Alonso: At Spa we'll be pushing for points as hard as we can

Amid a season of sparse results, but steady improvement, McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is upbeat about his chances at Spa-Francorchamps which marks the end of the summer break and the start of the second half of the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship season.

Speaking ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Alonso said, "You have to have a strong package at Spa, in terms of performance and reliability. More than 70 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle, which will be a challenge in itself."

"But we've shown over the past few races that, even on the circuits that statistically should be difficult for us, we've worked hard and surprised ourselves with our level of performance relative to our competitors."

"We're seeing good correlation between the data back at base and in the car on track, so I hope we can continue our momentum and get the maximum out of the weekend."

"This circuit is always a tough challenge for car and driver but if we can pull all the elements together we can enjoy a positive weekend. It won't be an easy race, but as always we'll be pushing for points as hard as we can."

"I feel refreshed and raring to go, and ready to take on the incredible twists and turns of this legendary track. There's a lot to think about at this circuit: strategy, tyres, fuel, power unit management, and then there's the weather."

"This is the sort of circuit that always throws up something unpredictable and there's usually some drama during the race, so I hope we can fight hard and take advantage of any situation that comes our way," added the Spaniard who will be competing in his 265th grand prix on the weekend.