Alonso sees no need for FIA observer

The FIA announced last week said it would appoint an official to ensure that the team treated both Alonso and Lewis Hamilton equally after the Spanish motorsport federation had expressed concerns about alleged favouritism at McLaren.

Alonso had hit out at his team in China after he only qualified fourth on the grid, six tenths of a second slower than Hamilton.

But in the press conference at Interlagos, the Spaniard played down the Shanghai situation and said he saw no requirement for the FIA presence.

"I don't agree with that decision but it is not up to us," Alonso replied when asked if he was comforted by the FIA's decision.

"I think if they decide to do that it is okay but I think we don't need anything like that in the garage.

"In China I think I was disappointed with qualifying performance and I felt (it was a) very strange result after Q1 and Q2, after being close to fighting for pole for Q3, but I realised tyre pressures were too high and this can happen in qualifying. It was coincidence and a bit of bad luck."

He also insisted that his personal relationship with Hamilton was fine, and that the tension between them was a press invention.

"They have been saying many, many things about us but they were not true," Alonso said. "We never had problems with each other, we are fighting on track but outside the track we had very good relationship from day one."

Hamilton backed up Alonso's stance.

"I think it is as good as ever," he said when asked about their relationship. "I think we have got on quite well this year despite what the media have said. They have always tried to put a big gap between us but they have not succeeded, we continue to do our job."

Alonso added that it was inevitable that his relationship with Hamilton would become less relaxed during the course of a GP weekend.

"I think when you see us together it is only on Saturday afternoon at the 'meet the team' press conference, and there it is just after qualifying so we are focused on race, strategy and result of qualifying so it is maybe not a very relaxed moment," he said.

He also suggested that the media had read too much into McLaren boss Ron Dennis's use of the phrase "we were racing Fernando" when referring to Hamilton's strategy in the Chinese GP.

"I was surprised, but I think it is difficult to see what is true, what is just normal words that you say after the race and if you take in a different way you can make some problems," Alonso said. "I don't see anything strange, I was surprised but not really worried."

Hamilton had criticised Alonso's driving at the Belgian GP after the two McLarens touched at the first corner, but said he was confident that the title would not be decided by an incident between them.

"I think we are professional racing drivers, you look out for yourself but we don't want to crash with any of the drivers," he said.

"Neither of us want to crash, we just want to finish the race. Entering the first corner you go in there with a clean mind about leading or gaining a place, but without taking too many risks. From our experience we know what is too much or too little, I don't think we have any problems."