Cristiano da Matta is to start from the pitlane as he is using the spare car rather than his own race car.

The temperature is 35 degrees, track temperature 45 degrees, and it's sunny, however there are storm clouds in almost overhead and it's thought that there could be heavy rain approximately one hour into the race.

Alonso, the youngest, and only Spanish, pole man in F1 history leads the field away for the formation lap, Jacques Villeneuve is stuck on the grid and runs back to his garage - not fun in this heat - to climb into the spare car. The spare is set up for JV at all races. There's further frustration for the Canadian as he is ordered to report to the stewards to be weighed.

JV is already hot on the collar, providing he can get away OK, this could produce a classic 'red mist' performance from the Canadian.

On the grid, Fisichella changes position he was in the wrong grid slot.

Alonso makes a great start as does Coulthard, however the Spaniard runs wide at the first corner. Schumacher in his eagerness to get past Coulthard hits Trulli, the Italian's spins while Montoya too is involved as is Pizzonia. Villeneuve is still in the pits.

Thanks to the collision Alonso is already pulling away, at the end of the first lap he leads by 2.4s from Coulthard, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Button and Barrichello.

Schumacher, now running twelfth has damage to his car but continues round as Raikkonen takes Heidfeld for third.

Lap 3 and Coulthard pulls off his race over, meanwhile Alonso is pulling away from Raikkonen and Heidfeld. Schumacher enters the pits, more fuel and a new nosecone, he's out in 10.7s.

Button's running fourth ahead of Barrichello and Panis, while Montoya finally leaves the pits having lost more than a lap having his rear wing changed.

End of lap 4 and Barrichello takes Button on the main straight, the Englishman's Canadian team-mate never getting out of the garage after all. Seconds after losing fourth to Barrichello, Button is passed by Panis in the Toyota.

Retirements thus far: Villeneuve, Fisichella and Coulthard.

End of lap 5 and Alonso leads Raikkonen by 5s, ahead of Heidfeld, Barrichello, Panis, Button, Ralf Webber, Trulli and Justin Wilson!

All credit to Alonso, the Spanish youngster is driving a mature, masterful race, though Raikkonen is closing in. Schumacher is now closing on Frentzen who had problems on the grid and was consequently last away, the two Germans now fighting for thirteenth.

End of lap 7 and Alonso leads by 5.2s, while Raikkonen is on a blistering pace. Schumacher meanwhile receives a drive-thru penalty for the incident at the first corner.

1:36.829, Raikkonen posts the fastest lap of the race as Barrichello closes on Heidfeld. Ralf Schumacher is looking good in seventh - was that grid position all down to strategy? - ahead of Webber, Trulli and Wilson.

As the cross the line to complete lap 9 Barrichello makes his move on Heidfeld, it's clean and tidy, he's through, meanwhile his team-mate comes in for his drive-thru.

Eleven laps completed and Alonso's lead is now down to 4.1s as Raikkonen continues his charge. That said the Spaniard is still driving an amazing race. Barrichello meanwhile is 13s behind the two leaders.

Panis and Verstappen are the first drivers to make a regular fuel stop on lap twelve, which gives a clear indication as to their fuel loads for yesterday's qualifying session.

Panis exits the pits but pulls off to the side of the track just a few seconds later, his race over. Meanwhile Heidfeld pits and promptly stalls losing valuable time and track position.

Alonso pits at the end of lap 14, the Spaniard is out again in 9.2s as Raikkonen disappears into the distance.

Raikkonen sets the fastest time in the first sector as Barrichello responds by setting best in the second sector.

End of lap 14 and Webber pits, the Australian has a problem and loses a massive amount of time, the former Minardi star punches his steering wheel in frustration.

16 laps completed and Kimi Raikkonen leads from Barrichello by 14.3s, then it's Button, Alonso, Ralf and Trulli, though the Italian peels off into the pits to refuel.

Ralph Firman is driving a steady race, the Anglo-Irishman now running in seventh ahead of da Matta, Frentzen, Heidfeld and Schumacher.

Button pits moving Firman up to sixth, Frentzen also nips in for fresh tyres and fuel.

The 14s gap between Raikkonen and Barrichello remains constant, while Alonso is now 18s behind the Ferrari and closing.

At the end of lap 19 Raikkonen pits, now we know what he was running on in qualifying yesterday. At this moment in time, other than for Michael first corner problems, it looks as though Ferrari got its strategy right.

Frentzen and da Matta are both setting a good pace while Barrichello posts the fastest time of the day in the third sector.

Twenty laps completed and Rubens leads from Raikkonen, who has stopped and who is in turn ahead of Alonso, Ralf, Button and Firman.

The Ferrari driver should be upping his pace but he isn't, this of course is playing into the Finn's hands, the McLaren driver now 16s behind, despite his stop.

Ralf is beginning to put pressure on Alonso then decides to stop for fuel as does Barrichello. The Brazilian is out in 9.2s and exits the pits behind Alonso.

Firman in the Jordan finally pits allowing Trulli through to sixth, it's a long stop for the yellow car and the mechanic need to push him to get the car back on track. Rotten luck spoiling what could have been a points finish.

Raikkonen leads Alonso by 9s at the end of lap 23, then it's Barrichello followed by Ralf, Button , Trulli, Heidfeld, Schumacher, da Matta & Webber. Rubens meanwhile posts the fastest time of the day.. why now and not before his stop?

Must mention Justin Wilson who is running in thirteenth ahead of Pizzonia, Montoya and Verstappen. Yes, we appreciate the others have had problems but let's give this guy some credit, he's one lap behind Raikkonen in a Minardi.

Barrichello closes on Alonso but his times are dropping, he's now posting 1:38s compared to 1:36s a couple of laps back.

End of lap 26 and Kimi leads Alonso by 10.9s as Michael makes his first scheduled pit stop of the day. The German is out in 8.4s and demoted to eleventh. On the next lap he sets a personal best in the third sector.

Whether it's the dirty air or whatever, Rubens is now 2.4s behind Alonso, but posting times in the 1:40s.

Lap 28, half distance and Kimi leads Alonso by 13.4s then we have Barrichello, Ralf, Button, Trulli, Heidfeld, da Matta, Webber, Michael, Frentzen, Firman, Wilson, Pizzonia, Montoya and Wilson.

Rubens is now 1.4s behind Alonso and running in the 1:37s.

Montoya makes his second stop of the day, this time it's merely for fuel. The Colombian will be bitterly disappointed with what's happened here today.

Raikkonen meanwhile is setting a blistering pace extending his lead to 15s. Trulli meanwhile is all over the back of Button, the Renault extremely impressive under braking. Unfortunately the Renault is down on power compared to the Honda-powered BAR which means the Italian is losing ground where it really matters, on the straights.

As he watches his mirrors for Trulli, Button is also closing on Ralf.

Raikkonen leads by 17.8s at the end of lap 34 while Rubens is right on Alonso's tail but clearly unable to do anything about it. If the Brazilian can get by he might be able to do something about closing the gap to the McLaren, but on this evidence he simply doesn't have the pace.

Button makes another pit stop as does Heidfeld, closely followed by Alonso. The Spaniard is out again in 9.5s as Barrichello immediately ups his pace.

With Button out of the way Trulli now closes on Ralf Schumacher, while Webber pulls into the pits and parks the Jaguar, its race seemingly over.

Trulli pits at the end of lap 36 and there's a problem, his fuel flap actually closes. Whether it's a fault on the Renault or the Italian got it wrong isn't clear at this moment, however it's lost him time and some points.

38 laps completed and Michael is finally in the points, albeit it two for seventh. Meanwhile Rubens makes his final stop of the day, the Brazilian out in 8.6s. The Ferrari returns to the track ahead of Alonso.

Raikkonen now leads Barrichello by a massive 50s with Alonso a further 12s behind. Another quiet day for Ralf who is running a solitary race in fourth.

At the end of lap 40 Kimi makes his final stop, out in 8.4s he retains his lead and returns to the track with a 22s lead.

Michael Schumacher closes on Button and Trulli for fifth, the German giving no quarter. Trulli panics and goes wide allowing the Ferrari through, while Button tries to keep the World Champion at bay. At the end of the back straight Schumacher makes his move, he's through and sets off after his brother.

As in Melbourne, the problems - here of his own making - bring out the best in the World Champion.

Michael is now 12s behind his brother and immediately sets a personal best in the first sector and again in the second, red mist time in that red and yellow helmet?

Schumacher pits, another fuel stop as Ferrari's strategy gamble clearly hasn't worked. All that effort from the German for so little.

At the end of lap 43, Raikkonen leads Barrichello by 27s, followed by Alonso, Ralf, Button, Trulli, Michael, Heidfeld, da Matta and Firman.

Schumacher never gives up however and is immediately back on the pace setting another personal best then best of the day in the second sector. Meanwhile Pizzonia becomes the seventh retirement of the day, Wilson having parked the car in his garage on the previous lap.

1:36.412 fastest lap of the day for Schumacher. Barrichello meanwhile appears to have settled for second - after all the new points system allows this - the gap to Raikkonen now up to 30s.

With 8 laps remaining it looks as though the front runners have already settled into their respective positions. Raikkonen leads Barrichello, Alonso, Ralf, Button, Trulli, Michael and Heidfeld.

Trulli continues to hustle Button, as da Matta makes a splash 'n' dash.

50 laps completed and Kimi's lead is now up to 31.6s while Alonso is 16.2s behind Barrichello. As Trulli and Button squabble over fifth, Raikkonen who is about to lap the feuding duo keeps a watching eye, he doesn't want to get caught up in their fight.

Trulli makes his move but fluffs it and spins, Schumacher sees the opportunity and ups his pace, the Italian gets his car going in the right direction again but Schumacher is all over him.

Whether it's tyre wear we don't know, certainly not engine power, but Trulli appears to pull away from the German. Perhaps Michael feels he 'owes' Trulli after the first corner incident.

35.6s is the gap as Raikkonen is lapping almost a full second quicker than Barrichello, everyone seems content merely to finish.

Kimi has it all sewn up and on the pit-wall Ron Dennis appears to shed a tear. It's easy to say that the Finn's fist victory has been a long time coming but this is only his third season!

A great win for the Finn as Button has major problems and loses places to Trulli and Schumacher on the last lap.

A great win for Kimi, well deserved. A mature, professional performance. A so-so performance from Barrichello, one has to feel that the Brazilian didn't push as hard as he could.

A fantastic performance from Fernando Alonso and another quiet Sunday for Ralf. After a difficult eventful afternoon Jarno Trulli fully deserves his fifth place, while Michael deserved something for his never-say-die attitude. Commiserations to Jenson Button for missing out on a fifth place that he so richly deserved, but at least he gets BAR into the points.

All in all another eventful race, and a reason for F1 to celebrate as Raikkonen and Alonso 'come of age'.