Having finished seventy seconds behind Kimi Raikkonen on Sunday, only just managing to scrape into the points, it is clear that Fernando Alonso faces the prospect of a difficult season, For while Renault is certain to make improvements, so are Ferrari, McLaren and BMW, not to mention Williams, Toyota, Honda and Toro Rosso.

On current form, the two-time World Champion will have his hands full trying to be 'best of the rest', far less putting one over on his former employers at Woking and their star driver, Lewis Hamilton.

When Alonso made the move from McLaren back to Renault at the end of last year, there was widespread speculation that this was a temporary move before the Spaniard headed off to Maranello.

However, Renault, like Red Bull, was only interested in the Spaniard signing a three-year deal, which Alonso was loath to do. However, Renault boss Flavio Briatore, who some claim still has (managerial) 'links' with Alonso put a clause in the contract whereby if the French team wasn't performing he could opt out early.

Speaking in Malaysia on Sunday, it is clear that Alonso is already considering his options: "It's early to talk about moves and rumours, but Massa has had two bad races with mistakes and that has kicked off speculation," said the Spaniard, speaking to Spain's AS sport daily. "It's logical, but as I said, it's too early.

"I always try to be in the best car," he added. "I'm at Renault now because I wanted to go back to winning, like in 2005 and 2006. If not this year, then next year. But I have an option to leave so I can still be in the best possible car, and it is clear that Ferrari's is one of the best."

In October last year, Ferrari announced that Massa had signed a new deal with the Italian outfit that would keep him at Maranello until the end of the 2010 season.

Based on his performances in the first two races of 2008, not to mention the widespread speculation linking his manager, Nicholas Todt, with a buy-out at Toro Rosso, we'd say that Felipe should be worried about his future at Ferrari, after all, other than Alonso, there's also Sebastian Vettel.