Image 11 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso

Jarno Trulli's Panasonic Toyota leads Mark Webber's Williams BMW early in the race

Jarno Trulli's Panasonic Toyota leads Mark Webber's Williams BMW early in the race
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Kimi Raikkonen clinches pole position and the McLaren brains trust shares the moment - Mclaren is back on the pace! Alex Wurz is the fourth McLaren driver in four races to take points - McLaren now has 24 points for third in the constructors race - one point behind second placed Toyota The leading contenders embrace after the race - Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso Image 4 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso
Alonso's joy at winning a third straight race is obvious - he now enjoys long odds-on favouritism for the title and only a supreme effort from Schumacher and Ferrari could bridge a 26 point gap The tension is obvious as Raikkonen awaits his turn in qualifying. A delighted Ron Dennis speaking with Alexander Wurz after qualifying. Kimi Raikkonen exits exits the Mclaren after an emphatic qualifying effort
Raikkonen runs the gauntlet of Fosters girls after accepting his prize for fastest qualifier Ralf leads brother Michael in the early stages of the race - once free of traffic, the elder Schumacher unleashed one of the most blistering turns of speed ever witnessed on a Grand prix circuit Jarno Trulli's Panasonic Toyota leads Mark Webber's Williams BMW early in the race Red Bull race director Christian Horner in discussion with Tonio Liuzzi prior to the Italian's F1 debut in front of a home crowd
David Coulthard finished out of the points for the first time this year, though he did maintain his 100% finishing record Liuzzi leads Coulthard in the race - had a few more things gone Liuzzi's way, he might have finished in the points. Lizzi and Coulthard after the race Toyota's new, spacious, luxurious entertainment complex. Not quite as big as Red Bull's but still magnificent
Toyota Team Principal Tsutomu Tomita presents Jarno Trulli with team's present for the birth of his son Toyota's new, spacious, luxurious entertainment complex. Not quite as big as Red Bull's (see story 3971) but still magnificent Ralf watches the numbers in practice Looming large again, the 2005 Ferrari is ominously fast
Schumacher watches the times in practice - had he not made a mistake in qualifying, he would have won the race, such was his speed once free of traffic Failure isn't tolerated for long at Ferrari. The pressure shows on the face of Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo The starting grid and Raikkonen is just about to do a disappearing act. Image 24 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso
Image 25 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso Image 26 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso Image 27 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso Image 28 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso
Image 29 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso Image 30 of 31 from San Marino F1 GP - Fantastic duel between Schumacher and Alonso That's three - in a row!!!!
Article Summary
April 24, 2005 Fernando Alonso made it three wins in a row when he won the 62 lap San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on Sunday, but the real excitement came from his fantastic duel with Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari over the last 11 laps of the race, the pair being just 0.2s apart at the end. BAR Honda’s Jenson Button completed the top three to open his score in the championship. Though the RS25 V10 fitted to Fernando Alonso’s car became the first engine in the modern era of Formula 1 to win two consecutive races, the real message from San Marino was that Ferrari is back and that Ferrari and Michael Schumacher now have the speed to fight to retain the title. McLaren Mercedes and BAR Honda have also caught up to the speed of the Renault and the season looks set to be a pearler!

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