Fernando Alonso believes Jenson Button should still win this year’s world championship despite Red Bull’s recent emergence.

After winning six of the opening seven races, Button has failed to even finish on the podium in the last three grands prix while his Red Bull rivals have taken up the chase.

With a total of five podium finishes, including two race wins, split between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in the past three events, the Red Bull duo have emerged as the dominant force, closing the gap to Button in the standings.

Since Button’s last win, Webber has cut his lead by 15 points to just 18.5 with Vettel also taking nine points off the Brit, leaving him 23 points adrift.

But, despite Red Bull’s charge, Renault star Alonso reckons Button will be the driver crowned World Champion come the end of the season.

“Difficult (to say) now with the Red Bull recovery in the last grands prix, but I’m still betting on Button for the World Championship,” he told a Renault podcast.

“The advantage is still there, even if the Red Bulls now are quite quick it is difficult to always get 1-2, 1-2 in the races.

“So I think Button, if he manages the situation, is the big favourite.”

As for his own goals in the remaining seven races of the championship, Alonso believes a podium finish could be within Renault’s reach as the team tries to emulate last year’s end of season success when the Spaniard secured two race wins.

“Yes, I do,” he said when asked if he could finish in the top three. “We proved last year that anything is possible in Formula 1.

“Renault has always proved as well their capacity to improve the cars and to find the direction to go.

“So I think this year I don’t see any reason not to be optimistic for the rest of the Championship and hopefully a podium, or win, is still possible.”