Alonso: Renault Won't Repeat 2004 Errors

The French squad were second in the standings for most of the past season, but a drop-off in performance in the latter part saw them losing their position to rivals BAR.

Renault have had an impressive start this year, winning the first three races thanks to Giancarlo Fisichella's victory in Australia and Alonso's wins in Malaysia and Bahrain.

The Spaniard, leading the Championship ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli, believes Renault will not make the same mistakes again.

"I hope not, as we've had several meetings with the team this winter to make sure this won't happen again," said Alonso. "I'm convinced we won't make the same mistakes."

Alonso arrives at this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix as one of the favorites despite the Imola race being the first of Ferrari's home Grands Prix. The World Champions have struggled so far this year, but have been working hard during the three-week break to solve their problems.

Alonso, however, is still targeting victory at Imola.

"I'll try to win or at least end up on the podium," Alonso told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Italians love Ferrari,  but I've always had many fans in Italy since the times when I raced for Minardi. I don't think Italians dislike me in general.

"This first European race will be another crucial test for us, because it's the first circuit we face with an old and slightly disjointed tarmac, and where kerbs are used extensively. But I stay optimistic because, as I said, our car has so far shown to adapt well everywhere."

The Renault driver reckons McLaren are their main rivals at the moment, but he is convinced Ferrari will fight back eventually.

"The McLaren is already very competitive and it will be even more so," he added. "And all of us are waiting for the return to victory of Ferrari. Obviously the longer they take to catch up, the better for us. But we all know that day will come."