FUJI SPEEDWAY, Japan (AFP) — Two-times world champion Fernando Alonso proved Renault are back among the big boys Saturday when he qualified ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa for the Japanese Grand Prix.
His performance showed Renault are now contending to be among the top three teams in Formula One, as he felt they should have been all season.
The Spaniard's victory in Singapore in the first night race in Formula One history two weeks ago was consolidated by his efforts and results at the Fuji Speedway Saturday.
"Obviously in Singapore we were a little bit more competitive, and I think here we get back to reality and are struggling a little bit more, but the car is better and better every race," he said.
"At a circuit like this, three or four months ago, it would have been a big, big problem for us -- and we would have been nowhere. Now we can have a competitive time in any circuit, in any condition.
"The team did a very good job and the result is this. Maybe now we are just behind Ferrari and McLaren in the last three Grands Prix."
Renault technical director Bob Bell said after Singapore that the team had recovered from the problems they suffered after switching to Bridgestone tyres.
Alonso praised the efforts the team have put in to make that happen.
"We thought to be at this level in Australia (first race of the season), just behind Ferrari and McLaren, but we found ourselves too far behind, in the middle of the pack," he said.
"We try to analyse our problems and we worked hard to get the key points of the car to make the progress during the season.
"We concentrated on those areas and the car did improve every race, and now we seem more competitive. Unfortunately there are only three races to go."
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