Hill: McLaren move right for Alonso

Former world champion Damon Hill believes Fernando Alonso has made the right decision in switching to the McLaren team for 2007

The Spanish driver has moved to the British squad after winning two titles in a row with Renault, joining McLaren after they endured their first win-less season in a decade in 2006.

Despite that, Hill believes the move will help Alonso prove that he can make a contribution and win with another team.

"It has been a bold move by him, he's a brave driver and he shows that in every decision," Hill, speaking at the fourth Motor Show Festival in Zaragoza, Spain, was quoted as saying by Marca.

"It's a very risky bet but I think it's the best decision he could have made.

"For a driver it's very important to show that it's him who is making a contribution to the team. When you are in the same team for a long time people might start to think that success is the result of the car more than the driver.

"With this decision, Fernando wants to prove that he can win with another team. It's the same thing Valentino Rossi did when he moved from Yamaha, it's a big risk, but it shows the quality of the man," added Hill, refering to the MotoGP champion who left the powerful Honda team to switch to rivals Yamaha.

Although Hill says it's too early to make predictions for 2007, the 1996 world champion would bet on Alonso to win a third straight title.

"It's still early to talk about favourites. Nevertheless, Fernando is responding better than I had expected initially. If I had to bet money I'd put it on Alonso," Hill added.