Fernando Alonso on 2017: 'It was a very bad year'

Fernando Alonso has admitted that the 2017 campaign for McLaren has been 'very bad', but the Spaniard remains hopeful that things will be different for the team in 2018.

McLaren are down in ninth place in the Constructors championship after enduring a wretched spell in which the car has struggled to compete, particulary on the reliability front.

Despite the car making progress aerodynamically across the campaign, when asked for his assessment of the season Alonso made it clear that the standard was not good enough, and that the team now have eyes on what they can achieve next year.

He said: "It was very bad.

"It was not a good season, despite the progress that is noticeable with the car, and despite the optimism for next year.

"We all believe inside the team it will be a fantastic 2018 season - we have a better mood now in the team."

Alonso also added that the expectations for what was possible this year were not realised and, given their position in the constructor's championship, no-one can judge the season as a success.

"[But] if we look back and we launch the car in McLaren in February - new regulations, four months to work on the engine, to power a little bit what we had in 2016, the hopes for this season were much different, from myself and from the team.

"Now, to be ninth in the constructors' championship, to use nine engines until now, it cannot be a good season for anyone in the team."

Alonso's updated car did well to compete in Mexico, a race that Alonso described as 'the best of the season', but the driver stressed the importance of following up with a strong showing in Sao Paulo.

"So far Mexico has been our best race," he stated.

"We didn't have any big things coming for Mexico, because it was only four days after Austin, so it could be just track specific. We need to see here in Brazil.

"But from Hungary onwards every step we introduced on the car was quite positive - even if in Spa, Monza, because of the layout we didn't prove it, I think we are in the right direction.

"We need to make sure that in March next year we attack all of them."