Alonso: traffic

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• McLaren

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• Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso blamed traffic for losing out on a podium finish by less than two seconds at Sunday's Hungarian GP.

The McLaren driver, who had initially grabbed pole position for the race, eventually started sixth on the grid after the stewards penalised him for illegally holding up Lewis Hamilton in qualifying.

The P6 starting position meant that Alonso spent the better part of two thirds of the race trailing the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher around a track that is notoriously difficult to overtake on.

He did finally get ahead of the German in the second round of pit stops and quickly started to close the gap to third placed Nick Heidfeld.

However, it wasn't to be and Alonso finished in fourth place behind the BMW Sauber driver.

"We knew it's very hard to overtake at this circuit," he told Autosport after the race. "We know it's hard starting from behind, and we were dreaming about reaching the podium.

"We were close but it wasn't enough. But fourth place is not bad. I lost one point compared to the maximum that was possible for us.

"I spent the whole race with traffic, first with Ralf and then with Heidfeld and it was pretty hard to drive with someone in front.

"It's a lost opportunity because I think this weekend I was faster. Yesterday I got pole and today when I was in clean air I was very fast, so I think I could have won, but it was not to be. In three weeks there's another race and I'll try again."

Hamilton's victory compared to Alonso's fourth place means the gap in the Drivers' Championship standings has now grown to seven points.

Alonso, though, isn't at all disheartened about that.

"I think it's not going to be decided until the last race. I was two points behind and now I'm seven behind, but we were 14 behind a few races ago, so we are doing fine," he said.