Alonso has 'total' confidence in Renault

Fernando Alonso has insisted that he has 'total' confidence in McLaren's new Renault engine and has also claimed that he will win a race in 2018 even if he does not know if a victory will come in Formula One or another motorsport.

McLaren have endured a torrid last few seasons with their unreliable Honda engines, and Alonso reportedly got so angry after one failed race that he punched a hole in his quarters after being eliminated early.

However, Honda have since been ditched in favour of Renault, and Alonso thinks this change could catapult the team up the rankings.

"Total. Total," he said when asked by AS if he had confidence in the new engine.

"I believe there are three engine manufacturers now at a very high level, and of the three, Mercedes has dominated in this era. But if you have to trust someone, you trust Renault, who in the last ten or 12 years has won six or seven times. Renault is an engine of guarantees and always has been.

Alonso is set to split his time between F1 and the world endurance championship in 2018, and he believes he will claim the top position on the podium, even if it is not in F1.

"I will win. I don't know [about winning in F1]. We'll see. But I said I am going to win this year and I will."

The Spaniard went on to discuss the upcoming McLaren livery, and said that he hopes it is orange.

"I haven't seen the colours but if it is orange like in Indy it will be perfect," he said.

"But it's also perfect if a sponsor comes and paints it whatever colour at the last moment. What is really certain is that expectations are much better than we had in the last three winters. The atmosphere in the factory is much more positive,"