Handsome, calm and eloquent, Fernando Alonso has seemingly done it all in Formula One.
At 24, he won the world title in the 2005 season. He also won in his native Spain then giving the Spanish monarch, King Juan Carlos, a ride. On Sunday, he won an unusually eventful Monaco Grand Prix, his first victory in F1's most prestigious race. "This is a special place for any driver to win a race, for the history, for what it represents to Formula One and because it is such a big challenge to get through the race with no mistakes," Alonso said.
Alonso has now won two consecutive races, having previously beaten Michael Schumacher with a considerable lead, and four this season. With his quick start this year, there is the possibility of another season title. "In seven races, four wins and three seconds is a perfect start and if I keep doing that in the next seven, then probably the championship will look very good," he said.
Juan Pablo Montoya of McLaren-Mercedes was second in the race, considerably behind,
David Coulthard of Red Bull-Ferrari took third place. It was the first podium for Red Bull-Ferrari in an F1 race.
Rubens Barrichello in a Honda was fourth, with Michael Schumacher of Ferrari fifth and Giancarlo Fisichella sixth in the second Renault.
Alonso now has 64 points to Schumacher's 43 prior to the June 11 British Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen and Fisichella are tied for third with 27.
Alonso's task was made easier when Raikkonen dropped out and five-time Monaco champion Schumacher was penalized before the race began. Alonso and Raikkonen were separated by less than a second through 50 laps when Raikkonen's engine gave out. "He was pushing quite hard, but in Monaco it is impossible to overtake," Alonso said. "When I saw that is was impossible to open a gap, I controlled the tires so that when I wanted to push, my tires would be ready. You have to be conservative a little bit and push a little bit before the pit stops," he added. Raikkonen's race ended soon after when his engine overheated on the 51st lap. "There was a small fire caused by a heat shield which damaged wiring, and that was the end of the race for me," Raikkonen said.
Alonso started from the pole, moving up from second when Schumacher was stripped of the top position late Saturday. Stewards ruled Schumacher deliberately stopped his car on the track -- blocking other drivers -- during qualifying Saturday.
After setting the fastest lap, Schumacher appeared to brake too hard and stalled on the final turn, overturned his qualifying time and put him at the back of the grid. He choose to start from pit lane. Schumacher defended his actions. "I was amazed at how tough the stewards' decision was," Schumacher said. "I can understand that, from the outside, things might seem a bit strange."
"I am sorry that Fernando's lap was ruined and it was definitely not my intention to do that," Schumacher said. He was never a factor in the race. He was a minute behind after 20 laps and salvaged fifth as others dropped out.
After Raikkonen dropped out, Alonso cruised to a 15-second victory over Montoya with Coulthard more than 50 seconds behind.
It was Coulthard's first podium appearance - sporting the red cape - since the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, when he was racing for McLaren. "I am obviously delighted for myself to be back here," Coulthard said.
It was the seventh straight race in which Alonso was either first or second. For Schumacher, his fifth-place finish ended a run of three good races in which he won twice and was second.
Alonso dedicated his victory to Edouard Michelin. The head of the company that supplies the tires to Renault and other teams was killed Friday in a boating accident.
Race Results
1. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault 1:43.43.116 78 laps
2. Juan Pablo Montoya Colombia McLaren-Mercedes +14.5
3. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Ferrari +52.2
4. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda-Honda +53.3
5. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari-Ferrari +53.8
6. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault-Renault +1:02.020
7. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber-BMW +1 lap
8. Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota-Toyota +1 lap
9. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +1 lap
10. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Toro Rosso-Cosworth +1 lap
11. Jenson Button Britain Honda-Honda +1 lap
12. Christijan Albers Holland Midland MF1-Toyota +1 lap
13. Scott Speed USA Toro Rosso-Cosworth +1 lap
14. Jacques Villeneuve Canada BMW Sauber-BMW +1 lap
15. Tiago Monteiro Portugal Midland MF1-Toyota +2 laps
16. Franck Montagny France Super Aguri-Honda +3 laps
17. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +6 laps
Rtd. Christian Klien Austria Red Bull-Ferrari 56 laps completed
Rtd. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Cosworth 51 laps completed
Rtd. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 50 laps completed
Rtd. Mark Webber Australia Williams-Cosworth 48 laps completed
Rtd. Takuma Sato Japan Super Aguri-Honda 46 laps completed
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