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For some it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’, the youngest driver to claim pole position and a race victory would become the youngest world champion.

Spain gave birth to its first Formula 1 world champion in the shape of a 24 year old named Fernando Alonso.  His 3rd place in the 2005 Brazilian grand prix netted him enough points to claim his first title without it being snatched from under him by McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen.  Throughout the season, Alonso’s consistency has elevated him to number 1 in the world, finishing on the podium at almost every race while his rivals, including his team-mate found it difficult to finish the race, whether driver error or technical hiccups.

Flavio Briatore, the very man who steered Michael Schumacher to the 94 & 95 titles, was as overjoyed as Alonso when he crossed the line, jumping with joy within the pit box, the flamboyant Italian deserved the title as much as Alonso.  Briatore first spotted the young Spaniard in 2001 when driving for the newly Paul Stoddart bought Minardi team; pulling huge amounts of opposite lock at the Monaco grand prix.  Briatore, with his sixth sense for noticing pure talent when he sees it found young Fernando a place in the Renault team as a test driver.  One year later, he was a race driver and didn’t fail to impress the F1 paddock, claiming his first ever pole position at the Malaysian GP and first victory later in the season at the Hungaroring, lapping the legendary Michael Schumacher in the process.

As for the race itself, top honors went to Juan Pablo Montoya, with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen finishing a very close 2nd in the sister McLaren.  The weekend was all about damage limitation, Alonso had to just finish 3rd to win the title, no matter where McLaren finish in the race.  McLaren’s 1-2, was the first in 5 years and well deserved after their near misses in Turkey and Spa, putting a smile back on Ron Dennis.  Alonso may have won the drivers’ title, but the constructors’ is far from over, McLaren have taken the lead in the manufacturers’ race for the first time this year; their reliability has improved vastly compared to mid-season, when Raikkonen had an engine change almost every race, will their fragility strike again, in the final 2 races? 

7 times world champion Michael Schumacher displayed one of his more impressive drives to forth position in his scarlet Ferrari.  The German superstar finished some 10 seconds behind his successor to the world crown Alonso and a comfortable 5 seconds in front of Giancarlo Fisichella in the Renault.  Ferrari was using the same Bridgestone compounds as Hungary where they secured pole position and a 2nd position in the race.  Compared to recent races, they seemed to be back on track performance wise, with both cars finishing in the points and their tyres lasting the race distance.  Schumacher was one of the first to congratulate his young protégé and vowed to come back next year to reclaim the title he’s held since the turn of the century.

So the Ferrari dominant era is over, for the moment, everyone including the young Spaniard knows, retaining his title next year will be just as difficult as winning this year.  If McLaren and Kimi get their act together early season, they will be an unstoppable force and what if Bridgestone manufacture a tyre worthy of taking on the Michelin shod runners, then the notorious Schumacher-Ferrari combination which has taken title glory for so many years will be back with vengeance.