F1 Result News

It was close, but Fernando Alonso started his title defence very much in the way he ended his championship season last year by winning. Starting fourth the Renault star forced his way past the slow starting Jenson Button and then Felipe Massa to set up the battle with Michael Schumacher. It was close race-long but the second and final pit stop saw the Spaniard exit the pits half a car length ahead of Schumacher’s Ferrari and from that point onwards, he absorbed the pressure to take the win by just over a second. Schumacher was all smiles despite not winning the Bahrain Grand Prix, but it is clear that the former Champions have a competitive package in the Bridgestone-shod 248 F1, allowing Schumacher to challenge for race wins. His eight points for the runner-up position take the tally for German drivers in Formula One past the 2000 point mark. Behind Alonso and Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen used a one-stop strategy to perfection moving up from 22nd on the grid to third 57-laps later. The McLaren Mercedes driver was quickly up behind Jacques Villeneuve, biding his time and waiting for those ahead to pit. From almost nothing, Raikkonen and McLaren Mercedes rescued the race weekend with a valuable podium and ten points for the constructors' championship. [URL=http://f1.racing-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/060312143331.shtml]Read more[/URL] [B]Alonso wins buts Schumacher the real victor[/B] Fernando Alonso may have won the opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday but Germany hailed their seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher as the victor following his second place. "The runner-up is really victor," declared the Frankfurter Allgemeine. "After being off the pace last season Ferrari and Schumacher are competitive again." An unreliable Ferrari contributed to Schumacher finishing a distant third last season as Alonso won the Formula One crown and questions were raised as to how Schumacher would fare this season. [URL=http://f1.racing-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/060313131537.shtml]Read more[/URL]