Alonso unruffled by practice struggle

World champion Fernando Alonso insists his mediocre showing in practice at Hockenheim will have no bearing on his chances in this weekend’s German Grand Prix.

The Renault driver is more used to setting the pace than struggling down in 15th but he was not unduly concerned with that performance, even though he was almost two seconds off the pace.

Alonso, who turned 25 today, said: “There seemed to be a lot of traffic and my timed laps were compromised a little bit by this. The conditions were difficult as well.

“The most important thing was to recognise that the conditions were quite different to what we expect for the rest of the weekend.

“My main aim was to get used to the circuit and not become confused with set-up. The situation looks okay at the moment.”

To make matters worse for Alonso, his title rival Michael Schumacher delivered a sparkling display in front of his home fans.

The Ferrari ace was the fastest race driver of the day – second overall – but he too suspects Renault have yet to show their true colours.

Schumacher said: “At the moment the situation seems pretty good but we have to bear in mind that other teams have carried out different programmes, which explains the difference in times.

“I think we have not seen the true potential of some of the teams.”

While Schumacher enjoyed a perfect start to his home event, fellow German Nico Rosberg had a day to forget on the track where he made his single-seater debut.

The Williams driver was forced to watch second practice from the pits after crashing late in the morning session, ripping off his wing and damaging the rear of his car.

The 21-year-old has impressed in his rookie season but could not disguise his disappointment after a rare mistake.

“It was a very disappointing day for me I guess, with basically no driving at all,” he said. “After I crashed in the morning, the mechanics worked flat-out on my car to repair the damage but could not fix it in time for me to go out in the second session. It’s a pity.”

Of the other home hopes, Nick Heidfeld was down in 21st for BMW-Sauber after a day he described as “nothing special” while Ralf Schumacher is predicting more points for Toyota.

After team-mate Jarno Trulli agreed a new three-year deal, Schumacher tipped Toyota to maintain their recent form, even though he was down in 13th in practice.

“It’s always nice to come to Hockenheim because I enjoy the atmosphere and feel at home,” he said. “It was a pretty successful day of work.

“Our progress has been improving and I believe our package still has the potential to compete at the front of the pack on Sunday.”