The two-time champion was fortunate to come away from the opening lap of his Aston Martin debut unscathed after receiving a whack to the rear-right from Lance Stroll, as the team-mates already engaged in their own respective duels with the Mercedes duo.
Fifth-starting Alonso then came to the fore in the final stint as he maximised his hard tyres to chase after Lewis Hamilton, executing a precise pass on his former McLaren stablemate with an unlikely overtake on the inside into the tight Turn 10 left-hander to gain fourth.
