Fernando Alonso: New Ferrari Is Best Car I've Ever Driven

Fernando Alonso issued a stark warning to rivals on Saturday by claiming Ferrari's F10 is the "best car I've ever had".

The '05 and '06 world champion told Spanish media that the new car, designed to bring the team back to their winning ways, will be a championship contender in 2010.

Spaniard Alonso, who also reckons McLaren and Red Bull are likely to be his biggest rivals this year, said that Jenson Button was simply "showing his muscles" when the Brit topped the fortnight's time sheets as the eight-day winter test at Jerez concluded yesterday. 

"There are no reasons to be pessimistic," Alonso said after the session. "As of today, this is the best car I've ever had. I think that someone showed his muscles on Saturday, while we didn't."

The Ferrari driver, who pairs up with Felipe Massa this season, also believes that the final preseason test in Barcelona next week will shed some light more accurately as to who is where in terms of outright development.

"We'll see in Barcelona—when we'll show up with the latest updates—where we are compared to the others. We can say that we're on the right way."

McLaren's Jenson Button also added fuel to the fire this week by claiming that Ferrari were indeed ahead of the field. "I think the Ferrari is a very strong car," he said.

"If you look at their runs today, they're very consistent. I think they have better consistency than anyone at the moment."

Testing will resume at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on Thursday, the first real running for teams on a Grand Prix track. Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren have all confirmed they will bring some upgrades to the test, with all teams expected to run in Bahrain trim for the first time.