Alonso: Title chances are 50 per cent

Fernando Alonso says he has a 50 per cent chance of winning the championship this year, and he reckons he will close the gap on the leaders by the end of the season.

"It only took us the two normal races to be fully back in contention for the title," said the Spaniard, speaking from the Madonna di Campiglio.

"It's true we are still behind in the classification and it is always better to be in front, but I am convinced that in the final sprint, by which I mean the last two or three races, we will be closer to the top than we are now.

"The important thing is that to remain calm and concentrated and to do our job well. It's hard to say who is my strongest rival: we are all almost equal.

"Maybe, Hamilton, Button and myself, who have already won a title, will tackle the final rush in a calmer way, having that already experienced something similar. Percentage chance? I'd say 50 per cent, which is the normal state of affairs..."

The Ferrari driver has moved to within 20 points of the championship lead after winning the German Grand Prix and finishing second in the Hungary.

Alonso said his and the team's confidence is growing thanks to the improvements made in the car in the last few races.

"After a few unlucky races, which went badly for the various reasons, we are now on the right road," he said. "The car is much improved and so that makes me more optimistic and has seen the whole team grow in the confidence.

"In Spa, we will have a few more things and we hope they help us to progress still more: the others will do the same, which means we will have to be better than them and quicker in terms of development work."

And the Ferrari driver, whose team will face the FIA's WMSC over the team orders row next month, said he is optimistic the matter will be then resolved without any repercussion for the Maranello squad.

"We have to await the decision with the confidence, hoping for a positive outcome. We drivers and the engineers have the task of staying focussed on the car and on our work, trying to get the results on track."