One very valuable point for Alonso after tough Mexican GP

It was a tough and hard-fought Mexican Grand Prix for Fernando Alonso, who drove brilliantly under difficult circumstances after starting at the back of the grid.

Fernando was up into 14th place after lap two, (from 18th on the grid). By lap five, he was in 12th behind a struggling Romain Grosjean. The pair fought a firm battle in which the latter gained an advantage off the track and was later penalised, although Fernando was still able to pass him and move up to 11th place.

Fernando and Stoffel were caught behind the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson for a few laps, unable to get close enough in the corners to make a move after the straight. On lap 18, Fernando overtook Stoffel to give him the opportunity to attempt a pass, but he too struggled to make headway on what is notoriously a difficult track on which to overtake.

Fernando enjoyed a feisty battle with Sebastian Vettel, and despite ultimately forfeiting a position, was up to eighth when he boxed on lap 32, losing only one further place during his stop.

He then set about chasing down [Kevin] Magnussen, in which he made up a deficit of over eight seconds to close up to his rear wing and spent a long time – the pair battling for 34 laps – in his dirty air unable to pass.

A close tussle with Hamilton ensued in the final stages, providing hugely entertaining viewing for the fans in the grandstands until Fernando was forced to concede four laps from the chequered flag. He ultimately finished the race in 10th place and scored a well-deserved point.

“Overall it was a good race, considering we started at the back of the grid, and we finished in the points. The car felt very nice all weekend – strong in the corners, and we had good handling and good balance throughout the race,” he said.

“We lacked a little bit of straight-line speed to attack or defend, so we were stuck behind a Sauber for half of the race and then we could not pass [Kevin] Magnussen for many laps. As soon as we lost the DRS with him we became very vulnerable, so in the end I think there was nothing we could do to keep Lewis [Hamilton] behind.”

“We fought hard, trying to brake a little bit later every time and defend the position, but we couldn't manage to keep ninth place and save that point. It was a good battle but it's hard when you don't have the same car. We now head to Brazil – let's try to score some more points.”