RACE RESULT 1 M Schumacher (Ferrari) 2 F Alonso (Renault) 3 R Barrichello (Ferrari) 4 J Trulli (Renault) 5 J Button (BAR) 6 D Coulthard (McLaren) 7 K Raikkonen (McLaren) 8 JP Montoya (Williams) Race result in full Race report Pictures from Magny-Cours

"I didn't understand his strategy. We changed our plan a bit at the beginning because Ferrari stopped so early in the first stint," said Alonso.

"But I think we did the maximum we could. We pushed from begining to end.

"After my second stop Michael was in front with a good gap. In those laps he was pushing very hard and it was impossible to keep his pace."

Alonso added: "They (Ferrari) were quicker than us today and you know it doesn't matter with three or four (stops) - the timed lap of Michael today was a bit better than us.

"We were struggling a bit with the tyres, but this is normal for us. I think we have two or three very good laps with the Michelin tyre but then we drop a little bit too much."

Alonso said he was happy to get a good result after a string of problems had caused him to retire from three of the last four races.

"I have been waiting for this podium for a long time. I could have had it at each of the last two races were it not for mechanical problems, so I am really happy," he said.

"To score my best result of the year at Renault's home Grand Prix is a great feeling.

Renault furious at Trulli

"The only disappointment I feel is for Jarno [Trulli], because it would have been great to be on the podium together."

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore said: "Before the race, we thought that Ferrari were quicker than us and they demonstrated it.

"Even so, it is a great accomplishment to score our best result of the year here in France.

"Fernando was excellent throughout the race and deserves his second place. It was, though, very disappointing to see Jarno miss out on a podium by just several tenths of a second."