Alonso: Schumacher, Button my main rivals

"I think my rivals will be Michael and Jenson Button," Alonso told SportAutoMoto magazine.

"Schumacher is always an ace who knows exactly how to win a world championship, and he wants to forget about 2005. He has a team behind him who have set up a 248 F1 created just for him.

"The Honda has been quick since the first time it left the pits and has managed impressive laptimes. They have a different work method from ours: they always look for absolute performance in private testing, but there's no doubt they have a great car.

"Even though some lap times were obtained with little fuel and soft tyres, the stopwatch speaks clearly.

"Button and [Rubens] Barrichello are two solid and tough drivers, able to get to the end of the races without making mistakes. They can win Grands Prix if they have a chance. They will be tough rivals.

"I expect Jenson to be the strongest of the two, also because he's used to working with the team."

Alonso, however, expects the Mercedes-powered squad to bounce back.

"Despite some highlights, they don't look to be in top form and they've admitted themselves as much publicly," Alonso added.

"At McLaren they have some problems and we've all seen what they are, but I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with their car, so as soon as they solve their reliability problems, they will be tough to beat like in 2005.

"I hope they'll lose precious points in the first three or four races again, so the recovery will be harder.

"I think their problems are concentrated into a specific component of the car, and they will solve them quickly. I don't think there is an internal crisis, and I'm ready to bet they'll win more than one race in 2006."