London, Nov. 18 : Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso has told Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard that the club must get used to do without him.

Gerrard had branded midfielder Alonso, 27, as one of the world''s best players.

He added that Alonso’s 28.8-million-pound switch to Real Madrid left him gutted as he is now isolated on the pitch.

But Alonso said: "I want to thank Stevie for his kind words but life goes on.

London, Sep 11 : Ace driver Fernando Alonso has insisted that he was not involved in the race-fix scandal, which has rocked Formula One.

The Spaniard’s Renault team face being kicked out of the sport after being charged with ordering their former driver Nelson Piquet to crash in last September’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Brazilian Piquet has claimed the order came from team chief Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds in a meeting before the race.

Budapest - Fernando Alonso in a Renault claimed pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday in a qualifying session overshadowed by a crash involving Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

The two-time world champion registered a time of 1 minute 21.569 seconds for the 4.381-kilometre Hungaroring circuit and will start alongside Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel for the 70-lap race on Sunday after the German clocked 1:21.607.

Paris - Renault chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn has dismissed media reports linking two-time world champion Fernando Alonso with a move to Formula One rivals Ferrari.

"He will continue to drive for Renault next year, if I have anything to do with it," Ghosn told French radio station Europe 1 Friday.

Italian and Spanish media claimed in recent days that Alonso would replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari for the 2010 season, with the Italian marque supposedly expected to make an announcement at the Italian GP in Monza in September.

Silverstone, Britain - Spanish driver Fernando Alonso is very worried about the current state of Formula 1: he thinks it is boring, as well as showing poor quality racing, and he is not even fighting for the championship.

"It's the worst Formula 1 we have in many years, in history, because of the politics and all the fights," Alonso complained Thursday in an interview with the German Press Agency dpa and two other media in Silverstone ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix.

Monte Carlo  - Fernando Alonso in a Renault on Saturday posted the fastest time in the final practise session for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix.

The two-time world champion needed 1 minute 15.164 seconds for the 3.340-kilometres course through the streets of Monte Carlo, beating the time set by championship leader Jenson Button in a BrawnGP by 0.069 seconds.

Portimao, Portugal  - If his optimism and his coolness are anything to go by, Fernando Alonso has half a Formula 1 title - the third of his personal count - in his pocket already, even before the 2009 season starts on March 29 in Australia.

In southern Portugal, where the year's first joint tests were being held until Thursday, only one word could take away the Spaniard's smile: Ferrari.

"I've been having to answer that question for five years," he complained at a press conference in the brand new Portimao circuit, when asked by a journalist.

Portimao, Portugal  - Fernando Alonso has not yet made his debut at the wheel of the new Renault R29, but he already predicted Monday that the upcoming Formula
1 season is likely to be very exciting.

"This championship should be the most open and the hardest-fought of all we have had so far," the Spaniard said in Portimao, in southern Portugal.

Alonso - who won the Formula 1 World Championship in 2005 and 2006 - spoke at a press conference following initial testing in which he did not however get to drive the new car.

Hamburg  - Former world champion Fernando Alonso has renewed his contract at Renault until 2010, the French Formula One team announced on Wednesday.

Team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr was given another one-year contract.

The Spaniard Alonso hopes to relive his glory of the past at the team for which he won the world title in 2005 and 2006. He spent the 2007 season at McLaren but was unhappy there and returned to Renault.

Sao Paulo  - Fernando Alonso was fastest in the final practice session ahead of qualifying later Saturday for Sunday's Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix.

The Renault driver clocked a time of 1 minute 12.141 seconds in for the 4.309-kilometres lap at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes was second fastest, 0.071 seconds slower than Alonso, with McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen third quickest.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Hamilton's world championship rival, was fourth quickest on the circuit.