Fernando146;s Formula Won

Fernando Alonso has a magic touch; he loves to entertain friends and family with card tricks and sleight-of-hand. But on Sunday night Alonso...

Fernando Alonso has a magic touch; he loves to entertain friends and family with card tricks and sleight-of-hand. But on Sunday night Alonso became, at 24, Formula One8217;s youngest world champion.

The previous youngest champion was Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, who was 25 years eight months and 29 days when he took the crown in 1972. 8216;8216;He is a driver with talent, ability and maturity, he manages to finish all his races. My record is going to be in good hands8217;8217;, said Fittipaldi.

Soon after the championship was decided, McLaren8217;s Kimi Raikkonen warned Alonso to expect a closer fight next year. 8216;8216;Of course it is disappointing not to be fighting for the championship any more but we realised there were not that many races to go and we needed to have really good luck to win it, so it is not really so disappointing8217;8217;, he said.

8216;8216;This is never nice but congratulations to Fernando for winning it, he definitely deserved it. But he had better be prepared for me and the team to fight him hard for the rest of the season and next year8217;8217;, added Raikkonen, who also lost out in the 2003 championship when he finished two points behind Ferrari8217;s Michael Schumacher.

The drivers8217; title was the first for the Renault team, who still have a chance of adding the constructors8217; crown to Alonso8217;s. McLaren lead those standings by 164 points to the French carmaker8217;s 162. Alonso8217;s win triggered a huge party in his hometown of Oviedo. 8216;Fernando 8212;Thanks for making our dreams come true8217;, read a huge banner held up by fans packed into an auditorium where they had watched the Brazilian Grand Prix.

A crowd of waving, happy fans massed in Oviedo8217;s Plaza de Americas to toast his achievement, leaped up and down and chanting 8220;Fernando, Fernando8221;. Some jumped into the fountain in the middle of the square.

Thousands of people waved the blue and yellow flag of Alonso8217;s native Asturias region in the north of Spain, which are also the colours of his Renault team. Spain8217;s King Juan Carlos telephoned Alonso to congratulate him, telling the driver it was a 8216;8216;great day for all Spaniards8217;8217;, Spanish state radio reported.

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Alonso has single-handedly fuelled a huge boom in interest in Formula One in football-obsessed Spain. Television audiences have soared for what used to be a minority sport in the country as Spaniards have been gripped with Alonso fever. Managed by Italian Flavio Briatore, the Renault boss who oversaw Schumi8217;s first two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, Alonso has not so much come of age this year as surpassed his years.

Since March and the second race of the season in Malaysia, Alonso has led the championship with a rare maturity and self-confidence. Reuters