McLaren Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain claimed pole for the Italian F1 Grand Prix at Monza, yesterday.- Reuters

MONZA, Italy (AP):

FERNANDO ALONSO isn't letting his team's involvement in an ongoing spy scandal get in the way of his quest to win a third straight Formula One title.

The McLaren driver stayed focused on his task yesterday, clinching pole position in qualifying for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

"All the races are like finals for me," Alonso said. "I want five wins if I can."

Alonso went round the 5.793-kilometre (3.6-mile) circuit in one minute, 21.997 seconds for his second pole position of the season - on the same day that Italian media reported that he submitted evidence relating to the Ferrari spy scandal to Formula One's governing body.

Alonso's rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton, who leads the Spaniard by five points atop the drivers' standings, was second with 1:22.360, giving McLaren the top two starting spots for the fifth time in 13 races.

"It was a good battle we had going on out there," Hamilton said. "It's the fifth time we have the front row locked out. Hopefully, we can repeat that tomorrow. The result today shows just how hard everyone at McLaren and Mercedes-Benz has been working."

Ferrari's Felipe Massa was third with 1:22.549, followed by BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld with 1:23.174. Massa's Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who was runner-up at Monza in 2006, could only manage fifth place with 1:23.183, after crashing in yesterday morning's final practice session.

"We've been quick all weekend," said Alonso, who was also the fastest in practice. "Hopefully, we can take that through to the race tomorrow. Hopefully, step by step, from here to the end of the championship, we can be ahead of our opponents."

McLaren and Ferrari are embroiled in a bitter dispute over alleged espionage and attempted sabotage, after technical data about the Italian team's cars turned up in the possession of McLaren's chief designer.