Briatore: Renault Showed McLaren

New World Champion Fernando Alonso won the season-ending Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday to clinch the Constructors' Championship for Renault.

"McLaren completely built up the Constructors' Championship but we won that as well," a champagne-soaked Briatore told Reuters.

"In the last three weeks everybody built up the Constructors' Championship like it was the most important. What more do we have to do that we have to win that as well?

"For me the Drivers' Championship was most important and we won that. We beat McLaren fair and square. We do the job when we have to do the job. This is the reason we are World Champions."

Renault finished the 19-race season with 191 points to McLaren's 182.

Alonso's victory was his seventh of his season. The 24-year-old Spaniard became Formula One's youngest World Champion in Brazil last month.

Briatore, however, hailed the drive of Giancarlo Fisichella, who finished fourth but did a solid job of holding up McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya early on.

"Fisi was fantastic," said Briatore of his fellow Italian, who has only recorded two podiums since winning the season-opener in Melbourne.

"People criticise Fisi but Fisi's driving today will shut everyone up."

An elated Briatore also praised Renault's achievement just four years after returning to Formula One by buying the Benetton team he also led to the constructors' title in 1995.

"We started Renault in 2001. Now it's 2005 and we are champions," he said. "We won the Championship in four years. It's fantastic. Nobody has done that before and I'm very pleased."