Highlights

Alonso sees Indianapolis as his toughest test

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-06-30 09:36

INDIANAPOLIS, June 29 - Renault's Fernando Alonso is bracing himself for his toughest test of the year in Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix.

After winning the last four races, and six out of nine so far, Formula One's youngest champion leads Ferrari's Michael Schumacher by a hefty 25 points.

But the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has never been kind to the 24-year-old Spaniard, who has yet to finish in four visits to the 'Brickyard' and remains cautious about his chances of ending his streak of bad luck.

"Indianapolis for sure will be the most difficult race of the championship for us," Alonso told a news conference at the circuit on Thursday.

"The car was never competitive here, we don't know why, but we hope this year changes that. We have been competitive everywhere else.

"We expect a good performance here but we have some doubts for sure."

Alonso's bid to end his American drought ended before the race start last year when Michelin-equipped teams pulled out due to concerns over the safety of their tyres.

In 2004, Alonso completed just eight laps when he was forced out because of an accident while retiring with mechanical failures in 2003 and 2001.

This year, the Spaniard arrives as the dominant force in Formula One with a run of 15 successive podium finishes.

If Alonso triumphs in Indianapolis, he will join a group of just five drivers to have won five races in a row -- Alberto Ascari (Italy), Schumacher, Jack Brabham (Australia), Jim Clark and Nigel Mansell (both Britain).

FERRARI CHALLENGE

Renault's reliability has been no less impressive, Alonso having not retired from a race in more than a year. His last time was in Canada in June 2005.

A start-to-finish win last weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he had also never stood on the podium, is sure to have provided the Spaniard with a jolt of confidence as he looks to add another high-profile victory to his list of successes.