NUERBURGRING, Germany: McLaren's Fernando Alonso declared the Formula One title race too close to call after slashing team mate Lewis Hamilton's lead to just two points on Sunday.

Spain's double world champion was the big beneficiary of a wet and chaotic European Grand Prix that left 22-year-old British rookie Hamilton and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen empty handed.

Hamilton has 70 points, Alonso 68, Ferrari's Felipe Massa 59 and Raikkonen 52.

Alonso and Raikkonen, who started on pole position on Sunday, have now won three races each while Hamilton and Massa have two victories apiece.

"In the next seven races I would not put any money on any driver. Anyone can win because the races are a bit unpredictable," said Alonso, who celebrates his 26th birthday before the next race in Hungary.

Hamilton, who seemed to attract a season's worth of bad luck in just one race, said he had learnt more in one nightmare afternoon at the Nuerburgring than from his nine successive podium finishes before that.

He pointed out also that, despite everything going wrong for him including one of the heaviest crashes of his career in Saturday's qualifying, he was still in front.

"With seven races left there's still a long way to go," he told reporters.

"I still feel quite positive going into the next race. I'm still leading the world championship, which I find quite amusing considering it was such a bad weekend."

"It just shows how hard everyone else is having to push to catch me up."

Parisian microscope

Even if he managed to emerge still smiling, the momentum is now with his teammate in what is an even tighter four-way battle for the crown.

That, at least, is how it looks at present. By Thursday afternoon, thanks to events far removed from the racetrack, the situation may be different.

All eyes are now on Paris, and a hearing of the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s world motor sport council into a spying controversy involving McLaren and Ferrari.

McLaren, who have suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan, are accused of unauthorised possession of Ferrari technical information that was allegedly found in the Briton's home.

If found guilty of fraudulent conduct, the penalties could undermine everything that Alonso, Hamilton and the team have achieved so far this year with talk of points deductions and even race bans.

McLaren, who stretched their lead over Ferrari from 25 to 27 points, say there is nothing on their car that can be traced to Ferrari.

But they are still being made to sweat.

"Whilst it would be wrong to say I look forward to Thursday, because I'm not particularly looking forward to it, nevertheless I am keen to get into the process of putting this behind us," team boss Ron Dennis said.

"We have sent a full dossier into the FIA, and the FIA is going through a process, and after that if there are any unanswered questions then we will answer them."

Agencies

(China Daily 07/24/2007 page19)