It has been three weeks since the Bahrain race but Fernando Alonso picked up right where he left off and made it three in a row for him — and four for Renault — by winning the Grand Prix of San Marino in Imola today.
That was where the similarity to the previous race ended though as, despite a qualifying mistake which had him starting from the seventh row, Michael Schumacher drove a brilliant, strategic race and finished second for his first podium of the year. Although his Ferrari looked to be faster than Alonso’s Renault he just couldn’t get past him and so he stalked him to the finish, just yards behind for the last dozen or so laps.
Jenson Button finished third to score his first points finish of the year for BAR and Alexander Wurz, subbing for the injured Juan Pablo Montoya, finished fourth in his first Grand Prix start in several years.
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Alonso (ESP) | Renault | 10 |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher (GER) | Ferrari | 8 |
| 3 | Jenson Button (GBR) | BAR Honda | 6 |
| 4 | Alexander Wurz (AUT) | McLaren Mercedes | 5 |
| 5 | Takuma Sato (JPN) | BAR Honda | 4 |
| 6 | Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) | Sauber Petronas | 3 |
| 7 | Jarno Trulli (ITA) | Toyota | 2 |
| 8 | Nick Heidfeld (GER) | BMW WilliamsF1 | 1 |
| Fastest Qualifier: Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) | |||