Alonso refuses to write off title

(GMM) Fernando Alonso on Sunday refused to write off charging for a third successive championship despite dropping a further four points behind his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton at Magny Cours.

Asked by Spanish reporters how he sees the situation after finishing a distant seventh in the French grand prix, he answered: "The same as before.

"Ferrari are a little stronger, my teammate is 14 points in front instead of ten — not much has changed because I still need to get as many points as I can."

The Spaniard, whose race was hailed as a standout of the race after his gearbox problem in qualifying, cautioned that rookie Hamilton cannot always expect to finish on the podium.

"In all eight races he has been in the top three," Alonso observed, "but when he has a gearbox problem or his race is ruined by the Safety Car then that will be the day on which I can really make up some ground.

"We knew that it would be a complicated race but I think that these two points could be important for me at the end of the season."

Despite admitting to having "fun" in his duels, particularly against BMW's Nick Heidfeld who he audaciously overtook in the Imola chicane, Alonso said the 2007 French grand prix will not be one he remembers fondly.

"I will try to forget the whole weekend as quickly as possible," he confirmed, "but I still had to push hard because, if you fight for a world championship, two points are not much but you still have to take the risk."

In terms of the championship battle, meanwhile, McLaren-Mercedes' Norbert Haug said Kimi Raikkonen's win was actually a preferable result if neither silver car could emerge at the top.

"The fact that Felipe Massa was second instead of first helps us because it means he caught up to us by only two points instead of four," the German told the broadcaster RTL.