Fernando Alonso: "Every weekend is the same"

Fernando Alonso failed to start the Russian Grand Prix after his car broke down on the formation lap, making it the first time since the US Grand Prix of 2005 that he didn't start a race.

Alonso said that the problems began at the start of the formation lap and while he attempted to do everything to rectify the issues, nothing could be done.

"It’s tough, it’s frustrating – every weekend is the same. My power unit didn’t have the usual power during the formation lap, so my engineer told me to change some settings on the steering wheel. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and towards the end of the lap the engine shut down. My race was over before it started.

"Not being able to take part in the race today and not being able to finish any race so far this season is extremely tough. But Formula 1 is my life, so hopefully we can improve the situation soon."

On the other side of the McLaren garage, Stoffel Vandoorne managed to see the chequered flag after starting last on the grid, stating that P14 was the maximum he could achieve today.

"From my side, 14th position was pretty much the best possible result today. I had a decent start but had to avoid a first-corner accident, which meant I got a five-second time penalty for missing the markers at Turn Two.

"However, I don’t think that did anything to change today’s result. It was a pretty normal race, we ran at our own pace, I did the maximum possible and I think 14th is a fair reflection of where we’re at."

Fergal Walsh