Alonso: Sixth was all we could have hoped for

Sunday 11th May 2008

Fernando Alonso was satisfied with his sixth place in Sunday's Turkish GP, conceding that it was the best that Renault could have hoped for.

This year's campaign got off to a slow start for Renault with the R28 struggling to find the speed to break out of the midfield.

The Anglo/French squad, however, introduced new aerodynamic upgrades in the build-up to the previous race in Spain, which immediately saw Alonso finding a few extra tenths.

And although that means points are possible, the Spaniard accepts that points are all he's going to be getting for a while.

"At the moment yes," he said when asked if sixth place was the best he could have achieved in Istanbul. "It's been two races with the new aero package and this is what we are aspiring to.

"The three teams in front are way ahead of the rest, but let's hope the next step that we take can bring us closer to them."

He added: "We took advantage of the puncture from one of the drivers in front and we beat Webber, which is what we were expected to do, and I'm happy with how the car worked in the race."

The Spaniard also revealed that his flying start, which saw him take fourth place on the opening corner, had a lot to do with not having anything to lose this season.

"This year we are not fighting for the Championship, so if we don't finish a race it's not so serious, so I have to take risks and this time I could gain a few positions," he added.

After five races Alonso is eighth in the standings on nine points.

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