Briatore promises no rift between drivers

Alonso has returned to Renault after one year at McLaren, the team he left after a troubled season.

The Spaniard, a two-time champion, was unhappy in 2007 because he felt he deserved preferential treatment over rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso will be partnered by Piquet, another rookie, this year, but Briatore suggested the Brazilian will play second fiddle to the Spaniard.

"I think Nelsinho doesn't want to commit suicide in his rookie year," Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport. "When McLaren hire a world champion in Fernando and have a rookie in Hamilton, they must know how to manage them.

"Piquet and Alonso, they both work for Renault. It's up to me to manage them for the good of the team. I must consider that, besides the two drivers, I have one thousand other people working for me."

Briatore says Alonso, world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, is very motivated despite Renault's lack of pace so far.

"Fernando laughs now, he's happy with what he does," he said. "At 26 he has a fantastic job and that's a victory already. I see him very motivated, like in 2003.

"He's back to being the Fernando we knew, the one from 2004 and 2005. Is there a risk he'll leave us if we aren't competitive? At the moment I really can't see those conditions."

The Italian team boss claims Renault have closed the gap to the top teams, but he is still expecting a difficult start to the season.

"I think we've (partially) made up the one-second-plus gap Ferrari and McLaren had last year over us," Briatore added.

"In my opinion there will we six or seven cars within two tenths this year. Ferrari keep on having a couple of tenths advantage in race pace, while in qualifying Ferrari and McLaren are on the same level.

"We must defend ourselves in the first three races and score some points, because when we get to Europe we'll introduce some important modifications that should allow us to take some steps forward.

"If Fernando says we have 30% chances of winning then he's optimistic, I'd say it's about 25%."