SEPANG, Malaysia, 21 March 2005 — Spaniard Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday to give Renault their second win in a row after two rounds of the Formula One championship.
The 23-year-old’s second career victory followed teammate Giancarlo Fisichella’s win in Australia two weeks ago and made him the first Spaniard ever to lead the championship.
While Renault celebrated, once-dominant champions Ferrari again struggled to score points with seven times champion Michael Schumacher finishing seventh and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello retiring.
Italian Jarno Trulli took second place for Toyota, ecstatic with their first podium finish since they entered Formula One in 2002, 24.3 seconds behind Alonso.
Germany’s Nick Heidfeld finished third for Williams after starting 10th.
Alonso’s winning time was one hour 31 minutes and 33.736 seconds. He has 16 points to Fisichella’s 10 while Renault lead the constructor’s standings with 26 points to Toyota’s 12.
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was fourth for McLaren with Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher fifth. Briton David Coulthard, whose deal is heavily cash for points, added to his bank balance with sixth place for newcomers Red Bull.
The three points made the Scot the highest scoring British driver in Formula One history, taking his tally to 483. Nigel Mansell, the 1992 champion, had 482 although the scoring system was different then.
Austrian Christian Klien finished eighth, Red Bull’s second successive double scoring finish.
The biggest celebrations were at Toyota, who had not previously finished higher than fifth in any race.
“We still have some work to do but it is definitely nice to be here,” said Trulli, winner in Monaco for Renault last season.
“This first podium is a good boost and it comes at just the right time for the team.”
Neither of the BARs lasted more than three laps, both Briton Jenson Button and compatriot Anthony Davidson pulling over with smoking engines.
McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, the 2003 race winner who led for a lap after the first pitstops, had his race scuppered by a rear right tire failure that left him limping back to the pits on three wheels.
