Button still in title box seat, says Alonso

Fernando Alonso believes Jenson Button still remains the clear favourite to become world champion at the end of the season despite Red Bull’s recent superiority over Brawn.

Button opened up a massive 32-point advantage over the lead RBR driver after winning six of the season’s opening seven races, yet has seen that advantage shrink to just 18.5 after failing to finish higher than fifth at the last three rounds.

Alonso faced a similar situation three years ago when, after winning six of the opening nine grands prix to build a 25-point lead, his Renault team were placed on the back foot as Michael Schumacher and Ferrari launched a summer fightback, before the Spaniard eventually claimed his second successive title at the final round.

The two-time champion believes Button remains in a strong enough position to close out the title over the final seven rounds, as RBR will find it tough to keep scoring perfect results.

“Difficult [to say] now with the Red Bull recovery in the last grands prix, but I’m still betting on Button for the world championship,” he told Renault’s official podcast.

“The advantage is still there, even if the Red Bulls now are quite quick it is difficult to always get 1-2, 1-2 in the races.

“So I think Button, if he manages the situation, is the big favourite.”

Alonso himself has been forced to sit out the title fight for a second successive campaign with Renault still to re-establish itself as a permanent front-running force.

However, remembering the team’s late-season surge from last season and on the back of his pole position in Hungary, the Spaniard is optimistic he can again enjoy a competitive end to the year.

Asked if he thought he could finish on the podium before the end of the season, he said: “Yes, I do.

“We proved last year that anything is possible in Formula 1.

“Renault has always proved as well their capacity to improve the cars and to find the direction to go.

“So I think this year I don’t see any reason not to be optimistic for the rest of the championship and hopefully a podium, or win, is still possible.”

And despite spending the majority of his second Renault spell fighting for mere points positions, the 28-year-old thinks the challenges of the last two years have made him a better all-round driver.

“In terms of concentration all through the race, I think I am better than before,” Alonso added.

“In 2005 and 2006 I was pushing 70% of the race, but then the last 30% was just more of a control of the race because I was leading so it was much more of a defensive race.

“Now it is attacking, always, all the way through the race so that was new for me. So I’m learning and I’m more prepared than before, I’m a better driver.

“And them some other aspects – taking care of the tyres, pit stops – trying to maximise the speed into the pit lane – the job with the guys, when your stop position is quite crucial for the time in the pit stop, and all these little details I’ve been improving every race in the last two years.

“So I’m better now, but obviously the results are not there.”

Source: ITV