Alonso Optimistic of Strong Weekend

Spaniard Fernando Alonso is confident of a strong home Grand Prix after posting the fifth quickest time in today's practice at Barcelona.

The 22-year-old Renault driver finished second behind Ferrari's World Champion Michael Schumacher at the Circuit de Catalunya last year, the best performance by a Spanish driver on home territory.

Alonso, the youngest winner in Formula One history, has finished in the points in all four races this season despite starting from the back of the grid in two of them. He was third in the Australian season-opener and Renault are second in the Constructors' Championship.

"A normal Friday from my point of view, without any problems," said Alonso. "It's great to be back in Spain again and to see the fans - even today there were thousands of them around the circuit.

"On the technical side, we worked on the tyres, which was our priority. The handling of the car still needs to be improved because it is a little nervous at the rear, but we will work on it tonight.

"I am optimistic that once we have corrected these small problems, we can be even more competitive."

Italian teammate Jarno Trulli wound up eighth quickest after a troubled session.

"It was actually quite a difficult day for me, with several problems that disrupted my programme," said Trulli. "In terms of set-up, the car is lacking grip but I think overall grip levels will improve as the weekend goes on, and we know in which direction we need to work this evening in order to improve the set-up.

"Given these small problems, I think we can be positive for the rest of the weekend."