Alonso rules out title bid

The R24 (in the hands of Jarno Trulli) has yet to get to within a second of the old car's lap times (set by Alonso) after two days of this week's Barcelona testing. It has also lost running time with technical problems. Alonso will have his first drive in the new vehicle today (Thursday), but is already playing down his 2004 expectations.

"Our target is to be involved in the fight for the championship in 2005," said Alonso said in a story in AUTOSPORT Magazine. "It's a matter of time. We first have to close the gap."

Alonso pointed out that the team is likely to be set back by the new engine regulations that place emphasis on reliability. Renault has ditched its radical 106-degree wide-angled engine for a more conventional 72-degree design.

"Being realistic, having a new engine will make it more difficult for us to be close to the top teams. Tests on the dyno have been positive, but the real issue is reliability once we get on track with this engine."

After yesterday's testing, Renault's head of engineering Pat Symonds commented on the new car: "The indications remain very good, and the car is running well with a high fuel load, displaying good consistency."