Formula One news

Alonso's magic number is '4'

For Fernando Alonso, the magic number at Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps circuit is four. Another four points on his already 27 point lead over Kimi Raikkonen will comfortably sit the young Renault driver down in the 2005 drivers' championship throne. But the Spaniard is not celebrating just yet. "If I don't finish the next two races," Alonso, 24, warned, "I could be just seven points ahead at Suzuka, so it's still difficult. Kimi could win the last four races."

Certainly, the McLaren driving 'iceman' - Finland's Raikkonen - is not yet giving up, but admitted that beating Alonso to the title is going to require an exchange of ill fortune from his camp to Renault.

But he insisted: "We have to make our own luck, by working harder on the car's reliability. We've got to get that right."

It's going to be tough for McLaren, particularly as Renault have turned down the wick and are now playing a defensive game. "They're doing the intelligent thing," 'F1 CEO' Martin Whitmarsh conceded, "which is lower risk and unfortunate for us."

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