NEW TITLE- HOLDER; Fernando Alonso is F1's youngest world champ.(Motorsports)

Byline: TONY DODGINS

Twenty-four years, one month and 27 days are the figures that will go into the record book. That is the age at which Spaniard Fernando Alonso became Formula One's youngest-ever world champion by finishing third in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

It is the great Emerson Fittipaldi who has lost his record. Fittipaldi was 25 years, eight months and 29 days old when he won the world title for Lotus in 1972. The man himself is an Interlagos regular, but this time he was not in Brazil to witness Alonso's achievement. Instead he was in the United Kingdom, watching the progress of the winning Brazilian team in the inaugural A1 GP race (page 46). Fittipaldi is talking about racing in the new Grand Prix Masters series despite a fast-approaching 60th birthday and a spine full of titanium. Always a racer.

Michael Schumacher, for the first time in five years, went home without his world champion moniker but was among the first down to the Renault pit to offer Alonso congratulations. But the heir to his throne kept him waiting. Alonso had the King of Spain, the president and the prime minister on the telephone in quick succession. Schumacher understood.

Renault went to Brazil with significant engine and aerodynamic updates, a final roll of the dice that, they hoped, might allow them to fight McLaren and keep alive their hopes of the drivers'/constructors' championship double.

Alonso took pole position with teammate Giancarlo Fisichella third, but McLaren was right there, Juan Pablo Montoya just 0.15 second behind Alonso. Kimi Raikkonen, however, locked up heavily under braking for the first corner on his qualifying lap and lost 0.7 second. He would start fifth, behind Jenson Button's BAR-Honda. Even if Raikkonen won, Alonso needed just six points to secure the title. Third place was his target.

Alonso kept his lead through the first turn, but behind him was mayhem. David Coulthard, afflicted by understeer in qualifying, lined up his Red Bull only16th, but after a better getaway tried to go between the two BMW-Williams cars. When the gap closed, Coulthard clipped the back of Antonio Pizzonia's car and spun it into Mark Webber's sister FW27. Pizzonia and Coulthard were out on the spot, and Webber spent 25 laps in the pits while the team reconstructed the floor, radiator, suspension and bodywork.