Sunday 6 July at 13:11 : Fernando Alonso says he does not regret returning to the Renault team in 2008 -- even though on Saturday he watched Mark Webber qualify on the front row of the Silverstone grid.

The former double world champion, at the end of his unhappy McLaren stint in 2007, nearly selected Red Bull as his next F1 team, and Honda and Toyota were also in the reckoning.

But even though his return to Renault has not been competitive, the 26-year-old Spaniard insists he does not regret his choice.

"Everything suggested that Renault was the safest and most logical choice," he told the Spanish newspaper Diario AS, "even though we took our time because it was not so clear.

"Sometimes Toyota or Red Bull are better than us this year, but maybe we are the most consistent. If I could choose who to drive for in the next race, it would be Renault.

"In theory I will be sixth or seventh and the others might be very good or very poor," Alonso said.

Wherever he is on the grid in 2008, however, Alonso is glad he did not stay at McLaren, with whom he fell out spectacularly last year.

"We have not had the best results, I'm not in the press conferences or the podiums, or fighting for the world championship. But for me last year was much worse.

"By the end I knew that I was not able to win. It has been a much better year than if I had not moved (teams)."

His former McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton said recently that he misses his duels with Alonso, but the feeling is not mutual.

"No. Because I truly believe that the duels were not entirely fair. I do not have very good memories of how things were.

"This year has been a difficult one for me in terms of results, but it has been incredibly enjoyable."