Alonso lucky to finish

The Spaniard battled with BAR-Honda's Jenson Button to retain his second spot, but the Briton overtook Alonso following the final set of pitstops and had to settle for third place. But he was fortunate to finish the race at all after it was revealed debris had lodged underneath his R24 causing severe understeer.

"It is fantastic to see Fernando on the podium for the second time in three races, but it is unlikely that many people will have realised how fantastic his drive today was," said engineering boss Pat Symonds. "With Jenson following him during the final stint, something very bizarre happened to the car that seriously interfered with its handling.

"The result was that the aerodynamic balance was pushed backwards by 8%, a huge amount, and he had to contend with a large amount of understeer. It was not surprising to see Jenson pass him, and it turned out to be a bargeboard that had caught under the car."

Alonso explained that the problem disappeared on lap 58 when he went over a kerb.

"I was really worried at that stage but then I don't know what happened, I went over the kerb at Turn 6 and the car went back to normal!"

Team-mate Jarno Trulli also collected debris on his car, this time it was part of Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren that lodged onto the front wing and caused him to change his nose during his pitstop. The Italian, who today [Sunday] announced he would not be driving for Renault in 2005, finished the day in 11th.

"I had a strong race but just like with Fernando's car, I hit debris that caught on the car," he said. "Unfortunately, it happened earlier in the race when other competitors were much closer. I lost front grip, the car was under-steering and would not turn in to the corners. Then, we changed the nose and front wing, and everything was OK again. It is a real shame, because I had demonstrated at the start of the race that my car was very quick today."