LONDON, Sept 4 - Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso says he is
looking for a 'special' victory in front of Ferrari's home crowd at Monza in
Italy next weekend.
"This year I have won in Silverstone, in Monaco, in Spain -- and for sure, I
want to win Monza too," the Spaniard said in a team preview on Monday for the
last European race of the Formula One season.
"It is one of the legendary circuits, so it would be special to win there,
and even more so to beat Ferrari at their home race," he added.
"We know how important the championship is, but this is a big race as well."
Alonso leads Ferrari's seven times world champion Michael Schumacher by 12
points with four races remaining. He was second at Monza last year but has never
won at the historic circuit near Milan.
The Italian Grand Prix could be Schumacher's European farewell, with Ferrari
due to announce their 2007 line-up after the race amid feverish speculation
about the 37-year-old German's future.
Many Formula One insiders expect Schumacher to quit at the end of the year if
he wins his eighth title.
Alonso said his only title rival could expect a tough fight down to the wire.
"There is only one target for the Renault team at the moment: to finish in
front of Ferrari.
"They have been quite dominant in the last races, so beating them means
winning races. That is our focus."
Renault are just two points clear of Ferrari in the constructors' battle but
have a new engine development coming on stream for Monza.
"Monza is going to be a hard race, there's no doubt about it," said technical
director Bob Bell. "We are in the heart of Ferrari territory.
"But you can look at it two ways: as a boost for them, or an added incentive
for us to get the upper hand. Certainly, we are very motivated to return them
the favour after they won on our home turf in Magny-Cours.
"I think Monza will suit the strengths of their package, but last week's test
was very close and there is no reason to believe our package is weaker than
theirs."
