Fernando Alonso wary of McLaren's threat to Ferrari F1 team

Fernando Alonso reckons the Ferrari Formula 1 team must raise its game over the final two races of the season to avoid getting dragged into a fight with McLaren.

The Scuderia has mainly been engaged in a scrap with Williams for third in the F1 constructors' title race this year, but it has lost ground over the past few grands prix thanks to a lack of speed and some unreliability.

Ferrari sat just nine points behind Williams and 67 clear of McLaren following September's Singapore Grand Prix, but a run of low scoring since means the Maranello outfit now trails Williams by 42 points, while McLaren has closed the gap down to 49.

McLaren dropped four points to Ferrari at last weekend's US GP, but Alonso said the Woking team's improved form since Singapore means the Scuderia needs to keep its scoring up with the Abu Dhabi double points finale looming.

"We were struggling all weekend but we were also [struggling] a little bit in Russia and Japan as well," said Alonso after the US race.

"We just need to keep scoring points because the constructors' championship [battle] is still there.

"We have some fights - we thought maybe we've lost too much ground to Williams and would be in the middle of nowhere.

"But now McLaren seem to have picked up their pace a little bit so we cannot afford to not score points. We are still in a fight."