Alonso wins thrilling Australian GP

The 24-year-old Spaniard, in his superb Renault, was fast, consistent and reliable as he and his team triumphed on a day that saw the race re-started and then interrupted four times behind the safety car.

It was his second win of the season and the 10th of his career and established him as the early season championship leader, thanks to a great performance personally and the entire Renault team.

For pole sitter Briton Jenson Button it was an afternoon of huge disappointment as he failed to hold his lead for Honda after the first safety car re-start and then retired with an engine failure only 30 metres from the line and fifth place.

But the greatest disappointment was Ferrari's, as the Italian former champions saw both drivers, seven times champion Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa crash out of the race. Both incidents required the safety car to intervene.

In the end, Alonso reigned supreme and came home ahead of his nearest true rival Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren Mercedes with Ralf Schumacher third for Toyota. Nick Heidfeld was fourth for BMW Sauber, Giancarlo Fisichella fifth - after starting at the back of the grid because he stalled at the original start - in the second Renault and Jacques Villeneuve sixth in his BMW.

Rubens Barrichello scored points at last for Honda and made up a little for button's disappointment by finishing seventh and Scott Speed scored his first points in Formula One by finishing for Toro Rosso.

Massa crashed out at the first corner on the opening lap after a collision with Nico Rosberg's Williams Cosworth and then Schumacher lost his car and crashed into the barriers at the final corner as he ran in sixth place after 33 of the re-scheduled 57 laps race.

The start was upset when first of all Juan Pablo Montoya spun his car on the formation lap and then Fisichella stalled on the grid. The Italian started at the back at the re-start, but Montoya was able to regain his original grid place of fifth.

When the race did begin, Massa crashed and the safety car came out.

After Button had held off a fierce opening lap attack from Alonso, the Spaniard took the lead at the rolling re-start following the return of the safety car.

Even then, in fevered excitement, the race did not settle down. On lap five, young Austrian Christian Klien crashed out in his Red Bull Ferrari in another spectacular accident.

The safety car came out again, Alonso's lead was trimmed again and as always he regained his dominance when it returned again. Finally after the second safety car run, Alonso led Raikkonen and began to pull clear as Button fell backwards through the field.

Apart from his pitstops, Alonso was easily in command and took care of controlling himself and his car perfectly after both further safety car breaks - which came when Schumacher crashed and then when Vitantonio Liuzzi went off after on lap 38.

Schumacher's crash created a long delay, as the cars slowed, and also gave everyone a chance to pit for fuel and so leave the final laps as a race on their own.

For local hero Mark Webber, it was also a day of disappointment as, after a solid start, he took the race lead when Alonso pitted, but then pulled out just one lap later with gearbox problems.

That may have been a disappointment for the Melbourne fans, but they witnessed one of the most incident-packed and thrilling races every seen at Albert Park.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia;
58 laps; 307.574km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
 1.  Alonso        Renault              (M)  1h34:27.870
 2.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes     (M)  +     1.829
 3.  R.Schumacher  Toyota               (B)  +    24.824
 4.  Heidfeld      BMW-Sauber           (M)  +    31.032
 5.  Fisichella    Renault              (M)  +    38.421
 6.  Villeneuve    BMW-Sauber           (M)  +    49.554
 7.  Barrichello   Honda                (M)  +    51.904
 8.  Speed         Toro Rosso-Cosworth  (M)  +    53.817
 9.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Ferrari     (M)  +    53.983
10.  Button        Honda                (M)  +     1 lap
11.  Albers        MF1-Toyota           (B)  +     1 lap
12.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda    (B)  +    2 laps
13.  Ide           Super Aguri-Honda    (B)  +    3 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:26.045

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                      On lap
Montoya       McLaren-Mercedes     (M)    47
Monteiro      MF1-Toyota           (B)    43
Liuzzi        Toro Rosso-Cosworth  (M)    39
M.Schumacher  Ferrari              (B)    34
Webber        Williams-Cosworth    (B)    24
Klien         Red Bull-Ferrari     (M)    6
Trulli        Toyota               (B)    2
Rosberg       Williams-Cosworth    (B)    2
Massa         Ferrari              (B)    2


World Championship standings, round 3:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Alonso        28        1.  Renault               42
 2.  Raikkonen     14        2.  McLaren-Mercedes      23
 3.  Fisichella    14        3.  Ferrari               15
 4.  M.Schumacher  11        4.  Honda                 13
 5.  Button        11        5.  BMW-Sauber            10
 6.  Montoya        9        6.  Toyota                 7
 7.  R.Schumacher   7        7.  Williams-Cosworth      5
 8.  Heidfeld       5        8.  Red Bull-Ferrari       1
 9.  Villeneuve     5        9.  Toro Rosso-Cosworth    1
10.  Massa          4       
11.  Webber         3       
12.  Barrichello    2       
13.  Rosberg        2       
14.  Speed          1       
15.  Klien          1       
       
All timing unofficial