Points for McLaren brings relief rather than joy

McLaren-Honda's long haul of no finishes in the points came to an end on Sunday, as Fernando Alonso crossed the line in ninth place in Azerbaijan. The Spaniard kept out of trouble during the manic two-hour race around the streets of Baku, later stating that he could have won the race.

McLaren last scored points at the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but racing director Eric Boullier does not see the result as a cause for celebration. The Woking-based team still sit last in the constructor standings, three points behind Sauber who also claimed a top ten finish in Azerbaijan.

"These two points are a reward for all our hard work leading up to this weekend. We knew we had to grab every opportunity with both hands and that's exactly what we've done. Fernando drove a fantastic race, used every possibility and ninth is still a meagre reflection of his performance in Baku. 

"Stoffel also had a mature performance. He had the speed to pass both Saubers and finish in the top ten, but they were always just out of shot on the long straight.  For the strategy team, the engineers and our hard-working mechanics, today’s points are a welcome relief after an extremely tough weekend.

"They’ll have put a spring in our step as we prepare for better fortunes at the next race in Austria. I'm not smiling, I'm not excited because it's not the reason why I'm racing, and especially not racing with McLaren. But mathematically it's good for the team to have some results."

Fergal Walsh