Alonso qualified 12th for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, but was just 0.052s off 10th-placed Esteban Ocon of Force India in Q2.

This was despite using an older specification of Honda engine, after a problem was detected on Friday night on his 'Spec 3' unit.

“It was good,” said Alonso, whose only Q3 appearance this year occurred at the Spanish GP. “I’m happy with the laps and the performance today.

“I think the car felt good all weekend, and I think this position is the maximum we could achieve today.

“The team is working very hard to improve the situation, we bring I don’t know how many updates every race, new specs on the engine every time we can.

“Now we are touching Q3 in normal circumstances, so that’s a positive note. But we still need to improve the reliability and we hope to see some more signs in the next couple of weeks.”

When asked if he could score points on Sunday, Alonso replied: “Starting P12, we are already very close, so with a good start or good strategy you’re already in the points.

“That’s the target.”