|
Alonso excels in Bahrain
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-03 22:29
Fernando Alonso stamped Renault's authority on the Formula One world
championship here when he cruised to a dominant victory in the Bahrain Grand
Prix.
Spanish Renault driver Fernando
Alonso leads the pack on the Sakhir racetrack after the start of the
Bahrain Grand Prix, in Manama, Bahrain. Alonso stamped Renault's authority
on the Formula One world championship here when he cruised to a dominant
victory in the Bahrain Grand
Prix.[AFP] |
Spaniard Alonso outclassed
the field in the baking dry heat of 42 degrees Celsius to notch up his second
victory of the season as the challenge of world champion Ferrari's new car came
to nothing.
Italian Jarno Trulli finished second to make the top two the same as the last
race in Malaysia and Finn Raikkonen claimed his and McLaren's first podium of
the season with third.
German Ralf Schumacher finished fourth in the second Toyota and Spaniard
Pedro de la Rosa matched his best ever finish with fifth for McLaren after
filling in for the injured Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.
Australian Mark Webber finished sixth for Williams, Brazilian Felipe Massa
finished seventh for Sauber and Scot David Coulthard bumped Ferrari's Rubens
Barrichello out the points in the dying laps to claim eighth.
Christian Klien stalled his Red Bull Racing car on the grid as the field
pulled away for the warm-up lap and he was pushed back to the pitlane but the
team could not repair the problem and he never took the start.
When the lights went out Alonso had a clean start to make it into the first
corner first while Schumacher had to fend off the challenge of Trulli, who made
it past on the outside but was beaten back at the next turn.
Webber made it past Williams team-mate Nick Heidfeld while Raikkonen and
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella moved up to seventh and eighth as de la Rosa
dropped down and Briton Jenson Button moved into 10th in his BAR-Honda.
Indian Narain Karthikeyan retired his Jordan early then Fisichella's Renault
engine let out a puff of smoke on lap three and he pitted as Japanese driver
Takuma Sato shot through the pack and up to eighth place in his BAR-Honda.
Fisichella returned to the track but was back in the pits on lap five and he
was forced to climb out of the car and retire as Ralf Schumacher won an early
battle with Heidfeld for fifth spot.
Michael Schumacher then went off track at turn ten as he locked his brakes
going into turn 10 while hounding Alonso for the lead on lap 12 and he toured in
to post his second retirement of what has become a disastrous season.
With the German world champion out of the race Alonso turned his attention to
keeping ahead of Trulli, who by the 15th lap of the race was three seconds
behind.
Alonso was able to extend his advantage only slightly by the time Ralf
Schumacher, in the second Toyota, made the first pit stop of the front-running
drivers on lap 18.
Leader Alonso stopped at the end of lap 20 as de la Rosa dropped down the
order after going off track under pressure from Sato but the Renault driver
regained his lead when Trulli and Webber pitted on the next lap.
The engine in Heidfeld's Williams expired as he completed his 25th lap but he
left it until the fifth corner, after trailing a plume of smoke, before he
pulled off the track to stop.
A second retirement in as many laps saw Sato pull into the pits after going
off at turn one and spinning at turn ten when he suffered an apparent brake disk
problem on his BAR-Honda.
By lap 28, with all the first stops completed, Alonso had a lead of 7.1
seconds over Trulli with Webber 28.2 seconds behind in third and Raikkonen a
further 2.4 seconds back in fourth.
With 40 of the 57 laps completed Alonso had a 13.6-second advantage over
second-placed Trulli with Raikkonen a massive 40.4 seconds down in third and
Ralf Schumacher just off the podium in fourth.
De la Rosa finally made it past Barrichello on the final corner of the 41st
lap to take sixth as Alonso pitted to hand the lead briefly to Trulli, who then
gave it back when he stopped along with Webber one lap later.
Barrichello's demise continued on lap 44 when he was passed by Button for
fifth place and Webber pushed Ralf Schumacher hard for seventh but failed to get
past when the Toyota driver went wide on lap 45.
Button and Barrichello stopped on lap 46 and Button was left in the pits for
more than a minute after he stalled his car and his team struggled to get it
going again.
They eventually push-started it back into the race but the Briton retired
after just a matter of metres when his car ground to a halt at the end of the
pitlane.
|
 | | | Ding Junhui wins World Snooker China Open | | |  | | | Luneng beats Shanghai International in opener | | |  | | | Lakers defeat Knicks 117-107 | | |
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
Today's
Top News |
|
|
|
Top Sports
News |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
