Ferrari's Fernando Alonso wins opening Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain

March 15, 2010

Fernando Alonso rolled back the years for Ferrari on Sunday, dedicating his Bahrain Grand Prix victory to the Italian giants' staff and fans who endured a miserable 2009 season.

With Felipe Massa in second spot, it was Ferrari's first one-two in an opening race since 2004 in Australia where Alonso was third for Renault behind Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

The Spaniard's relentless precision and his sheer ambition on his debut have re-motivated the team and ignited Italian passions again following a memorable show that has wiped away all the bad memories of 2009.

Last season it took Ferrari until the 12th of the 17 races to record a victory and they endured their worst start to a season in F1 history.

No wonder Alonso dedicated his win to the long-suffering men and women back in Maranello - and loyal president Luca di Montezemolo.

It was the team's first one-two since the 2008 French Grand Prix and a landmark triumph delivered in front of Schumacher who upset many Italians by coming out of retirement to race for German rivals Mercedes.

The seven-time world champion finished sixth.

"This is a very special day for me," he said. "But in the end it is the start, not the finish. Now is not the time to celebrate, but to push harder.

"It is always great to be on top of the podium, but even more special with Ferrari. We have history behind the team and all the expectations a driver has when he drives for Ferrari.

"There is no better way to start our relationship. This is the best team in the world, we worked hard all winter, the guys did a very good job in winter testing.

"We have done nothing so far - we only won the first race, but to be first and second is the result that the guys in Maranello deserve because they have been working day and night to give us this fantastic car."

Alonso added: "I always say the same thing, the first three or four races of the championship are not crucial for anything, you just need some solid points for the team, to get used to the regulations, the tyres, the races themselves.

"There are now more points but this first part is not the crucial part of the championship."

Massa, racing for the first time since his horror crash in Hungary last year, said: "It is just fantastic to be here with a competitive car and going through the whole race with good pace -- so thanks to God I am fine and thanks to everybody who was supporting me in a difficult time."

F1 Drivers Ladder
Driver Team Pts
1 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari 25
2 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 18
3 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 15
4 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 12
5 Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes GP 10
6 Michael Schumacher (GER) Mercedes GP 8
7 Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren 6
8 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 4
9 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India 2
10 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Williams 1
11 Robert Kubica (POL) Renault 0
12 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 0
13 Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) Toro Rosso 0
14 Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Williams 0
15 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) McLaren 0
16 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 0
17 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Lotus 0
18 Pedro de la Rosa (ESP) BMW Sauber 0
19 Bruno Senna (BRA) HRTF1 0
20 Timo Glock (GER) Virgin 0
21 Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault 0
22 Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) BMW Sauber 0
23 Lucas di Grassi (BRA) Virgin 0
24 Karun Chandhok (IND) HRTF1 0

Team Pts
1 Ferrari 43
2 McLaren 21
3 Mercedes GP 18
4 Red Bull 16
5 Force India 2
6 Williams 1
7 Renault 0
8 Toro Rosso 0
9 Lotus 0
10 BMW Sauber 0
11 HRTF1 0
12 Virgin 0