Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso says he is more determined than
ever to beat Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and leave Renault on a high at the end
of the season.
"We have been leading all year and we want to finish in the same position,"
said the Spaniard, who leads Schumacher by two points with only China, Japan and
Brazil remaining on the calendar.
"Honestly, I think the motivation is greater than ever. These are the last
three races for me with this fantastic Renault team, and also the last races for
Michelin in this era of Formula One.
"So our motivation to win is enormous, and I think we can do it," added the
25-year-old.
Next week's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai will be the first since a
controversial Italian race that saw Alonso penalised by stewards for allegedly
blocking Ferrari rival Felipe Massa in qualifying.
The Spaniard, who retired with a blown engine 10 laps from the finish at
Monza, declared bitterly before that race that he no longer considered Formula
One a sport.
He has also been outspoken in describing seven times champion Schumacher, who
announced after his Italian Grand Prix victory that he was retiring at the end
of the season, as the least sporting driver of all time.
Alonso, who was heading to Japan for a promotional event for team sponsor
Mild Seven before flying to Shanghai, has had two weeks rest after missing
testing due to a bruised knee.
The team have dismissed any suggestion that he has been sidelined from
testing due to his impending switch to rivals McLaren.
"The important thing in the next races is to give the maximum to the team,"
said Alonso, who won in China last year and finished third in Japan and Brazil.
He has had six victories this season but none since June.
"We always knew that it would be very tight at the end of the championship
and I was prepared for this," he added.
"At Renault, we were ready for the opening races and totally competitive.
Maybe we started at 95 percent of our maximum while the others were at 70
percent.
"Now everybody is at 98 percent or 99 percent and the performance is very,
very close," added Alonso. "We know we have the performance to win races and we
need to make it happen."
While Alonso has seen a 25 point lead over Schumacher after the Canadian
Grand Prix in June reduced to next to nothing, Ferrari have gone three points
clear of Renault in the constructors' standings.
