Alonso not ruling out BMW victory

Although the battle at the front this year has been a two-horse race between McLaren and Ferrari so far, Alonso believes there will be occasions when BMW Sauber are able to join the fight for a win.

"So far there is a small gap between the two top teams and BMW," said Alonso in an interview with the German press agency DPA.

"But there may be no gap on some tracks. Nick (Heidfeld) will surely fight for top positions as in Bahrain. We will see some races in which not only McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari, but also Nick will fight for a podium place and possibly even victory."

Alonso is also convinced that the current four-driver fight for the world championship, between himself, Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, will be narrowed down to just two or three contenders over the course of the season.

"At the end of the world championship there will probably only two or three drivers fighting for the title," he said. "Then one or two won't have luck or achieve not so good results as before."

And should Alonso come out on top for a third consecutive season, he believes the pressure will be off him to prove himself in F1.

"Winning the world title three times would definitely be a crowning moment in my career. Big names in Formula One have three world titles: Ayrton Senna or Niki Lauda, for example. Winning the world championship three times is something I would have never expected.

"If I should win three titles I will attempt a fourth. It wouldn't be the same pressure, rather driving for fun."