Alonso not worried about reduced gap

The Spaniard found his Renault no match for Ferrari or teammate Giancarlo Fisichella, as he struggled home in fifth place to see Michael Schumacher take six points out of his championship advantage.

But although the result meant that Alonso lost ground in the title chase over the course of the two North American races, he remains fully confident for the rest of the year.

"We were not competitive all weekend, so there is nothing new to say about the race," he said. "Fifth place was the maximum I could do in the race, and four points in actually quite good."

When asked if he was worried about Schumacher taking six points out of his lead, Alonso responded: "No. It was 15 points after the Nurburgring. So now five races later, it is 19 points.

"The races keep going and the gap never decreases below 15 points. So it's a comfortable gap."

Alonso is bullish about Renault's chances at their home Grand Prix in France in two weeks' time - where he believes tyre supplier Michelin will once again show the upper hand.

"I think Bridgestone did a better job probably at this race. But out of 10 races so far, I think in nine Michelin did a better job. So hopefully we will continue to win with this average.

"The races that are coming will be good for our car."