Last Sunday’s race was one of the most exciting races in Monaco. The street circuit of Monaco is one of the toughest racetracks in Formula One, demanding more concentration from the drivers than any other F1 track. Cars run with maximum down-force and tires are worked hard, requiring technical excellence from the teams.

During the first hour of the race, Alonso had to take in unyielding pressure from McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen who stuck to his tail like a remora does to a shark.

For 50 laps, Raikkonen shadowed Alonso’s every move ably responding to the Spaniard’s drive for fastest lap times. William’s Mark Webber joined the convoy of Alonso and Raikkonen after the first round of pit stops and kept in touch until losing a big amount of time when they caught up with slower traffic.

The Spaniard showed excellent performance in controlling the pace for the first half of the race, preserving his tires and maintaining an effective team strategy which enabled him to maintain the lead even after the first round of pit stops.

"I managed the situation to keep the tires fresh for the end of the stint, and to build a gap when I needed. I was controlling the tires a bit for the right moment to push because it’s impossible to overtake, so I slowed down a little bit, it was not an easy race," Alonso said.

On lap 49, Webber’s car went into flames due to an exhaust failure, prompting the safety car to be deployed in order to clear the track. A lap later under the safety car period, the McLaren of Raikkonen was also up in flames because of an overheated wiring harness, putting an end to his challenge. This took the pressure off Alonso.

Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello of Honda were able to gain positions from the retirements but they were nowhere near the Spaniard.

On lap 63, Barrichello was given a drivethrough penalty for speeding in the pit lane giving the position to Toyota’s Jarno Trulli. However, the unluckiest driver in F1 had another hydraulics problem on lap 73, handing the last podium position to David Coulthard.

The world champion was left unchallenged in the closing stages of the race, enabling him to cruise his R26 to the chequered flag for another convincing win. Alonso finished 14.5 seconds ahead of Montoya and 52.2 seconds ahead of Coulthard.

Rubens Barrichello finished fourth ahead of the Ferrari. His former teammate Michael Schumacher was relegated to the very back of the grid after race stewards concluded that he deliberately blocked the track in the closing stages of qualifying to keep his pole position time. Giancarlo Fisichella finished sixth for a double points haul for the Mild Seven-Renault team.

It was a solid win for Alonso, despite the overwhelming pressure brought about by the street circuit of Monaco. "This is a special place for any driver to win a race, for the history, for what it represents to Formula One and because it is such a big challenge to get through the race with no mistakes," explained Alonso.

The consistency of the Mild Seven Renault Formula One Team has been the key factor in the team’s success on the opening stages of the 2006 season. Alonso has already out-performed his 2005 scoring benchmark with four victories out of seven races.

"Looking at the championship, I am in a great position, and the consistency is the best part of it," Alonso said. "We know that podium finishes are the key to winning the title, and so far this year we have had seven from seven races."

Alonso has scored 64 championship points out of 70, extending his lead with 21 points ahead of Schumacher. The Mild Seven Renault team now has 91 constructor championship points, ahead of Ferrari’s 63 and McLaren’s 50.

The next race for the Formula One 2006 season will be held in the Silverstone Circuit in England.