Title the target declares Alonso

After two tears in the championship wilderness, Fernando Alonso believes that his move Ferrari this year will enable him to challenge for the championship. After finishing a close third in the 2007 championship with McLaren, Alonso returned to Renault finishing fifth and then ninth before a new three year deal with Ferrari was confirmed.

Following the annual Wrooom media event, Alonso travelled to Maranello to check on the progress of the Ferrari 2010 challenger – currently dubbed the 281 – and to complete a seat fitting ahead of the February test programme. The double world champion has high expectations for the coming season and targeting the drivers’ championship.

"I’m here in Maranello today to prepare the seat and other things connected to the debut on the track," he said. "I think that the Ferrari will be competitive and I really hope to bring the drivers’ title here to Maranello."

"Everybody here lives and breathes racing and has the passion for it," he continued when asked about the move from Renault to Ferrari. "I really like that people talk to each other here and they don’t write emails [even though] they sit right in front of each other."

While Alonso is targeting his third championship and his first with Ferrari, he acknowledges that it will be a close season once again.

“The ideal would be if my fiercest competitor was Felipe [Massa] - that would mean that we’re the best team," he said. "Although I think that McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes will be very competitive and hard to beat."