Alonso quick off the mark
Fernando Alonso held off team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella to lead the opening lap of the Spanish Grand Prix in front of a sell-out 130,000 crowd in Barcelona.
The two Renaults were quick away and immediately pulled out a three-second lead on third-placed Michael Schumacher, whose Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa was just behind.
Kimi Raikkonen made a stunning start to jump from ninth to fifth in his McLaren while Jenson Button made modest progress to move up one spot to seventh.
Button began to put pressure on Honda team-mate Rubens Barrichello in sixth - while in the scrap at the back of the field, Midland's Tiago Monteiro spun but rejoined.
Red Bull’s David Coulthard, in his 200th grand prix, had already forced his way ahead of the backmarkers and was up to 17th after starting from the back row because of his qualifying crash.
At the front, Alonso – tipped to be running a shorter first stint – was setting a searing pace and pulled five seconds clear of Fisichella within five laps.
Takuma Sato's brave attempt to stay ahead of the faster Midland pair of Christijan Albers and Monteiro ended when he spun on lap 11. The Super Aguri driver rejoined just before team-mate Franck Montagny retired in the pits.
Ralf Schumacher joined that battle at the back following an ill-conceived lunge at Toyota team-mate Jarno Trulli on lap 17.
He dived down the inside with little chance of overtaking and lost his front wing in the impact with Trulli, forcing him to ‘pit’.
Alonso continued to streak ahead as Fisichella kept Schumacher at bay – but he conceded his lead with his first pit stop on lap 17. Fisichella followed a lap later to leave Schumacher out in front.
Juan Pablo Montoya’s race ended on lap 19 when he spun and beached his McLaren on the kerbs after a disappointing run in the midfield.
Schumacher waited until lap 23 to make his stop - and even though Alonso was 10 seconds clear in the lead, the Ferrari driver was able to leapfrog Fisichella into second.
Fisichella tried too hard to get past Schumacher and bounced across the gravel on lap 26, costing him valuable time and bringing Massa on to his tail.
Button moved up to sixth place in the pits by getting ahead of Barrichello - but he was some way off Raikkonen in fifth.
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