Spain's Fernando Alonso made history on Sunday when he won the Hungarian Grand Prix to become the youngest ever winner of a Formula One world championship race.

The 22-year-old Spaniard led from start to finish winning by 16.768 seconds from Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren with Williams drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher in third and fourth. David Coulthard, in a McLaren, Jaguar's Mark Webber, Renault's Jarno Trulli and world champion Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari completed the points-scoring places.

Alonso beat Kiwi Bruce McLaren's record as the youngest winner which was set in 1959. The result also threw the race for the world title wide open with just three rounds left. Michael Schumacher now leads by just one point from Montoya and two from Raikkonen.

It was a dramatic day for Williams pair Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. On the first lap, Ralf had spun and slipped to 16th place from second while Montoya went from fourth to eighth before both men mounted their stunning fightback. Alonso was never troubled and at the halfway stage of the 70-lap race, he had built up a 25 sec lead over Raikkonen.

At that stage, Montoya was fourth and Ralf was fifth with Michael Schumacher down in eighth place. Alonso had stormed into the lead while Montoya and Ralf Schumacher slipped back at the start. Spaniard Alonso led from pole and after three laps was already over seven seconds ahead of Webber in second with Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello in third.

Michael Schumacher was down in seventh place at that stage. Alonso built up a 21-second lead as he pitted on lap 13, handing the lead to Raikkonen while Webber pitted at the same time. But once the first set of stops had been completed, the Spaniard was back in front with a 24-second lead over Raikkonen who had relegated Webber to third.

Jarno Trulli was holding fourth ahead of Montoya and Michael Schumacher. Barrichello saw his race come to a dramatic end when the Brazilian lost the rear left wheel on his car at turn one on lap 20 at 170kmh. "I was just a passenger," said Barrichello. "There was a suspension failure. I lost the brakes and there was nothing I could do about it. I just thank God that I am alright."

Jacques Villeneuve's miserable season continued when his BAR was retired due to hydraulic failure while Ralf Schumacher was down in seventh place just ahead of McLaren's David Coulthard. Ralf got past his brother on lap 29 to take sixth place while Alonso stopped again on the same lap with a 26.6sec lead over Raikkonen and emerged still in the lead.

Alonso stopped for the final time on lap 48 and was still in charge consistently enjoying a 20-second advantage over Raikkonen. Michael Schumacher suffered the indignity of being lapped by the Spaniard while Montoya recovered from a late spin to keep his position.