Alonso confident of another podium.

Formula One points leader Fernando Alonso sees no reason why he cannot continue his hot streak of results at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, having enjoyed good performances in Montreal since joining the grand prix circus.

Buoyed by a somewhat lucky victory at the Nurburgring, which extended his championship advantage to 32 points, the Spaniard is expecting to be able to challenge for at least a top three result at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"I said after the N?rburgring that, during the race, the car had felt good to drive again - I could attack all the way to the end of the race, and did not have to be defensive like in Spain and Monaco," he explained, "I hope that will be true again in Canada.

"Every year that I have been there with Renault, we have been quick in Montreal. With the R23, I set fastest lap and, with the R24, we were in a position to win so, with this year's car, there is no reason not to expect a podium or perhaps the victory, as long as we have no problems during the weekend. I am really confident that the car will be competitive there."

The Montreal circuit is often referred to as one of the more quirky venues Formula One visits, but Alonso is confident that his engineers can find the right set-up to keep him at the front of the field.

"Before we go there, we do tests to simulate the downforce levels, so it is not a complete surprise when we drive on the first day," he revealed, "But the car still feels very light - it is quite nervous, so you need to find the right limit between attacking for a good lap-time, and not attacking too much. The chicanes can be tricky, because you must balance an attacking style with being careful not to crash, but I enjoy the circuit and, since I have been with Renault, I have had good races there, so I am optimistic."

The 32-point gap, and Kimi Raikkonen's misfortune at the European Grand Prix, have again prompted analysts to begin touting Alonso as this year's world champion, but the Spaniard insists that that is still not how he is thinking.

"The Nurburgring was a great race, and a fantastic one to win, although it would have been quite tough to catch Kimi," he admitted, "It was an especially good win for the team, not just me, because we were feeling quite down after our performance in Monaco, and that was the perfect way for us to fight back and show everybody we are serious contenders for the title.

"However, everybody starts talking about the championship now just because I have a big lead, but we have only had just over one third of the season so far. This is not when you win a title - that comes in the final races. Until then, we are focusing on each race as it comes, and trying to do the maximum at every circuit."