Alonso Surprised by Points Tally

Spaniard Fernando Alonso says he is surprised he has been able to score so many points in the first nine races of the season.

The Renault driver, racing for the French squad for the first time this season after a year of testing, is currently tied in fourth place in the drivers' standings with 39 points, having finished on the podium three times.

21-year old Alonso has finished in the points in all but one of the nine races.

"It is always difficult for me to fight with them (rivals), but at the moment I have scored many points," said Alonso in a press conference ahead of the French Grand Prix. "That was a big surprise this season and I am still dreaming each weekend.

"Even when the things look quite bad or we don't have a good balance in the car or something like that, we get results from that weekend so I think we are doing a good job. We will try to keep this level until the end of the season."

Alonso is looking forward to racing at Magny-Cours for Renault â€" their home Grand Prix - this weekend and will be aiming to put some more points on the board.

"We know that sometimes the results are coming and sometimes that they are not," he added. "We will put all the effort in here at Magny-Cours because it is an important race for the team."