Fernando Alonso criticized Ralf Schumacher here on Sunday after the Toyota driver admitted he was completely unaware of hitting the championship leader on the first lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Renault driver Alonso started the race sixth after a mistake on his qualifying lap and had his race ruined when he made contact with Schumacher after being forced over the kerbs on the inside of turn one.

The Spaniard damaged the nose of his Renault and was forced to pit for a replacement, putting him well down the order and leaving him unable to finish any higher than 11th.

"I was very surprised by how many movements Ralf was making into the first corner," said Alonso, who lost 10 points in the title race after closest rival Kimi Raikkonen took the victory.

"He just didn't give me any room at all and hit the front wing. I was right up on the kerb and when the wing came off that did a lot of damage to the car. After that I knew I was just racing to get a good qualifying start in Turkey."

The contact between the two cars was only light but it was crucial and when Schumacher was told of the incident he said: "I didn't realise that [I hit him]. Sorry Fernando. I didn't even know he was there or that I hit him.

"At the very tight first turn, everybody tries to get in first and go out first so things sometimes happen."

Alonso celebrated his 24th birthday here Friday and although Sunday brought no presents as his championship lead was reduced to 26 points, the Spaniard is confident that he can run at the front in the coming races.

"The positive thing to take away [from this race] was the qualifying performance," he said.

"Without the mistake I was competitive with [Juan Pablo] Montoya on the same fuel load and much faster than the cars around me.

"We would have been more competitive in a normal race, so I think we have some reasons to be positive for the races ahead."

Both Renaults were in the wars, with Giancarlo Fisichella losing control of his car twice on the high-speed turn four and clattering across the gravel trap, costing him a race position on both occasions.

The Italian finished ninth, out of the points, and team boss Flavio Briatore revealed: "Fernando's car was overheating after the damage and Giancarlo had a fuel pressure problem at the end.

"Obviously we cannot be happy with this result but I think it was a one-off for us and we look forward to taking the three week break to come back refreshed at the next race in Turkey.

"Today was just one of those days."

Finn back on track

Meanwhile Kimi Raikkonen said on Sunday that his championship challenge is back on after he claimed his fourth win of the year at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

McLaren star Raikkonen reluctantly accepted that his championship challenge was over at the start of this weekend having seen leader Fernando Alonso extend his advantage to 36 points at the previous race in Germany.

But a dominant victory with Alonso finishing 11th after being taken out the equation by a first lap collision has changed his mind and he is now fired up to overhaul his rival in the final six races.

"The chances now are much better than before the start of this race," said Raikkonen.

"We are going to do the best we can and hopefully we can close the gap in the next two races then push as hard as we can to catch them."

Raikkonen has been struck down by mechanical failures in the last few races, but this time he saw fortune turn against team mate Juan Pablo Montoya when his McLaren failed to reach the finish.

Driveshaft failure caused the Colombian to coast to a halt, a problem that cost Raikkonen a win in San Marino. The Finn was disappointed that the team failed to secure a first and second place finish.

Despite having the fastest car on the grid, their reliability problems have prevented them from securing any one-two wins this season and they have cost Raikkonen four almost certain wins.

The Finn admitted his battle with Alonso is "going backwards and forwards" because he has often lost 10 points to his rival through a car failure, and then the points are gained back at the next race.

Team boss Ron Dennis described the team's performances as "dominant and disciplined" and committed to Raikkonen's title challenge when he said: "We will continue as before to attempt to win every race."

Source: China Daily