MAGNY-COURS, France (AFP) — Twice world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest time in Friday's practice for Sunday's French Grand Prix and then wrote off his chances of winning a third drivers' title this year.
Despite a solid and fast performance that he said came after an excellent day's work by his Renault team, Alonso said he still did not have any hope of mounting a title bid.
"I am too far away from the front, from the other guys to do that," he said. "Mostly, I would like to finish on the podium this year and to win one race if that is possible, but I think it is difficult.
"We are getting closer, but really I am a bit disappointed because we are not where I think I would like to be."
Alonso is currently ninth in the drivers championship with only nine points - a distance away from leader Pole Robert Kubica of BMW who has 42 points and the second-placed pair Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari on 38.
Alonso, who suffered an engine failure in his car in the morning practice, praised the Renault team for their work, but added 'maybe we should hold all of the races in France - they seem to work a little bit better here."
He said the team had done good work on the balance of the car and on set-up preparation for qualifying and for the race.
"I hope we can finish in the top five, but it depends a bit on (Lewis) Hamilton because of where he may start the race," added Alonso.
Hamilton will have to drop 10 places on the grid for Sunday's race as a punishment for his pit-lane collision when he failed to stop at a red light during the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Alonso's performance Friday at least gave a meagre French crowd something to cheer just days after their soccer team were eliminated from the European Championship finals by great rivals Italy.
On a day when the management of the circuit launched plans to save their hosting of the event in the future, the 26-year-old Asturian delivered a best lap of one minute and 15.778 seconds to outpace all of his rivals.
But he declined to confirm that he would be staying at Renault next year, having returned 'home' this season following his bruising experience in 2007 at McLaren.
"It is only the eighth race of the season and it is too early to talk about the future, or about next season," he said after clocking his hot lap.
It was a great boost for Alonso's French team on a circuit where he won in 2005, but one almost certainly delivered by running with only a light fuel load and in a qualifying trim.
Brazilian Felipe Massa in a Ferrari was second fastest ahead of his team-mate and defending world drivers champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen. The Ferrari pair said they were satisfied with their work for the day.
Briton Hamilton wound up fourth in his McLaren-Mercedes ahead of German Sebastien Vettel in a Toro Rosso and Pole Robert Kubica, winner of the Canadian Grand Prix and the current drivers championship leader, in a Sauber BMW.
Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Finn Heikki Kovolainen was seventh, German Nick Heidfeld eighth in the second BMW, Brazilian Nelson Piquet ninth for Renault and Briton David Coulthard 10th for Red Bull.
After a cool and cloudy morning, the afternoon produced warm sunshine to greet the drivers for the day's second practice session and, after a dull opening run, they produced far more action.
Massa was fastest in the morning, a clear seven-tenths faster than Hamilton.
But in the afternoon he was eclipsed by Alonso's surprise effort after a session littered with minor incidents.
Several drivers took unscheduled excursions off the circuit's smooth surface and across the ample gravel traps.
These included Hamilton, German Adrian Sutil, twice in his Force India car, Massa, three times, and Heidfeld and Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello in his Honda.
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