Michael Schumacher's five-year reign as world champion is finished and there could be a new younger driver atop formula One within a week.

Schumacher's 10th-place finished in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix mathematically eliminated him from the 2005 championship race.

Fernando Alonso's second-place result set up the possibility that the 24-year-old Spaniard could clinch this season's title at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. The generational switch left Juan Pablo Montoya's victory from the pole almost unnoticed.

"The championship was obviously lost a while ago, but we have had a lot of good years before this one," said Schumacher, whose slim chances of staying in the championship hunt evaporated when he drove off track near the end of the race, damaging his car.

Alonso holds a 27-point lead over rival Kimi Raikkonen with four races remaining. "With some good luck and some strong races I hope to get the championship very soon," Alonso said.

With Rubens Barrichello placing 12th after suffering a mid-race tire puncture, Ferrari gained no points for the second straight race. Last year, Barrichello led Schumacher in an all-Ferrari 1-2 finish at its home race.

"We are very disappointed for our fans and our staff who were here in the grandstand," Ferrari team director Jean Todt said. "The main problem afflicting us is a lack of (tire) grip and all we can do is continue to work with our partners at Bridgestone to fix it."

Source: Xinhua