The Spaniard will line up at the UBS Chinese Grand Prix as the leader in the race for the drivers' title, a position everyone is surprised to see him in.

Testing before the season suggested Ferrari would be struggling to keep pace with the red Bulls and McLarens but a couple of eventful races have seen Alonso emerge with the lead.

Nobody is more surprised than Alonso himself, who has been down on the team's performance troubles, and he admitted that he was surprised to be in the lead in China.

"For sure, arriving here in China as the leader of the Championship is something I would never have expected, at least given the way winter testing went," Alonso said in his blog on Ferrari's website.

"It means we have done a good job, managing to make use of all the potential at our disposal and making the most of every opportunity. Since I first arrived in Maranello, at the start of 2010, I have seen the team grow a lot in all areas relating to track activity, from strategy to the work in the garage and at the pit stops.

"I know I can count on a very strong group, which is very important and there is a great sense of purpose shared by all. We know our car is not at the level we had wanted going into this season, but everyone is reacting very well, everyone is very united, which is what you get with a real team that wants to reach its objectives."

Although Alonso has been buoyed by Ferrari's displays so far, he insists they will be in for a tough time in Shanghai with the three-week break not enough to close the performance gap.

"I'm not expecting any surprises in this race, compared to what we saw in Australia and Malaysia," he added.

"It's true almost three weeks have gone by, but that does not mean there was enough time to completely turn the car around in such a short time: we will have a few small updates, but nothing particularly significant and on top of that, we can expect that the other teams will also bring some new parts.

"Therefore, we won't change our approach to this Grand Prix: to get a good result, we will need to concentrate on ourselves, trying to be perfect and to exploit every possibility that might come our way over the weekend.

"I don't want to come out with statements that our aim is to finish in this or that position, as these discussions are not worth the time spent on them. We will have to do the maximum and bring home as many points as possible: a bit like ants who start something one day, knowing it will produce something worthwhile in the future."