Fernando Alonso is acutely aware his responsibility as a Ferrari driver is to win the Formula One championship.
Spaniard aiming for solid start to new season
Fernando Alonso is acutely aware his responsibility as a Ferrari driver is to win the Formula One championship and the Spaniard is aiming to hit the ground running in Australia.
The pressure is on the two-time champion to deliver in 2011 after being denied at the death by eventual winner Sebastian Vettel last year.
Alonso was pipped to a third crown by the German in the season-ending grand prix in Abu Dhabi after a mistake from the Spaniard's team.
The failure irked Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who expects an improved title charge from both Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa.
And 29-year-old Alonso is convinced he will push the likes of Vettel, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button all the way.
Speaking ahead of this Sunday's season-opening grand prix, he said: "If you race for Ferrari there is no other goal than fighting for the world championship.
Open
"That is the history of Ferrari, the power of Ferrari. This team and its history is about passion, motor racing and about winning.
"That is our aim, that is our goal for the 2011 campaign, trying to fight for the world championship.
"At the end you can win, you can lose. It depends how competitive you are. It depends on many other factors as well.
"But we need to be there, and I am sure we will be until the last moment."
Alonso claims it is imperative Ferrari start well to be firmly in the hunt for the title, adding: "Right now it's impossible to determine the order or say who is competitive and who isn't before race one.
"On paper there are five, six teams capable of winning races and to fight for the championship.
"After three or four races you see maybe only two or three can really fight for the championship.
"The important thing for each team, and for us especially, is to do well and be competitive in these first three races, to be in that smaller group of two or three teams.
"But at the moment everything is very open."
