Feb.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says BMW Sauber could be set to give his former team McLaren a run for its money in the 2008 season.



While the Spaniard agrees that Ferrari is marginally clear of the field for the forthcoming season, he points out that Swiss based BMW Sauber has made solid steps forward since it was recently revealed that the German team was struggling with its new car.



"Two or three weeks ago they were a little bit behind, quite close to us," Alonso, 26, is quoted as saying by the Spanish newspaper AS.



"But things can change so quickly, and now they are almost on a par with McLaren."



The 2005 and 2006 drivers' champion thinks BMW's F1.08 single seater is "very fast", even if the car's potential is often masked by running high fuel loads.



"Sometimes, you realise that their times were set early on in a batch of 25 or 30 laps, or with 60 or 70 kilos of fuel on board," Alonso marvelled.



"BMW is the team that has surprised me the most in the past two or three tests," he confirmed.



While acknowledging Ferrari's strong position with its F2008 model, meanwhile, Alonso does not agree that the Italian team is all but guaranteed the championship.



"I heard that Trulli or Fisico said they (Ferrari) have already won the title, but I don't believe in that," he insists.