Alonso makes 'gold' claim as Aston Martin struggles continue

Fernando Alonso has claimed that "every point is gold" for Aston Martin currently, with the team continuing to struggle on a consistent basis.

The two-time world champion finished 11th in the Las Vegas Grand Prix after being overtaken by Sergio Perez in the closing stages. 

Prior to being overtaken by Perez, Alonso had been running in the points for the majority of the race at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. 

It continued the Spaniard's point-less streak, with the Aston Martin driver having not finished in the top 10 since the Singapore Grand Prix. 

On the other side of the Silverstone-based team's garage, Lance Stroll has failed to score a point since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.

Aston Martin have endured a challenging campaign, with Alonso wanting to reward the team for its efforts by scoring points.

When asked by select media including RacingNews365 whether his frustration to lose a point summarised Aston Martin's season, Alonso answered: "Yeah, definitely. 

"I think every point is gold for us at the moment, even if we are not fighting for many important things, I think it's good to give something back to the mechanics and to everyone in the team, after all the struggles. 

"Only two races left this year, but there is a lot of trust in the team, and a lot of new people and new ideas that will come in the future. So, yeah, looking forward."

Alonso taking positives

Despite the disappointment in Las Vegas, Alonso and Aston Martin were able to take some positives from the event. 

The 43-year-old was pleased by several factors of the team's race in Sin City, but has highlighted one area which, if improved, could see points scored in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Alonso has recognised qualifying as Aston Martin's issue, and knows that starting closer to the front in the final races is vital for points.

"There are some things that we learned on the car," added Alonso. "I think the strategy was great, the pace was better, Pit stops were very, very fast. 

"And as I said, I think we did a decent race. If we start a bit further up in Qatar and in Abu Dhabi, the points are possible. So that's the target. 

"We have two possibilities in Qatar with the sprint, obviously, one Saturday, one Sunday. Right now looking forward for Qatar, because you want to jump in the car again and try."