Alonso: start crucial to winning hopes

"I think it's crucial (to overtake Raikkonen at the start), because I don't think we are stopping later than him," Alonso told AS newspaper.

"We are all going to stop on the same laps, I think, the Ferraris, the BMWs and us. It will depend on the start, it's always the same. The first corner is a good point, and if you risk you can overtake," added the Spaniard, who will start from second place, behind Ferrari's pole-setter Raikkonen.

Alonso, 12 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, will have a golden chance to close to the gap to the Briton, who suffered an accident during qualifying and will have to start from 10th position.

The world champion, however, believes closing in on Hamilton in this race will not be vital for the championship.

"There are eight races left and it's not going to the be last time something like that happens," said Alonso, referring to Hamilton's problems. "Let's hope it's not an accident, but we will all have retirements or problems in the races that we have left.

"He is going to suffer more in this race, but I'm going to suffer more problems and the Ferraris too. That's life and racing."