The season opening race in Bahrain was a fight between two world champions, with Alonso emerging victorious against Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher after 57 laps.

It was a duel that went all the way to the chequered flag, in a race filled with action and drama.

McLaren’s Räikkönen finished third, completing the top three spots on the podium.

"What a great way to start the season! That was some race. The car was perfect, the strategy was spot on, and everything just felt brilliant," Alonso said after the race.

The ecstatic Alonso said the start of the 2006 race is even more special for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team.

"We arrived in Bahrain as the reigning champions, so there’s a lot of pride when you take to the track. There’s a lot of pressure too, and with less practice and a new qualifying format, that pressure was always going to be intense," he explained.

Fernando Alonso was fourth on the starting grid, with Michael Schumacher on pole, followed by the Ferrari of Felipe Massa and the Honda of Jenson Button.

The start of the race saw the definitive pace of the Renault, with a determined Alonso taking second place to Massa with just three corners into the first lap.

But the Spaniard narrowly escaped disaster on the eighth lap when the Ferrari of Massa overtook him while spinning into a corner. From then on, it was a tough battle between Schumacher and Alonso for the lead.

"The first part of the race we just played our strategy. I wasn’t too worried about Schumacher’s lead, and when it came time to make our own stops, we knew the pace we had to run. I had a bit of a shock when Massa spun out and nearly took me with him, but other than that it was pretty straight forward," Alonso said.

It wasn’t until the second round of pit stops when the race tipped in favor of Team Renault. Schumacher came in for his second and final stop on lap 36 and Alonso was in for his stop three laps later.

The team’s strategy was for Alonso to set quick laps following Schumacher’s stop, and as the champion was on his way out of the pits, Schumacher’s Ferrari was heading down the straight, ready to challenge the Renault into the first corner.

Alonso and Schumacher were side by side into the first corner, but the Spaniard was quicker to respond, so he was able to take the better line and grab the lead from the Ferrari.

"The car was perfectly balanced and felt really good all afternoon, so even when Michael was trying to get past again, I felt sure we had enough to keep him behind," Alonso said.

It was a very tight battle for the remainder of the race, with barely a second separating the Renault and the Ferrari. Alonso was able to defend his position all the way through the chequered flag and seal victory number one for the team.

Formula One could not have had a more intense start for 2006 with the results of the Bahrain GP laying out the foundations for a fantastic season. The defending champions Mild Seven Renault F1 Team and Fernando Alonso are starting 2006 where they left off in 2005, ably defending their titles against clear challengers — Ferrari, McLaren and Honda.

"It felt great to be back racing again, and to get the season started with a win. It’s a long year ahead of us, and on the back of this weekend, I think the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team will be at the sharp end of the racing all season," he said.

The next GP in Sepang, Malaysia will run this Sunday, March 19 and is predicted to create more thrills and excitement in what is expected to be an interesting season.