Briatore: Maybe we are pushing <I>too</I> hard.

Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore is hoping that there is no repeat of Fernando Alonso's Italian Grand Prix engine failure in Shanghai this weekend, despite admitting that the team is pushing everything to the limit in an attempt to keep Ferrari from snatching the world title this year.

Speaking in the Friday press conference at the Chinese GP, Briatore revealed that a similar problem in testing had kept the team on its toes, but that he was confident that both Alonso and Fisichella would be able to fight to the end of Sunday's race.

"We are pushing the engine very hard, maybe too hard for the position we have," he confirmed. "Every race is different and let's see what happens in China. We didn't have any problems with the engine, so let's see what happens tomorrow. Qualifying is fundamental because this is another circuit where it's very very difficult to overtake.

"We know what the problem is and this is the first step, but the problem is that it's always the same problem. We have a different spec here in China and we are confident. We are fighting for the championship, so we push very hard - to the limit. This is really what we need to do in our situation, and we are on the limit. It's possible these things happen but, here, we go back to the normal engine, and we have very very little possibility of having any problem. But, because this happens at Monza..."

Having hastily retracted statements made at Monza concerning the outcome of the world championship, Briatore was keen to point out that his team was the equal of any rival, but that teamwork alone would not be enough to alter the destiny of the championship.

"There's a lot of stuff that has made the championship more interesting, not only tyres and engines," he noted. "There's a lot of stuff going on, but we believe we have a good possibility to win the championship. We believe we have as strong a team as Ferrari and we believe we can do it.

"For sure, Fernando is very strong. It's amazing to see somebody so young, so determined, so strong. I don't know what affect [announcing his retirement will have on] Michael, but he has been in Formula One a long time, and I'm sure he's managing the pressure. But let's see [how] the team [reacts], because Ferrari has everything to lose now. If they don't win this year, it will be difficult in the future as well. Ferrari really needs to win this championship and we need to win it as well."