Fernando Alonso is the latest F1 race winner

By subh
September 2 2003

The Hungarian Grand Prix of 2003 will go down in history - as the first ever to be won by a Spanish driver. Fernando Alonso’s impressive drive means he joins Kimi Räikkönen and Giancarlo Fisichella as first time winners this year.

Not only that, but it was the first win for Renault in twenty years - their last success falling to Alain Prost in 1983. The last time a French car was victorious is a few seasons ago, too; Olivier Panis winning for Ligier in Monte Carlo during the 1996 season.

Even the Benetton team, which was re-branded as Renault following the 2001 season, has not had a win since Gerhard Berger’s successful drive in Hockenheim during 1997.

The competitive nature of Formula One in 2003 is proved by this latest result. You have to go back to the 1985 season for the last time that as many as five different manufacturers won races. That year the successful teams were McLaren, Williams, Ferrari, Lotus and Brabham.

In recent seasons, the monopoly on race victories has been shared between Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and, during the early 1990s, Benetton. Other teams reaching the top step have been rare, although Ligier, Jordan and Stewart can claim that honour - sharing six wins between them...

Let’s hope for an even more open championship in 2004, perhaps with wins going to Jaguar and BAR?