Alonso says runner-up spot not a lost cause, but concedes it will be hard

Ferrari driver Alonso dropped to third place in the standings after the Singapore Grand Prix, but he is just one point away from McLaren's Jenson Button.

With Ferrari already fully focused on next year's car, Alonso is likely to face an uphill battle to secure second place, but the Spaniard, who reckons the result would be 'great', says it is not out of reach.

"Even if it's true we are no longer even mathematically in the hunt for the drivers' title, there are still plenty of reasons to retain our motivation to tackle these last five races with the right attitude," wrote Alonso on Ferrari's website.

"First of all there's second place in the drivers' table. Given how the season has gone so far, with Vettel totally dominant, failing to get on the podium only once, being runner-up would really be a great result for me and for the team.

"There are four of us in the running, as I am up against Webber and the two McLaren guys and I reckon we will have to wait until Interlagos to find out who it will go to.

"Clearly, if one looks at the way recent races have gone, it will definitely not be easy, as my closest rivals seem to have that little bit extra in terms of car performance, but that does not mean it's a lost cause.

"We know we have to do everything perfectly if we want to reach our goal and we will be trying right to the very end."

The Spaniard believes second position in the constructors' championship is not impossible either, even if Ferrari is 85 points behind McLaren with five races to go.

"There's still second place in the constructors' championship, but this is a much harder target, because there's a significant gap to McLaren, but it's not impossible.

"In the end, myself and all the team just want to end a season that did not go the way we wanted in the best way possible. Taking at least one win would be the maximum, while the important thing is to always be in the fight for the podium places."