Fernando Alonso believes McLaren-Honda must focus on reliability before trying to unlock more performance, as the double world champion seeks to enjoy “a trouble-free” race in Montreal.

The Spaniard’s efforts were cut short in the last two Grand Prix with a brake failure forcing him into retirement in Barcelona and a gearbox issue halting his Monaco progress.

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While Alonso was pleased to see team-mate Jenson Button score McLaren’s first points of 2015 around the Monte Carlo streets, the 33-year-old now hopes he can have a smooth weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

“On my side of the garage, it’s disappointing to have had two technical issues in a row, but as usual we’re working extremely hard to understand these problems,” said Alonso.

“Reliability is always the most important factor, so before performance we must focus on making sure we start the weekend positively and maximise the practice sessions to get our car properly set up for this track.”

“Despite the reliability issues I’ve had in the last two races, the car has felt good, so our priority is to have a trouble-free weekend and get the maximum performance out of our package.”

Alonso has already won once at Montreal, his sole Canadian Grand Prix victory coming during his second title-winning campaign for Renault in 2006.