Alonso aims to beat Schumacher at home

The French squad have lost out to rivals Ferrari in the last two races, with the Italian squad's Bridgestone tyres proving superior to Renault's Michelins.

But Alonso, leading Michael Schumacher by 17 points with seven races remaining, believes Renault can be on top in the upcoming races of the season.

"I am feeling very optimistic," said Alonso in a team preview. "We had a strong first half of the season, and they key thing now is to keep going and finalise the job. The Renault team is ready, and I am ready. I think we can finish 2006 the same way we started it."

Schumacher has won the last two races to reduce the gap to Alonso by eight points.

Alonso admitted he would like to beat Schumacher in his home race to gain a psychological advantage over his rival.

"It's important to beat Michael at every race - not just Hockenheim," said Alonso. "We know that at this stage of the season, we have to be finishing in front of the Ferraris.

"But I think that a win in Germany could be worth more than ten points because of the psychological aspect. I try to win all the races - but it would mean a lot to take the victory here."

With tyres currently proving a key factor in deciding the winner of each race, Alonso reckons Michelin will fight back and return to the top after the last two races.

"We are in the middle of a good fight between the tyre manufacturers at the moment," he said. "Michelin and Bridgestone are pushing each other hard at every race. We have fantastic tyres on the car and  Michelin are giving us the extra performance, that's why we are leading the championship.

"I am confident for the rest of the year and certain that Michelin can become champions again."

Alonso's teammate Giancarlo Fisichella, on the other hand, is not making any predictions for the upcoming races, but reckons the tyres will play a key role once more.

"We know that the Renault package is a very strong one, good enough to win races," said Fisichella. "At the moment, though, the tyre factor is playing a big role, so it is hard to make too many predictions about performance between the teams before we start running.

"But France showed us that Toyota are now at a strong level, so there are maybe four teams fighting for the podium.

"My priority in the summer is to race consistently, and get on the podium as often as possible. I have to beat Massa and Raikkonen. They are my rivals for third place in the championship and I know that if I am beating them, I am helping Renault for the constructors' title too."