Fernando Alonso won his second straight Formula One championship Sunday by finishing runner-up to Felipe Massa in the Brazilian Grand Prix, a race that marked the end of Michael Schumacher's mighty career.

Schumacher, a seven-time Formula One champion, needed to win his final race before retirement to keep alive his remote chance of another title. But he punctured a tire less than 10 laps into the race, dropped out of contention early and finished fourth.

Alonso entered the race needing to finish eighth or better to secure the championship. Last year, he became F1's youngest champion by finishing third.

Massa, Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, won the race from the pole before an adoring home crowd at Interlagos. Honda's Jenson Button was third.

Schumacher's trouble made things easier for Alonso, who started in fourth place but moved up to second halfway through the 71-lap race.

Schumacher jumped from 10th to seventh on the first lap, but a flat left-rear tire entering the ninth lap shattered his chances. He had just passed sixth-placed Giancarlo Fisichella on the outside of the first turn when the tire blew, forcing him to slowly return to the pits.

He changed tires and returned to the track in 18th place, more than a minute behind race leader Massa and out of the running barely 15 minutes into the race.

© The Canadian Press, 2007