Schumacher in seventh heaven as Alonso and Spain fume

Oct 2, 2006, 15:41 GMT

German Formula One driver Michael Schumacher of Scuderia Ferrari team celebrates with team members after he won the Grand Prix of China at the F1 racetrack near Shanghai, China, Sunday 01 October 2006. EPA/ERCOLE COLOMBO

Shanghai - While Ferrari's Michael Schumacher is already looking forward to Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, main rival Fernando Alonso seems to think the motoring world is plotting his title downfall.

Schumacher's seventh race win of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai moved the German level on 116 points with Renault's Alonso, but the Ferrari driver has one GP victory more this season and is positioned ahead of Alonso as a result.

Alonso had a disastrous race, finishing second after struggling with the right choice of tyres throughout and losing more than ten seconds in a disastrous pit stop during which crew members could not get one of the back tyres off.

He complained bitterly after the race that he wasn't receiving enough support from his Renault team.

'The team isn't helping me,' Alonso told Spanish television. 'They are much more interested in the constructors' title.'

The Spanish media agreed, with Monday's edition of Marca writing that 'Alonso has an enemy in his own camp' while AS is convinced 'Renault is preventing an Alonso victory.'

Alonso will be leaving the team for McLaren-Mercedes at the end of the season and the Spaniard believes some Renault members 'are happy that we have overtaken Ferrari in the constructors' champions and that I won't be bringing the number one to another team.'

The 25-year-old added that he hopes tyre manufacturer Michelin 'deliver better' for the remaining two races.

It's not the first time this season that Alonso has seen conspiracies against him.

After FIA dropped the Renault driver from fifth to 10th on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza last month for impeding Ferrari's Felipe Massa in qualifying, he said it was because 'FIA wants Schumacher to be world champion.'

Meanwhile, Schumacher can look forward to Suzuka and the subsequent Brazilian GP in Sao Paolo having won the last two races.

'To be honest, I thought that Shanghai would be the toughest of the remaining three races and had expected a moderate result,' said the seven-time world champion after his first Chinese GP win.

'That we managed to come out with a victory is simply twice as valuable because now we have two circuits that I like very much and which should suit us - Japan and Brazil.'

Unlike Alonso, Schumacher, who retires at the end of the season, feels everyone in his Ferrari team is pulling their weight, even if he also only has two races left.

'We all working hard towards the title,' said the 37-year-old. 'We are all perfectly aware that the battle will be extremely tight and tough. We know what's coming and I have to say, I'm looking forward to the fight.'