Spain's Fernando Alonso is shooting for another world title. (AP Photo).

Let Renault boss Flavio Briatore worry about the future, Alonso is going for another world championship.

Formula One bearing no relationship to real life, of course, it's hardly a surprise that the 24-year-old Spanish wonder, who last year became the youngest ever world champion, has already signed to leave Renault at the end of this season.

And that has set tongues wagging in 30 languages, wondering if the new McLaren contract he inked last December (for around $14 million – double the already ridiculous amount he's making this season) would be a distraction.

Not in Alonso's mind. He's ready to go for the season opener this weekend in Bahrain.

"Obviously, this weekend I will have the number one on my car, so it's a dream come true," he said. "I will try to repeat the success we did last year."

Working around the Spanish-to-English translation, that seems a nice way of saying, "get out of my way, or I'll run you over."

And the car seems to be cooperating. The R26 was hot right out of the box, and has stayed that way through winter testing, leaving others to wonder if Renault is going to get the same kind of start in 2006 as it came up with in 2005.

It was actually Alonso's teammate, Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who started last season with a win for Renault, taking the Australian Grand Prix in early March. But there were already indications that he might not be the man to watch.

Alonso had started from the 13th spot on the grid and, working his way through the field like a veteran, he finished third.

From there, he simply took off, taking the pole, and the win, at Malaysia, Bahrain and the return to Europe at San Marino.

He would taste the champagne four more times before the season ended, and had such a big lead by halfway through the year that no one was going to catch him.

Perhaps that was the problem.

While the Renault began to come back to the field from that point, the McLaren, and its lead driver, Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, started to put together a second-half spurt.

Raikkonen won seven times overall, and partner Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia three more, for 10 total victories to Renault's eight.

Hmmm. Perhaps it's time for Alonso to think of the future.

That out of the way, thanks to that huge contract, it's back to work for the Spaniard.

"Formula One is a very complex sport, and we have a very long championship over 19 races," Alonso told GrandPrix.com. "I am a competitor who always gives 100 per cent. In our world, it is impossible to maintain your focus on the job if you are distracted.

"So, until the Monday after the final race [of 2006], I am not thinking about anything else. It doesn't matter which cars I come up against, I will be driving to my maximum for Renault."

As for Briatore, and the other people in the paddock, they of course have the same kind of positive things to say, but there are those who wonder.

And what they wonder most is whether the majority of the development work on the R26 as the season goes along will go into Fisichella's chassis, and not Alonso's.

Still, with mega-millions on the line, if Alonso is heading for another title, Briatore will likely be right behind the Spaniard, who moved steadily from sixth, to fourth to first overall in the last three seasons.

And certainly the other drivers are convinced Alonso will be a force.

"I think Fernando is big. I think Alonso will come out of the box," said Mark Webber, of Williams, to Australia's Herald Sun newspaper. "He's not lacking in confidence at the moment. He drove superbly last year."

But Webber also added "the only thing that puts a question mark on him is his relationship with Renault."

Precisely.