Alonso thought about championship: "It was important for Max too!"

Fernando Alonso has not only helped his teammate Esteban Ocon, but also Max Verstappen. And the Spaniard knows that all too well after the race.

Alonso battled for laps with Lewis Hamilton who, in a much faster Mercedes, couldn't get past the Alpine. Eventually he managed to do so, but as a result Hamilton didn't have enough time to fight for the win. It was Alonso's teammate, Esteban Ocon, who took his first race win.

Alonso fought hard

"I tried my best," Alonso said in front of the Ziggo Sport camera. "It was difficult to keep Hamilton behind me. It was important for the win in the race, because Hamilton was very fast. It was also important for Max!"

Alonso worked hard to keep Hamilton behind him, but wanted to do it fairly: "I tried to give him space, but not too much space. Otherwise he would have passed," he explained to Sky Sports F1.