Fernando Alonso made it three in a row when he won the 62 lap San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on Sunday, but the real excitement came from his fantastic duel with Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari over the last 11 laps of the race, the pair being just 0.2s apart at the end. Jenson Button completed the top three to open his score in the championship.

Kimi Raikkonen went straight into the lead from pole position at the start and the McLaren driver then opened up a three second lead in four laps. Alonso slotted into second place while Button maintained his third place on the grid. Jarno Trulli jumped up to fourth place ahead of Mark Webber who almost also lost a place to Takuma Sato in the second BAR. Alexander Wurz was next. Jacques Villeneuve went from eleventh to eighth ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Nick Heidfeld, who lost places like his Williams teammate.

Raikkonen’s massive gains in the opening laps soon slowed and his lead stabilised at around 3.5s, but Alonso was steadily pulling away from Button. Similarly, the BAR driver was pulling away from Trulli who was suffering oversteer, and had Webber and Sato eager to pass. Close behind was Wurz who was being pushed by Villeneuve and Barrichello.

Raikkonen’s superb progress lasted for eight laps before he slowed and headed into the pits with broken transmission. This left Alonso with a 7.9s lead over Button which grew to over nine seconds until the BAR’s fuel load lightened and Button began to reduce it.

Trulli, however, was preventing anyone from closing on Button. Webber, Sato, Wurz and then Villeneuve and Barrichello were all close behind, until the Ferrari pulled out with an electrical problem.

On lap 21, the pit stops began with Heidfeld and Ralf Schumacher stopping first, then Trulli and Webber who had just been overtaken by Sato. Alonso and Sato came in on lap 23 as did Villeneuve, while Button pitted on lap 24. Wurz pitted on lap 25, but Michael Schumacher didn’t come in from third on the road until lap 27.

Alonso rejoined with virtually the 7.3s lead over Button he had when he pitted. Such was ‘the Trulli effect’ that when Schumacher emerged, he was still third. Wurz came out in fourth place thanks to his later stop, ahead of Sato, both of whom had overtaken Trulli, but the Toyota driver still had Webber and Villeneuve behind him, soon to be joined by Heidfeld and Ralf Schumacher.

At the front, Alonso pulled away from Button again, but the real revelation was the speed of Michael Schumacher. His 21s deficit behind Button was reduced to 11s in six laps, and within a further eight laps he was right on Button’s tail.
 

When Button slid wide out of Acque Minerale on lap 47, Schumacher got him going into the Variante Alta, and there was nothing that Button could do about it. Alonso had already stopped on lap 42, and Button stayed out for another six laps, and Michael for one more. When he rejoined, he was only 1.3s behind Alonso, but it took just two laps to catch the Renault. Alonso admitted to controlling the pace for the remaining laps, and Michael Schumacher tried all he could, but there was nothing that he could do and had to settle for a fine, fighting second place. Button was left behind in third.

Wurz made a fine return to racing by hanging onto fourth place while Sato claimed his first points with fifth. Villeneuve got past Webber to claim sixth place, while Trulli and Ralf Schumacher claimed seventh and eighth, until the latter was penalised for a dangerous pit stop release, giving eighth to Heidfeld.

LUCA DI MONTEZEMOLO

"This morning I said that we still had the whole race ahead of us. I am pleased for Michael who had an incredible race; a race of a true champion. I am also pleased for the whole team who have worked extremely hard this week.

"I am happy for Bridgestone whose tyres proved to be very competitive and for the fans who were repaid for the passion and support they gave us. There is a little regret as if we had started where we should have, we would surely have collected a win. However, to finish second after being thirteenth on the grid is the proof that Ferrari is back as a main player in the championship, as we have been in recent years. Compliments to everybody and especially to Schumacher.