MAGNY-COURS (France), July 3: Formula One leader Fernando Alonso led from start to finish to win the French Grand Prix for Renault on Sunday. The Spaniard’s fifth victory in 10 races was his most crushing of the season and stretched his overall lead to 24 points after McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, his closest rival, finished second.

With an army of blue and yellow-shirted Renault fans cheering him on under clear blue skies, Alonso crossed the line with his hand up in a ‘High Five’ as the French carmaker celebrated a first home win as a constructor for 22 years.

The 23-year-old lapped all but two cars to end a Schumacher family stranglehold on the race as the first winner in five years from outside the German family.

Ferrari’s seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who had started the day hoping to become the first driver to win the same grand prix eight times, was third.

Briton Jenson Button was fourth, finally collecting BAR’s first points of the season, with Italian Jarno Trulli fifth for Toyota.

Both Button and Trulli benefited from Italian Giancarlo Fisichella’s misfortune, Alonso’s Italian team mate stalling his Renault on the third and final pitstop after challenging Schumacher for third place.

Fisichella was sixth, ahead of Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher. Canadian Jacques Villeneuve took the final point for Sauber.

Results: 1. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:31:22.233; 2. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren +00:11.805; 3. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 01:21.914; 4. Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 1 lap; 5. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1 lap; 6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 1 lap; 7. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota 1 lap; 8. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Sauber 1 lap; 9. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1 lap; 10. David Coulthard (Britain) Red Bull 1 lap; 11. Takuma Sato (Japan) BAR 1 lap; 12. Mark Webber (Australia) Williams 2 laps; 13. Tiago Monteiro (Portugal) Jordan 3 laps; 14. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Williams 4 laps; 15. Narain Karthikeyan (India) Jordan 4 laps.—Reuters