Alonso: I need a miracle

Double world champion Fernando Alonso said it will take a miracle for him to retain his Formula One crown after McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton's victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Alonso spun out of Sunday's rain-lashed race while rival

Hamilton claimed his fourth win of the season and moved 12

points clear of the Spaniard with two races to go.

"I really need a miracle to win," Alonso said.

"No doubt I need a very unlucky weekend for him (Hamilton). I need a retirement from Lewis with a mechanical problem to

have a chance to win.

"If the races are completely normal, it's over."

The next race is in Shanghai followed by the season-ender

in Brazil.

Alonso spun out of the Fuji Speedway circuit and crashed

into a wall on the 42nd lap while in fifth place.

An earlier collision with Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel

damaged Alonso's car and McLaren chief executive Martin

Whitmarsh said it had lost around 10 percent of its downforce.

"In the car I felt a little bit strange after the touch but

I think the accident at the end was because of aquaplaning,"

said Alonso.

Alonso said he was happy the race went ahead despite the

atrocious conditions.

"We are here to race, we are drivers, we want the

competition. At the end it was a difficult decision but the

same for everybody."

Renault's Heikki Kovalainen finished second, while Ferrari

driver and fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen grabbed third to keep his

championship hopes alive.

Alonso was keeping his fingers crossed that his luck could

still turn, as it did last year in Japan, and allow him to

snatch the title.

"It was the same conditions, Michael (Schumacher) was the

favourite to win with two races to go, he had an engine problem

in Suzuka and I recovered the points," said Alonso.

"Maybe it can happen. I need to keep pushing."