Alonso has "had better birthday presents"

Fernando Alonso will line up seventh on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix, having been promoted from a season-best eighth in qualifying thanks to a penalty for Renault's Nico Hulkenberg. This achievement, which came on Alonso's 36th birthday, was one that pleased the Spaniard after a difficult 2017 campaign so far - although he says it is not what he had hoped for beforehand.

"To start seventh and eighth tomorrow, as we will, was our first big goal for the weekend," he said. "It's nice but I've had better birthday gifts! I've won here, I've been on the podium, so to be seventh on the grid, it's the least we could have achieved knowing this is a track where the engine counts a bit less.

"But we're still far behind, so let's try and have some fun tomorrow. There are a lot of things happening in the background for 2018, so let's hope next year we can be fighting for pole positions and not for seventh places on the grid.

"Our result depends more on what those in front of us will do, because we're not in a position to be able to improve our pace by much. Taking risks or not, our position is this one in terms of pace, so we have to wait for something to happen ahead of us to move up, otherwise it will be difficult to do it."

Mason Hawker