Start to finish, it’s Alonso all the way

Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso led the Monaco Grand Prix from start to finish on Sunday to hand Renault their fifth victory in seven races. The win, with Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher starting in the pit lane after being stripped of pole for deliberately obstructing rivals in qualifying, stretched the Spaniard’s overall lead to 21 points.

It was the 12th win of the 24-year-old’s career, his first in Monaco and fourth of the season. He has 64 points to Schumacher’s 43, with the German fighting back from last place to fifth. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, the 2003 winner for Williams, finished second in his McLaren team’s 40th anniversary race with Briton David Coulthard taking Ferrari-powered Red Bull’s first podium finish in third place.

It was the two times Monaco winner’s first top three finish since Japan 2003 with McLaren. The Scot’s joy was Italian Jarno Trulli’s despair, with the Toyota driver in third place and heading for his first points of the season until he pulled over with five laps remaining. Honda’s Brazilia n Rubens Barrichello was also left regretting what might have been after collecting a drive-through penalty 15 laps from the end while running third. He finished fourth.