That means Alonso, winner of the last two Monte Carlo street races, could yet put an end to this season's Ferrari/McLaren domination.

"We have progressed, but we are still behind Ferrari, McLaren and BMW," the double World Champion said.

"Even though Monaco is a circuit where the driver can really make the difference, a good car will always be an advantage and makes things easier.

"But we will try and spring a surprise and make the most of our opportunities.

"At the moment we are fighting for seventh place, but, as we saw in Istanbul, it is possible to do better if one of the favourites has a problem. We therefore need to be ready for any chance that comes our way."

Alonso is currently eighth in the Drivers' standings after accumulating nine points, three of which came at the last race in Turkey - a race that went a long way towards cementing Renault's progress.

"I am really happy. In Turkey we showed that the progress we made in Spain was not simply a coincidence," he said.

"I scored three points, although it's fair to say that the problem Heikki (Kovalainen) had at the start of the race helped me. These are three very important points and it's proof that we are improving and fighting back.

"There is still a lot to do before we can fight at the front, but we are moving in the right direction and we are more determined than ever to get there."