Alonso seeking his first win

The Spaniard, who has finished on the podium three times this year already, is looking for his first win and reckons there would be no place better than Monaco to score a maiden victory.

"Monte Carlo is part of the legend of motor sport, which makes every driver want to do well here even more," said Alonso. "Because of its history, the great sporting moments it has witnessed, Monte Carlo is one-of-a-kind. I feel that winning here means more than winning anywhere else. And I'm confident the car will be competitive. Last year it did well and I'm optimistic we'll do well again this year."

Alonso's team-mate Jarno Trulli has not had quite the same rub of the green as the Spaniard. But Trulli is also confident of a good weekend and reckons that Renault's decision to test for two hours before practice will aid the team this weekend as the drivers strive to learn the new swimming pool and pits complex redesigned for this year.

"It's quite a fast section," said Trulli, "and this year they've made some changes to it. I haven't seen it yet, which is why Thursday's test session will be even more important than usual, because that's when we'll be familiarising ourselves with the changes to the circuit."