Who slept worst last night: Fernando Alonso

When Fernando Alonso became Formula 1 world champion in 2005, he was just 24 years old, replacing Emerson Fittipaldi as the youngest champion in the sport's history. At last, Michael Schumacher had a challenger. And although the reigning king of F1 once mistakenly called the young Spanish bull "Ferdinando" because he couldn't quite remember his name, it was Alonso who ultimately brought Schumacher's golden era to an end.

The rookie class of 2001 was an exceptional one: Alonso, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen. Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi was also on the grid for the season opener in Melbourne, with Malaysia's Alex Yoong and Czech driver Tomas Enge joining later in the year. Names that have largely faded into obscurity. But at least 50 per cent of the class of 2001 went on to greatness.