Alonso says Ferrari are out of reach

Alonso will start the race from third place on the grid, behind pole-sitter Kimi Raikkonen and teammate Felipe Massa, who secured a front row lockout for the Maranello squad.

Renault driver Alonso believes the Ferrari duo will be untouchable in the race, but the Spaniard is adamant he now has a real chance of fighting for his first podium of the year.

"Ferrari is not our main competitor because they are too strong for us no matter what we do," Alonso told reporters in Magny-Cours. "The guys I have with me on the grid aren't that far apart.

"Sometimes we were quicker, sometimes they were quicker. We can fight with them for the podium. Hopefully we can take the benefit of our better starting position."

Alonso is aware that Renault have taken a significant step forward in recent races, but the two-time champion says it's vital for the team to start scoring points.

The Spanish driver and his team have scored just nine points in seven races and he has finished in the top eight only once in the last five outings.

Alonso admitted, however, that he has been pleased with the way the team have move forwards after a poor start to the season.

"In qualifying we have gone quite well. In the last five races we have been strong, so qualifying is not too bad," Alonso added.

"But we need to finish the races and we need to take the points. So far we haven't finished the races on Sunday. In Montreal maybe what we did in qualifying was a surprise. But it's true that the car seems to work better here.

"Both cars did very well, Nelson (Piquet) did about the same time as Kubica in Q2 - 11th but only half a tenth behind. The car is no longer at the back of the grid. We are happy with the improvements and there is more to come. We know what we lack in the car and we're working on it, but it's not something you can do in one or two days.

"You need a development programme over a couple of months. So we are on it."