‘Fantastic’ Alonso the youngest champion

RENAULT boss Flavio Briatore last night led the praise of newly-crowned world champion Fernando Alonso when the Spaniard became the youngest title winner in the history of the sport.

Alonso secured the points needed to end rival Kimi Raikkonen’s season-ending challenge in yesterday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, when he finished third after a race that epitomised the 24-year-old’s cool and consistent approach to the title battle.

And Briatore said: “It has been a fantastic championship and Fernando is a fantastic champion. We have been fighting to the end and he has done the best for the performance we have at this moment.

“He has been so consistent this year. His one mistake was in Canada and other than that he has been fantastic. He is terrific.”

For his part Alonso was outclassed as Montoya led team-mate Kimi Raikkonen home to score McLaren’s first one-two in more than five years, but the Renault driver did enough to secure the six points needed for the championship trophy.

“I am extremely happy and it is a big day for me. I did a good race, I thought we would fight McLaren but it was not possible,” said Alonso, who had started on pole for yesterday’s race.

“It was a very long race for me, obviously. I thought about the championship from the first lap. This is the maximum I can achieve in my life.”

Alonso supersedes former youngest champion Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, who was 25 when he won his first title for Lotus in 1972, with Michael Schumacher also having won his first title at the age of 25.

But in reality the title race was over almost before it began.

Raikkonen suffered a stalled start to his campaign when he collected just seven points in the first four races, during which time Alonso had already collected 36 points from three victories and a third-place finish.

That gave him a 29-point lead and although Raikkonen fought back when McLaren increased the pressure on Renault in the second half of the season, Alonso has maintained an advantage of more than 20 points throughout the year.

Alonso claims McLaren have had the faster car since the fourth race of the season, in San Marino in April, but his consistent podium finishes have kept him ahead and steered him to the title.

And Briatore said: “Sometimes in the qualifying Kimi is quicker, but this year Kimi is fantastic as well. If you see the difference between Kimi and his team-mate, Kimi has an incredible feeling with his car.

“I mean, sometimes Kimi is really difficult to beat but we know that. McLaren was quicker than us in the second part of the season but in the first half of the season we were better.”

This year’s title battle has marked a changing of the guard from seven-time world champion German Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, to the battling young duo of Alonso and Raikkonen and their front-running teams Renault and McLaren. Raikkonen’s McLaren boss Ron Dennis still claims his man was the best driver this season and previously said: “There have been many years when the best driver of that season has not won the world championship.

“We are here primarily to win races, to improve the team on a race-by-race basis and as important as it is to win world championships they are, in essence, badges that demonstrate the cumulative effect of the points system.

“They don’t necessarily indicate that you are the best, and that is not in any shape or form detracting from the world championship and most certainly not as a derogatory remark against the winner of the world championship.”

There is no questioning Alonso’s consistency, however, and the most pleasing thing for Briatore is that his first world title was won with a smile.

“I believe the whole team have done a good job,” he said. “It took us four years to win the championship and this has been a good season for us.”