Fisichella: Still a long way to go.

If he is worried about Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso's recent run of results, Giancarlo Fisichella is not letting on, insisting that the Spaniard is far from being crowned champion.

In contrast to Alonso's two wins in the past two races, Fisichella has found himself leaving Malaysia and Bahrain scoreless after an accident and a mechanical problem sent him to the sidelines, but the Italian knows that there is still a long way to go in the longest-ever F1 season and, armed with the latest 'B-spec' RS25 engine, he intends to start making inroads into his team-mate's 16-point series advantage on home soil this weekend.

"To win the first race of the season, with my new team, couldn't have been a better start to the year, but it's true that, since then, I have had problems," he reflected, "The front wing in Malaysia cost me performance and led to the accident with Mark Webber, and, in Bahrain, the engine broke.

"However, at both races, we still won with Fernando - which is very important for the team even if I didn't score points. I think Renault is still the best chassis-engine combination, and there are sixteen races left this season - that's a long way to go.

"Anything can still happen. When you look at my season, I was top in the points after the first race, now I am third because of two retirements. Who knows what will happen over the next four or five races? For me, the important thing is to score points, get on the podium and win some races. If the team can continue developing the package, then I think we can fight for the championship. At the moment, Fernando has an advantage over me, but we have the same car, so I think we have the same chance to compete for the title."

Claiming that Alonso's pace is acting as extra motivation, Fisichella is keen to kick-start his revival at Imola this weekend, despite the fact that an Italian victory may not go down well with the local tifosi.

"I remember how things used to be twenty years ago," he commented, "Riccardo Patrese crashed his Brabham when he was leading - and the fans cheered because that meant Ferrari won the race. Nowadays, however, I think the Italian people - and the Ferrari fans - are much closer to the Italian drivers. We have had an Italian on the podium at every race in 2005 and, with Ferrari not being so strong in the first few races, I think people at home are starting to like seeing an Italian on the podium rather than somebody else!

"However, there is definitely more pressure this weekend - it is my home race, in front of my fans, and I want to put in a good performance. I try 100 per cent everywhere, but a strong race here is more special. I have some good memories of Imola - in 1992, I won my first race there in F3 and, in 1997, I scored my first F1 points there in the Jordan - so I have had some special times at this track. Pressure isn't always a bad thing."