The new Formula One season may be only two races old but former champion Fernando Alonso already appears to have fallen out of love with Renault.

Alonso, 26, returned to the team after a stormy year with McLaren but he has made a disappointing start in an uncompetitive car.

"I'm at Renault because I wanted to get back to winning, like in 2005 and 2006, if not this year then next year," the Spaniard said today.

"But I have an option to leave so I can be in the best possible car and it is clear Ferrari is one of the best."

When Alonso signed for Renault last winter, there was widespread speculation he would only stay for 12 months before joining world champions Ferrari for 2009. These latest comments seem to confirm the Spaniard does have a break clause in his contract.

Lewis Hamilton, 23, meanwhile, found himself pushed to the shadows today as his own boss, Martin Whitmarsh, and former champion Niki Lauda heaped praise on the British driver's new McLaren team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen, 26.

When Hamilton made a sensational entrance into F1 last year, he stole the spotlight from Alonso. Now it is his turn to come under pressure after he was out-qualified and out-raced by Kovalainen in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

In his second race for McLaren since swapping teams with Alonso, the Finn finished third at Sepang behind title-holder Kimi Raikkonen, in a Ferrari, and BMW's Robert Kubica.

Hamilton was a distant fifth after a prolonged pit stop was caused by a failed wheelnut gun.

The young Brit still leads the championship with 14 points but Kovalainen is only four adrift heading to the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday week.

Lauda said: "Kovalainen doesn't have too much experience yet he was faster than Lewis. So far he is doing a perfect job." Whitmarsh added: "Heikki did a fantastic job. But knowing Lewis, he'll be determined to beat Heikki."

Reasserting his authority within McLaren will be important to Hamilton but Ferrari team manager Stefano Domenicali claims local knowledge should put his man in the driving seat in Bahrain.

Ferrari tested at the Sakhir circuit in February and Domenicali said: "We take advantage of this into the race."