Spain unforgettable for Alonso

Fernando Alonso will not forget the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix in a hurry and said he couldn't have hoped for a better result at his home race. The Renault driver qualified third on the grid and was in the thick of the action with the two Ferraris all ...

Fernando Alonso will not forget the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix in a hurry and said he couldn't have hoped for a better result at his home race. The Renault driver qualified third on the grid and was in the thick of the action with the two Ferraris all the way in the race. Alonso was not able to catch leader Michael Schumacher but easily kept the other Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello behind him to finish second.

Fernando Alonso.

Photo by Brousseau Photo.

"I feel very good today," he told the team website the day after his thrilling drive. "It's been a perfect weekend for me. We've been very competitive on the track, but the race is always special. You never know what can happen, but we've been able to overtake one Ferrari and to keep our position."

"We have a very good reliability with our car now: we finished all five races in the points; we've got three podiums… Finishing second yesterday in Barcelona was fantastic. I'll never forget it."

The Spanish fans certainly appreciated it, the Circuit de Catalunya awash with flags supporting Renault and their local hero over the weekend. Since the start of this season, with Alonso's string of competitive performances, Spain is undergoing a surge of Formula One excitement.

"It was amazing," Alonso said of the fans' enthusiasm. "Right from Thursday, they have been supporting me. Then, during the warm-up lap, on Sunday, I saw all those flashes and those flags. People were standing up, standing, waving at me. The result is also theirs. I couldn't have dreamt of a better result at home."

Alonso is third in the Driver's championship after the Spain result with twenty-five points, three behind Schumacher and five ahead of Barrichello. Team-mate Jarno Trulli was out of the race after contact with McLaren's David Coulthard on the first lap. Renault is currently third in the Constructors' standings behind McLaren and Ferrari.