Fernando Alonso questions McLaren tactics after Baku F1 qualifying

Though both Alonso and Jenson Button felt McLaren-Honda's top-10 results in practice might be deceptive, they were disappointed to end up only 14th and 19th on the European Grand Prix grid.

Alonso said his main issue was traffic and being among cars that were going for flying laps on their first full lap with a new set of tyres while the McLarens were taking a further lap to prepare the Pirellis before pushing.

"I think we didn't have the pace to be in Q3 anyway, but not P14 either," he said.

"I think we've been a little bit unlucky with the traffic, out of sequence with the cars around us.

"They were doing the first timed laps, we were doing the second.

"So we found ourselves always passing two or three cars in their slow laps.

"If it happened once, OK you accept it and it's the way it is, but it happened all the laps in Q1, all the laps in Q2 so probably we could do a little bit better job next time."

He also felt he was unfortunate with yellow flags coming out and DRS being disabled at times he was in DRS zones on flying laps, but conceded Baku was also a tough circuit for the Honda engine.

"We know that the deficit we have now: around six or seven tenths in one straight," Alonso said.

"We are full throttle with the steering straight, nothing much to do, and you are losing seven tenths, so that is quite painful.

"But we expected more or less that and we just need to keep working on the areas we can improve."

Button mainly blamed himself for going out in Q1 for the first time all season.

He regretted not pitting for fresh tyres after a spin-turn in the Turn 15 escape road following an early error.

"The spin - Ken Block style - while quite impressive, it damaged the tyres and then I realised I didn't have any rear grip," he said.

"I should have pitted for new tyres and we thought we had enough of a margin, but we didn't.

"We've been seventh/eighth all weekend, so [19th] was a little bit unexpected."