McLaren back Alonso's first corner move

Alonso tried to dive around the outside of his Ferrari rival at Turn One but, despite getting alongside the Brazilian, the pair touched wheels and Alonso was forced wide across the gravel.

That dropped the world champion down to fourth and caused minor damage to the aerodynamics of his car. That left him unable to mount a serious challenge on eventual winner Massa and new world championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Despite that misfortune, McLaren's F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said that Alonso was correct in trying to wrest the lead from Massa in such style.

"With hindsight it would have been better not to have put himself in that position, but I think it was absolutely the right thing to do," said Whitmarsh. "You have to attack and you have to make sure you get track position and win.

"He really got into a good position there. I think Massa was robust, but that is what people want to come and see. If he hadn't have attacked the first corner then we would have thought he wasn't trying hard enough.

"I think every overtaking move entails a degree of risk, but I think he did absolutely the right thing - although it didn't quite come off that time. On another occasion he would have bumped himself forward and it would have been the fantastic start that we would all have been talking about now."