have been competing against Hülkenberg for the 10th place point. The rest of my race was good, I am very happy with this performance, which is one of my best of the season. »
Thus, with these explosive statements from Fernando Alonso, many eyes will be turned towards the Woking team for the last seven Grand Prix of the 2016 season!
