Alonso insists title still a realistic aim

Ferrari was surprised by its lack of competitiveness in Istanbul, where it struggled to score points on a weekend when title rivals Red Bull Racing and McLaren totally dominated.

And even though the team has no major upgrades on its car for this weekend's race in Canada, Alonso has high hopes that the title remains a realistic ambition.

"I think we are in a good position to fight for this championship," said Alonso in the paddock in Montreal. "There were [this year] some races better than others, and some ups and downs, but we need to be not too high when we win and not too low when we don't perform.

"We need to stay consistent all through the championship. We need to stay focused all through the championship. We know it is long, but we are in a fight in the middle of the top guys in terms of points in the championship. We need to stay there, stay concentrated and there will be some good races for us. We need to take the advantage from those."

Ferrari is planning to introduce a major update to its car for the next race of the season in Valencia, and Alonso says he can only see Ferrari's season getting on an upward trajectory.

But he is also mindful that the team must make the most of any opportunities that comes its way if it to remain in title contention.

"I think the performance will be better and better," he said. "This is a great team. This is a team that normally develops quicker than any other team, so I have no doubts that until Abu Dhabi we will be in the fight.

"We cannot be in a position to be stressed, or to make any mistakes we don't want in this middle part of the championship. We need to take the opportunities in the good races. I think we are all concentrated and all the team is really, really focused on the goal which is in November and not now."