Motor Sport/British Grand Prix: There are those within Formula One who will claim it is a dark art, some sort of alchemical voodoo in which engineering, charisma, bravery and bravado are combined to brew up a mystical recipe for success. That it is, indeed, rocket science.
Yesterday with victory at the British Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso and Renault proved Formula One is anything but. Sure, all of those elements flow into the mix that but there was no eldritch magic to the Spaniard's third victory in a row, simply the straightforward combination of committed people doing the right things at the right time for a driver and car operating at the height of their powers.
The bald statistic is Alonso is the only one of the front runners to have completed all the races this season. And in doing so he has never finished further back than second. He is fast, focused and at the moment unbreakable.
Those have been the key elements all season. While closest challenger Michael Schumacher began the campaign searching for pace and power, Alonso has been quick from the get-go. While Kimi Raikkonen has been hamstrung by chronic mechanical let-downs and a wheezy lack of grunt from his McLaren, Alonso's Renault has been energised, injury-free and ultra-consistent.
It extends from the car to the pit wall. On Saturday, Honda's Jenson Button's attempt to stake a claim to a first British GP was emasculated by poor decision-making by his team. When he was held up on a qualifying run and then called to the weigh bridge, Honda dithered and missed the opportunity for one good clean run. As Honda dallied others blew past Button's slow time and the Briton was forced to start 17th.
Ultimately it would not matter as the great British hope disappeared after 10 laps with an engine failure.
Such things, though do not happen at Renault. They have achieved the same degree of precision Ferrari employed to carry Michael Schumacher to five titles since the turn of the century. And in the hands of a driver every bit as smooth, smart and quick as the German.
Yesterday's win at Silverstone was clinical. Knowing they possessed the the faster car, Renault allowed the rest to chase him for pole on lighter fuel loads. Alonso still controlled from the start, fighting off a surging Raikkonen into the first corner as Schumacher slotted behind in third.
When a first-lap smash involving Williams' Mark Webber, Toyota's Ralf Schumacher and Scuderia Toro Rosso's Scott Speed brought out the safety car, Alonso again worked the space beautifully, timing his escape from the confines of the safety car's pace to perfection, dropping the accelerator just at the right moment to develop an immediate safety zone between him and Raikkonen who had probed and looked to pressurise the Spaniard into a re-start mistake all the time the pair sat behind the safety vehicle.
It was a non-contest in any event, Alonso stopping later than Raikkonen in his first stint was solidly quicker than the McLaren even under a heavy fuel load. When Alonso did free himself of Raikkonen's attentions he quickly opened up an 11-second gap before making his first fuel stop. In his second and third stints he held that gap easily, suggesting perhaps he was cruising, never under any threat from the pair behind, who were waging their own battle for second.
It was a battle won by Schumacher, who after tussling with Raikkonen and backing off early on, eventually passed the Finn in his second pit stop. But Alonso was untouchable. There was simply no response to the Renault's pace nor to the precision with which it was employed.
"I think today there were not many options for the rivals to beat us," said Alonso, who was taking his first British GP win. "Winning in Spain, Monaco and Silverstone - the last three races are a dream come true. They are circuits with big names and big emotions."
British GP
Final Positions: 1 F Alonso (Spn) Renault 1hr 25mins 51.927secs, 2 M Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1:26:04.936; 3 K Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren 1:26:09.933, 4 G Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:26:10.936, 5 F Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:26:22.932, 6 J Montoya (Col) McLaren 1:26:55.934, 7 N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:27:02.932, 8 J Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1:27:09.929, 9 N Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:27:10.927, 10 R Barrichello (Bra) Honda at 1 Lap, 11 J Trulli (Ita) Toyota at 1 Lap, 12 D Coulthard (Bri) Red Bull at 1 Lap, 13 V Liuzzi (Ita) Scuderia Toro Rosso at 1 Lap, 14 C Klien (Aut) Red Bull at 1 Lap, 15 C Albers (Ned) at 1 Lap, 16 T Monteiro (Por) Midland at 2 Laps, 17 T Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri at 3 Laps, 18 F Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri at 3 Laps.
Drivers Championship: 1 Alonso 74pts, 2 M Schumacher 51, 3 Raikkonen 33, 4 Fisichella 32, 5 Montoya 26, Massa 24, 7 J Button (Bri) Honda 16, 8 Barrichello 13, 9 Heidfeld 10, 10 R Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 8, 11 Coulthard 7, 12 Villeneuve 7, 13 M Webber (Aus) Williams 6, 14 Rosberg 4, 15 Klien 1.
Manufacturers' Championship: 1 Renault 106pts, 2 Ferrari 75, 3 McLaren 59, 4 Honda 29, 5 BMW Sauber 17, 6 Williams 10, 7 Red Bull 8, 8 Toyota 8
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