CRUISE CONTROL; Fernando Alonso continues his F1 domination.(Motorsports)

Byline: NIGEL ROEBUCK

No question about it, Fernando Alonso has this Formula One thing worked out. At Silverstone the world champion scored his fifth win of the season, his third in a row. Pole position, 10 points, fastest lap-the full set.

Qualifying suggested this one might be close, for while the Renault was quickest, Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren-Mercedes and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari were near at hand. And while Raikkonen admitted his had been a banzai effort-"The car was okay, as good as it could be, anyway''-Schumacher gave the impression he had qualified with more fuel than most, and so thought he was in good shape for the race.

Alonso led from the start, and while Raikkonen put on some pressure in the early laps, Alonso was never seriously threatened. Schumacher got ahead of the McLaren after the second round of pit stops, but the Renault was down the road, gone. Afterward, both Schu-macher and Raikkonen faced reality: They just weren't quick enough.

Throughout the weekend these three were in a different class from the rest, their teammates unable to keep pace with them. That said, Giancarlo Fisichella, Felipe Massa and Juan Pablo Montoya maintained the Renault-Ferrari-McLaren pattern, finishing fourth, fifth and sixth, with the ever-improving BMWs of Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve taking the remaining points.

It was not by any means the most stimulating race you have ever seen, and it raised again the eternal question in F1: When will something be done to make overtaking easier?

"The aerodynamics are so crucial,'' said Schumacher, "that there is no way to stick close to another car at a high-speed track like this. As soon as you get close, you start sliding around. Today was a lonely race for Fernando... Okay, there was a bit of action between me and Kimi, but it really wasn't that exciting, was it? It's been like this for a long time.''