Alonso: Schumacher Still the Favourite

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso believes Michael Schumacher is still the favourite to win this year's World Championship despite a shaky start to his campaign.

The Ferrari five-time World Champion has endured his worst start to a Formula One season and is 18 points behind Championship leader Kimi Raikkonen, who has won the last two Grands Prix with the McLaren team.

Schumacher failed to finish on the podium in the first two races of the year, and crashed out of Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.

"I don't think his results are very significative," Alonso told reporters on his arrival at the Oviedo airport in Spain on Tuesday. "He's had a little bit of bad luck in the first three races, but to me he is still the favourite to win the title at the end of the year."

Renault driver Alonso is currently in third place in the drivers' standings after two consecutive podiums. In Brazil, the 21-year old finished third despite suffering a massive accident that forced him to say in hospital overnight.

Alonso, however, was released yesterday and he arrived in Spain this morning.

The Spanish driver was uninjured and will have to undergo a further medical examination before being cleared to take part in the San Marino Grand Prix in two weeks time, but he is already looking forward to the Imola race.

"I believe we can do well at Imola," the Spaniard, still limping after his crash, added. "It's a technical circuit that I know very well because I've raced a couple of times there in the past.

"I've always said that we would do better once we returned to Europe and I'm hoping that's the case."