It was the first time that the two had fought so closely for a race victory all the way to the chequered flag, and Alonso’s superb win appeared to signal a changing of the guard.
We didn’t know it at the time but Imola was to be a rare high for a Ferrari team strangled by that year’s tyre regulations – Alonso’s main title opposition was to come from McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, who should have won the San Marino event.
