MOTOR SPORT/Formula One Championship/Italian Grand Prix:Fernando Alonso closed the gap on the championship leader, Lewis Hamilton, with a punishing display of power here yesterday.

Having on Saturday claimed his first pole position since Monaco, the defending champion yesterday led from lights to flag to narrow the gap to his team-mate to just three points with four races to go.

As the lights went out to signal the start, Hamilton seemed to bog down momentarily as Alonso blasted away, the lapse allowing third-placed Felipe Massa to push his Ferrari past the Englishman approaching the first chicane. A late braking move saw Hamilton get past the Brazilian but in cutting the chicane he risked a 10-second penalty.

But, as so often this season, luck was with the rookie; before any ruling could be contemplated, Massa began to slow, a problem with the rear of the car bringing his race to an end. After 10 laps he steered back to the garage and possibly out of title contention.

Hamilton's duel with Massa had, however, compromised the opening phase of his race, and it allowed Alonso to open a gap he was never in danger of letting slip. Afterward the Englishman claimed the Brazilian had also made contact with him in the first corner.

"I didn't get the best getaway and I saw Felipe shoot past," he said. "I outbraked both of them and was very close to taking Fernando. But Felipe clipped me and sent me over the second part of the chicane, so I lost that opportunity. Then I had a second opportunity at the restart (following a brief safety-car period after David Coulthard crashed out), but Fernando made sure to pull enough of a gap at the last corner."

It was Hamilton's last chance.

Indeed the rookie could have been further demoted had a brave strategic gamble by Ferrari's remaining driver paid off.

Off the pace throughout the pre-race test week and in practice through the grand prix weekend, Ferrari opted to bring Kimi Raikkonen into the pits just once as McLaren opted for two stops for both their drivers.

For a while it appeared the gambit might work. Raikkonen, starting from fifth on the grid, bustled past BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld and kept in touch with the quicker McLarens throughout the race, and when Hamilton made his second stop, Raikkonen, having already taken on tyres and fuel, shot past to potentially claim second.

The Briton trailed Raikkonen for a handful of laps but as his fuel burned and his tyres warmed his pace soared and he closed in.

With less than 10 laps left, he drew up on Raikkonen's gearbox on the pit straight and roared around the outside of the Ferrari to retake second and ensure Alonso didn't close the championship gap to a single point.

Aftewards Raikkonen admitted his Ferrari was just not quick enough to fight off the McLarens but also cited a sore neck sustained in a heavy accident in Saturday practice as part of the reason for his surrender.

"Probably the biggest problem was that I could not keep my head up under braking," said the Finn. "My neck is not in such a great shape after yesterday so that was the main issue. But we just didn't have the speed."

Last year Monza was where the wheels almost came off Alonso's season when he was demoted down the grid after being comically accused by the race stewards of impeding Felipe Massa in qualifying and had a troubled race that left him in danger of losing his title to Michael Schumacher. This year, it could represent a turning point, the moment when the Spaniard finally began to dominate his "disrespectful" junior, to show his team who really is the more complete driver.

"A perfect weekend for me," he admitted. "Sometimes everything seems to go in the right direction and you feel good. In Monza I always had problems here so to win here for the first time is very special."

All the more sweet as the season moves toward its final phase. Next Sunday will present the drivers with the challenge of Spa-Francorchamps, returning to the calendar after a year's absence. For many it was in an F3000 race here in 2000 that Alonso first demonstrated his credentials with a stunning race at the ultimate racers' circuits. It his territory.

1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 1hr 18mins 37.806secs

2 Lewis Hamilton (Brit) McLaren 1:18:43.806

3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:19:05.106

World Championship Standings

Drivers: 1 Lewis Hamilton (Brit) McLaren 92pts, 2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 89, 3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 74.

Manufacturers: 1 McLaren 166pts, 2 Ferrari 143, 3 BMW Sauber 86.