Alonso hoping for 'quiet' race

Renault driver Alonso needs just one point to clinch his second consecutive drivers' title, while Schumacher must win if he wants to stand a chance of beating the Spaniard.

Schumacher, however, was hit by problems in qualifying, failing to set a time in the final session, meaning he will start from tenth place.

Alonso, fourth quickest, said starting from the second row of the grid was almost like a dream.

"We were looking to be in the top five or six, and then with Michael's problems with gained a place because he was going to be ahead of us, so fourth is very good," said Alonso on Spanish television.

"Being on the first or the second row was almost a dream because we knew qualifying would be the most difficult part, so the race is looking very and and the championship, with Michael in tenth, helps me being a little more relaxed.

"Let's hope tomorrow we can have a quiet race."

Teammate Giancarlo Fisichella will start from sixth position.

The Italian, fighting for third place in the standings' with pole-setter Felipe Massa, has vowed to be aggressive in the race.

"The times are really, really close this afternoon, and I am not totally happy to be back in sixth because the target was the second row," said Fisichella. "Obviously, I am fighting with Massa for third place in the drivers' championship, so it means I have a harder job for the race.

"Considering what happened in Suzuka, I managed to finish on the podium starting from sixth, so we are confident that the car will have good race pace. It is a long and demanding Grand Prix here and there are usually plenty of incidents, but we cannot count on that.

"I will need an aggressive race tomorrow to try and beat Felipe."