"I won four races in a row before Indy, but I always said that the championship was not over, and it sounded really pessimistic," Alonso said. "But a gap of 25 points before Indy didn't mean that we would be champions automatically, and now that the gap is 19 points, we cannot be pessimistic and think the advantage will disappear quickly."
"You have to look at the big picture for the championship. I was first or second at nine of the ten races - and in the next eight races, I think we will be able to keep on winning and increase the lead even more.
Having come into criticism over the year for not being able to challenge Alonso on a consistent basis,
Giancarlo Fisichella proved that he is worthy of his
Renault seat next year after a strong drive to third, a result that even included an overtaking move on his team-mate.
It was the first time Fisichella has outpaced Alonso this season and only the second time this year he has beaten him on the road too, leaving the Italian confident for the French Grand Prix.
"It's a special special! I am very happy to be working with Renault - and to know that I am staying with the team for the future. Fernando and I both go to Magny-Cours with the possibility of winning, and it will be an important race for Renault on a lot of levels.
"We have a lot of fans there, all the race team members from Viry-Châtillon are very motivated, and the stands are full of people from Viry and other Renault factories. They will all be pushing with us on Sunday, and we will be doing our maximum to win the race."
McLaren - Kimi Raikkonen (#3), Pedro de la Rosa(#4):
The big changes for the French Grand Prix come at McLaren after the surprise announcement that
Juan Pablo Montoya has raced his last
F1 race in
Formula One, the Colombian standing down immediately following his NASCAR announcement
