Formula One news

Alonso pays for qualifying penalty

Reanult's Fernando Alonso has pinpointed the 5-place penalty he received after qualifying as the main reason behind his tenth place finish at the Suzuka Grand Prix. Although the car was running well and he moved up from starting 17th, the end result was not the points finish the Spanish double Champion had hoped for.

Alonso received the 5-place drop with several others on Saturday, even though he attempted to explain his mistake to the stewards immediately after the incident had occurred. "My race was really decided after qualifying," he said, "Although the car was competitive and I pushed hard, it was not enough to score any points."

Although the Spaniard believes the weekend to be a missed opportunity, he is optimistic that the car will perform well at the last two races before he leaves the team for Ferrari in 2010. "We now have to concentrate on the two remaining races and make sure that we qualify well," the Renault driver added. "If we do that I am sure we can score some strong points and have a good end to the season."

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