SEPANG : Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella claimed the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday for his third win in Formula One. In second place was teammate Fernando Alonso, 4.5 seconds behind, while Honda's Jenson Button took third in the 56-lap race at the 5.5-kilometre (3.4-mile) Sepang International Circuit.

It was only the second Renault 1-2 finish ever, with the last coming 24 years ago at the 1982 French Grand Prix.

"It was important for me to do my best," said Fisichella, who dedicated the win to his friend, Pietro, who died in an accident a week ago. "It was really hot. In the middle of the race you are tired. It is important to concentrate." he added,

"It is the opposite of last year," added Fisichella, who won in Australia in 2005 but fell off the championship wagon with a series of failures on the track.

Fisichella's elation was in stark contrast to last week at Bahrain, when he began swearing into the team radio when he dropped out after 21 laps.

Alonso and Michael Schumacher, who share the last six World championships between them, started seventh and 14th on the grid after engine changes shuffled the starting line-up after qualifying.

Ferrari's Schumacher had the fourth fastest time in qualifying but dropped down the starting order because of an unscheduled engine change. Ferrari was uncertain of the reliability of the new V8 engine after the opening race. He finished behind teammate Felipe Massa in sixth place on Sunday.

In control

Fisichella, who had outsped both Schumacher and Alonso with the fastest qualifying time, controlled the race from the start. The Italian led until his first pit stop on the 17th lap when he was the first of the major contenders to pit. By the 25th lap, he was back in first with Button second and Alonso third.

The second set of stops for fuel and tyres started on the 38th lap, again with Fisichella and Button together. Alonso stayed out five laps longer, and less fuel and a lightning fast stop allowed the Spaniard to go past Button into second.

"There was no point in the race where we could have gone any quicker," said Button, who declared Honda the closest rival to Renault.

"The pace of the Renaults is very good," he said. "At the moment, it looks as though we are their closest rivals but we are not on their pace. Hopefully, we will not let them get away."

Alonso trailed Fisichella by almost 12 seconds when passed into second, but whittled the gap to about eight seconds with 10 laps left until the race-winner slowed on the final lap.

Massa, Ferrari's second driver, started on the back row because of an engine change and came in fifth less than a second ahead of Schumacher.

Jacques Villeneuve, in a BMW-Sauber, was seventh and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher, who also started on the last row, was eighth.

Raikkonen crashes out

Raikkonen, the 2003 Malaysian GP winner, had a race that lasted less than 30 seconds. He had trouble handling the car from the start and soon found himself off the track and crashing into the wall. After starting last and finishing third at Bahrain, he was sixth on the grid here.

Another star from last week also had a short race. Rookie Nico Rosberg of Williams, who had the fastest lap and came in seventh in his first race, blew his car's engine in a mass of flame and smoke on the seventh lap.

Alonso, who had won here in 2005, leads the current drivers' standings with 18 points.

"We'll be competitive everywhere," he said. "Eighteen points in two races, it was what I dreamed before Bahrain."

The next race is the Australian Grand Prix on April 2. — Agencies

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