By Jens Marx May 3, 2007, 11:44 GMT
Barcelona - Fernando Alonso expects a big fight for the 2007 Formula One world title, but believes that not all of the current four contenders will be in the frame until the end.
Spanish Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of team McLaren Mercedes during a training session at the Formula One Catalunya Circuit in Montmelo, near Barcelona, on 02 May 2007. The next event of the F1 season, Spain's Grand Prix, will be held at Montmelo on 13 May. EPA/ Andreu Dalmau. EPA/Andreu Dalmau
'At the end of the world championship there will probably only two or three drivers fighting for the title,' Alonso said in an exclusive interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
Alonso said that changes could come by midseason: 'Then one or two won't have luck or achieve not so good results as before.'
The 2005 and 2006 world champion Alonso is tied for the lead on 22 points with McLaren-Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton of Britain and Finnish Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen after three of 17 races. The second Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has 17 points and German BMW driver Nick Heidfeld has 15.
Speaking ahead of his Spanish home GP on May 13 in Barcelona, Alonso says he will not take the current McLaren and Ferrari dominance for granted, especially after being overtaken on the track by Heidfeld on the last race in Bahrain.
'So far there is a small gap between the two top teams and BMW. But there may be no gap on some tracks. Nick will surely fight for top positions as in Bahrain. We will see some races in which not only McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari, but also Nick will fight for a podium place and possibly even victory,' Alonso said.
But in the end Alonso hopes to get his third title in a row after a winter move from Renault to McLaren.
'Winning the world title three times would definitely be a crowning moment in my career. Big names in Formula One have three world titles: Ayrton Senna or Niki lauda, for example. Winning the world championship three is something I would have never expected,' he said.
But Alonso will not simply delight in such a title hat-trick, it will motivate him to seek new heights.
'If I should win three titles I will attempt a fourth,' he said, adding that such a task could be easier. 'It wouldn't be the same pressure, rather driving for fun.'
Eight drivers in total have won the F1 title three times, with Michael Schumacher leading the way with seven titles. Schumacher narrowly missed an eighth crown in a duel with Alonso in his farewell year 2006, but the current season shows that Schumacher's departure hasn't made the sport less interesting.
'Last year there was Michael. This year there are Kimi, Felipe and Lewis. Last year it was only one rival. This year there are several at the moment. Perhaps its all more interesting this way,' Alonso said.
Alonso firmly said 'no' when asked whether he misses Schumacher, mainly because for him the difference each season is rather cars and not drivers.
'You are always fighting with top cars, more than with drivers,' he said.
Alonso named his own season start - one victory, a second place and a fifth place - 'good,' but said it was even more important that McLaren are leading in the drivers' and constructors' standings.
The good team results confirmed to Alonso that he made the right choice when he decided as early as after his first title in 2005 to leave Renault for McLaren in 2007.
'There is no risk when a driver moves to McLaren-Mercedes,' he said.
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