IMOLA, Italy — In a duel between Formula One's new and old leaders, Fernando Alonso went wheel to wheel with Michael Schumacher on Sunday and held on to win the San Marino Grand Prix for his third straight victory.
Alonso edged the seven-time world champion by 0.2 seconds to give Renault its fourth win in a row, a result that could signal a shift of power after years of Ferrari dominance. Renault has won every race this season, the other victory by Giancarlo Fisichella in the opening Australian Grand Prix.
"This is probably the best of the three that I've had so far," Alonso said. "It was difficult, but at the end I managed to be first."
On an overcast and humid day, Alonso and Schumacher raced 1-2 for the final 12 laps. Schumacher moved his Ferrari around the track trying to set up a pass. Each time, Alonso responded with a block. Schumacher got half his car alongside Alonso on the final lap, but Alonso would not budge.
"This was a magnificent race for Ferrari and a magnificent race for Formula One," Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said. "It was frustrating that Michael got held up for half the race, but once we had the space in front of us, you could see what the car could do."
Alonso extended his lead in the drivers standings. He has 36 points, twice as many as Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who finished seventh and remained second in the standings with 18 points. Schumacher's runner-up finish was his best result this season, leaving the German tied for third with 10 points.
Alonso called the race "one of the best fights" he's ever had.
"We had two or three corners where we were very, very close, but I was doing my maximum," the Spaniard said.
Schumacher added: "I had a couple of areas where I thought I could have had a go, but it was just not quite enough."
Alonso took the lead when pole-sitter Kimi Raikkonen retired after just eight laps with a drive shaft problem.
Schumacher started 13th after running wide onto the dirt in qualifying Sunday morning. He made up several positions early on with a later first pit stop than other top drivers. He then passed Jenson Button with an excellent move on the 47th lap to pursue Alonso.
"The pace of Michael and the Ferrari was staggering," Button said. "When he got past me there was no use trying to fight him."
Button, in a BAR Honda, was third for his first finish this season.
Alonso covered 62 laps around the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in 1 hour, 27 minutes, 41.921 seconds. This was the fourth career victory for 23-year-old Alonso, widely considered the next great Formula One driver after Schumacher.
Schumacher vastly improved on his first three races in which he finished only once — seventh in Malaysia — for the worst start of his career.
Ferrari fans cheered wildly when Schumacher passed Button and watched as the new and old stars of the sport went head to head. Afterward, they stood and applauded Schumacher's return to form and Alonso's performance under pressure.
Alonso waved three fingers in front of his on-board TV camera to mark his third straight win after the Malaysian and Bahrain GPs.
Fisichella crashed out on the sixth lap but Renault remained first in the constructor standings with 46 points, followed by Toyota with 28 and McLaren-Mercedes with 24. Ferrari moved from sixth to fourth with 18.
Alexander Wurz finished fourth in his first race since running with Benetton in 2000. Wurz was filling in for McLaren's injured Juan Pablo Montoya. Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello retired with electrical trouble after making a pit stop on the 18th lap.
Next up is Alonso's home race, the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks in Barcelona.
"I really hope we'll be able to do a big party for everyone," he said.
Schumacher, meanwhile, expects better things.
"This is a first step, and I think there is more to come," he said.