Alonso upsets Michelin

Alonso, asked whether he thought he and Giancarlo Fisichella could challenge Ferrari for the world title with Renault next year, said: "The team is working so hard, the engine side will be 100 per cent, because this year we changed and it was completely new, the chassis will be ready as well and to have a chance to beat Ferrari we will need a bit of help from Michelin.

"I am sure this year we improved a lot," he added, "we are second in the constructors' championship but we are a little bit far away from the tyre point of view. We were a little bit down in most of the races."

Part of the reason for Ferrari's crushing Hungarian victory was a new specification Bridgestone tyre first tested at Jerez last month. While there was little doubt that the Japanese company had the upper hand at Hungaroring, Dupasquier has pointed out that at many of the races, Michelin has been at least as competitive and that, in his opinion, the difference has been Schumacher and Ferrari.

Alonso, who thought his remarks had been innocuous enough, stopped by at the Michelin motorhome to say his goodbyes before leaving the circuit, but was confronted by a Dupasquier, now fully aware of what had been said. The diminutive Frenchman, one of the paddock's longest standing characters, wasted no time in showing Alonso where he could find the Bridgestone truck.