El matador sends partisan crowd crazy

Fernando Alonso took a sensational first home victory in the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona, after out-gunning chief rival for the world championship Michael Schumacher throughout the 66-lap race. The 130,000-strong crowd went ballistic as the 24-year-old world champion from Oviedo became the first Spanish driver ever to win a race on home soil. His third win of the season - Alonso has yet to finish lower than second - came in some style as well.

OneShift Editorial Team

14 May 2006

The world champion played out Renault’s strategy of running light perfectly at the start, helped by Renault team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella playing rear-gunner in second as the two heavier Ferraris of Schumacher and Felipe Massa attempted to give chase.
But where Alonso won the race was in his and the Renault’s ability to match Ferrari’s pace when the R26 was heavy on fuel, and by the end of the second stops, Schumacher who leaped Fisi at the first stops, settled for second.

Fisichella simply couldn’t match the awesome pace of his team-mate, and ran off the track at Turn 3 while trying to chase back second place.

Massa recorded a fourth place finish but was not a factor in the race as he fell away after the first stops.

Kimi Raikkonen finished a distant fifth after winning a battle with Honda’s Jenson Button – who got caught behind team-mate Rubens Barrichello at the start of the race when the Brazilian lacked pace.

Rubens eventually finished seventh ahead of final points finisher Nick Heidfeld.

Spanish Grand Prix provisional result - 66 laps

1. ALONSO Renault 1h26m21.759s
2. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari +18.5s
3. FISICHELLA Renault +23.9s
4. MASSA Ferrari +29.8s
5. RAIKKONEN McLaren +56.8s
6. BUTTON Honda +58.3s
7. BARRICHELLO Honda +1 lap
8. HEIDFELD BMW +1 lap
9. WEBBER Williams +1 lap
10. TRULLI Toyota +1 lap
11. ROSBERG Williams +1 lap
12. VILLENEUVE BMW +1 lap
13. KLIEN Red Bull +1 lap
14. COULTHARD Red Bull +1 lap
15. LIUZZI Toro Rosso +3 laps
16. MONTEIRO Midland +3 laps
17. SATO Super Aguri +4 laps
R. ALBERS Midland +18 laps
R. SPEED Toro Rosso +19 laps
R. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota +35 laps
R. MONTOYA McLaren +49 laps
R. MONTAGNY Super Aguri +56 laps