Alonso Still Fears Ferrari

Renault ace Fernando Alonso is still refusing to believe that Ferrari will not be in the hunt for victory at this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix â€" even though his impressive R25 is being singled out as one of the hot tips to win Down Under.

Ferrari's troubled pre-season testing programme and concerns about their F2004M appear to have left the World Champions on the back foot for the start of the campaign, but Alonso is not taking anything for granted about his own team's chances of success.

"I don't think Melbourne is a perfect circuit for us," he said. "Other tracks will suit our car better, but looking at the winter testing times, I hope we will be very competitive. The secret for the weekend will be to avoid problems, because nobody can afford to lose track time at the first race of the year.

"With a new car, and on a circuit that we only visit once a season, you need to do as many laps as possible to work on the set-up and get used to the track. So our main priority will be for the weekend to run smoothly, so we can do a maximum number of laps.

"In terms of competitiveness, I expect Ferrari to be the number one team still, and McLaren have looked very strong during the winter. I think those two teams will be our biggest rivals."

Alonso is boosted by the fact that the R25 appears to have resolved the tricky balance issues that blighted the R24 â€" and in particular made its handing difficult to predict at high speed.

In fact, teammate Giancarlo Fisichella appears far more confident about the potential of the new car than Alonso â€" and is convinced he will be in the hunt for a victory in Australia.

"Things look good for us," explained the Italian. "We have a strong package, the R25 has done lots of miles over the winter and the set-up is getting better and better. I am confident in the car, and pleased with our level of performance. In testing, we have almost always been among the quickest teams, so we hope that it can translate to race conditions.

"The tyre wear looks good with this car, and during testing in Barcelona I was able to set my quickest laps at the end of my stints. The R25 is a big step forward in every area, but in particular, the rear-end stability is much better and the balance is much more consistent on the long runs: that means it is a lot easier to set consistent laptimes over the race distance."

He added: "The Albert Park circuit is not my favourite, but my results there have always been pretty good, and I enjoy the atmosphere during the weekend. For the first time, I am going to Melbourne hoping to fight for the race win."

The biggest question mark about Renault remains its reliability, a factor that has been highlighted by both drivers in the build-up to the season. And, with Ferrari's F2004M almost certain to run without mechanical dramas, Renault know they cannot afford to slip up in this area.

Technical director Bob Bell said: "The only big uncertainty is our genuine competitive position. We are optimistic that we have closed the gap to Ferrari, but their big potential advantage is reliability as they are racing a known car in Melbourne; balanced against that is the fact that their competitors' cars have been specifically designed to the new rules where theirs has not.

"Looking at test times, ourselves and McLaren seem to be the front-running teams, and we expect Ferrari to be part of that group in Australia. However, experience has taught everybody that winter testing times are not reliable indicators, so we must wait and see what Melbourne brings. But we have a good car, motivated drivers and a strong race team that adapts well to new regulations. We are very optimistic for the opening race of the new season."