Alonso happy despite missed chance

The Renault driver finished in sixth position in the action-packed race, in which the Spaniard was forced to pit earlier than planned after not having changed tyres during his first pitstop.

The gamble to keep his old tyres did not pay off as rain began to fall moments after his stop, forcing him to return to the pits ahead of schedule.

"Like every time it rains, anything can happen and that was the case," Alonso told Spanish television.

"There were times when you had the right tyre and others when you had the wrong one and you had to keep the others at bay and try to stay on track because you knew it would be a good result."

He added: "It's not bad. It's a good feeling. Sixth position is three points that are good for the drivers' and the constructors' championships. We missed a chance because Barrichello finished on the podium and maybe we could have been there, but it's okay."

Alonso was running in fourth place near the end of the race, but his tyres were nearly gone in the final laps and he lost two places to Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen.

"Because I had to stop early to change tyres and put fuel to the end, my tyres were completely gone by the end," he said.

"I was very fast in the dry bits and very slow in the wet ones, so I had to defend in some parts and try to get away in others."

Teammate Nelsinho Piquet spun off the track on lap 36, where the conditions were at their worst.