The Spanish Grand Prix proved what the build-up to the race had suggested, that the Ferraris are out in front in this year's design race and Kimi Raikkonen in particular has hit a rich vein of form.

With a one-two for the red cars from Maranello - Felipe Massa drove a solid race to finish second - Raikkonen has now extended his world championship lead after four races from three to nine points from Lewis Hamilton in second.

For the McLarens it was a mixed and dramatic afternoon. Hamilton who started fifth on the grid, made an excellent start and got ahead of Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber and then drove a steady race to finish third, with Kubica tracking him all the way to the finish.

Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, meanwhile, endured a frightening high-speed crash on Lap 22 when his front left wheel exploded going through turn 9. The Finn's car buried itself and him in the tyre wall, but fortunately he appears to have escaped with only concussion and a sore elbow.

The hometown hero Fernando Alonso, starting from second on the grid in what some of his fans have dubbed the Renault "family car", was immediately taken by Massa and then drove unchallenged in third place until, predictably, he became the first of the leaders to pit.

At the halfway point, Alonso had just inherited fifth place from BMW's Nick Heidfeld (who was penalised for re-fuelling when the pitlane was closed), when the Spaniard's engine caught fire, ending his race, to the disappointment of his thousands of fans.

Only 13 cars finished a race which saw several overheating after the long safety car period during which Kovalainen was recovered from his heavily-damaged motor.