May 9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso in Istanbul insisted that Renault's objective for the Turkish grand prix is to "confirm the improvement" to the R28 as shown at the last race.

After a disappointing start to the 2008 season, the former double world champion only narrowly missed taking pole position - albeit with the help of a light fuel load - at his home Spanish grand prix, before retiring with engine failure.

"It is important to confirm here what we saw at Barcelona," Alonso, 26, is quoted as saying by the Spanish news agency EFE in Turkey.

"We are not yet at the level of the top teams, but the goal is to get as close as possible to McLaren and BMW," he added.

"We need to know that we did not just go well on one circuit. So to confirm what we saw in Barcelona is our goal, because the next little step can put us up with the best teams," Alonso said.

He revealed that the next significant step for the R28 will appear on the car in the next "five or six" races.

Meanwhile, Alonso took an early bath from the F1 drivers' football team match on Wednesday to return to his Istanbul hotel to watch Real Madrid play Barcelona on TV.

For the record, Real Madrid secured an emphatic 4-1 win.