Trulli plays down friend's chances.

Jarno Trulli has added to the opinion that Fernando Alonso may be in for a quiet season when it comes to championship aspirations, claiming that the Spaniard does not have the car to worry frontrunners Ferrari and McLaren.

While Alonso himself has alluded as much, claiming that Renault's R28 lacks the pace to challenge at the front of the field, Trulli joined the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton in suggesting that the title will be fought out by just two teams.

"Fernando is a world champion, one of the best drivers in the world, and he is my friend but, without the right car, it will be difficult to win," the Italian insisted while on a visit to ViveMenorca basketball team.

Trulli, who revealed himself to be an avid basketball fan during his visit, insisted that he had remained on good terms with Alonso after their two-year spell as team-mates at Renault, but admitted that he could not see the Spaniard's chances of challenging for a third world title improving now that he has returned to the Enstone equipe in the middle of its rebuilding phase.

Indeed, Trulli suggested that he could again find himself battling with the two-time world champion, even though his own Toyota team is not yet fast enough to challenge the best of the rest.

"Toyota is better than last year, and we will try to do an interesting championship, although podiums will be difficult to achieve," he commented.