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From Expat-Village.com Formula 1
Expat Village is edited and published by Iain Williams in Caracas, Venezuela.
Bahrain, March 12 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren) Alonso began his title defence in winning style but was pushed all the way by a rejuvenated Ferrari with Schumacher determined to bury the misery of 2005. The Spaniard was only certain of victory when he emerged ahead of the German from the final round of pit stops. Raikkonen charged from the back of the grid to claim the final podium spot. Malaysia, March 19 1. Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault), 2. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3. Jenson Button (Honda) Fisichella clinched his third career win leading from pole position and thwarting challenges from Button and Alonso. The world champion passed Button to seal Renault's first 1-2 as a constructor since the 1982 French Grand Prix. Schumacher was sixth, a credible performance after he and team mate Felipe Massa started from the back of the grid after engine failures on their Ferraris. Australia, April 2 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2. Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren), 3. Ralf Schumacher (Toyota) A bizarre afternoon in Melbourne saw Alonso take victory while Raikkonen's McLaren, with a damaged nosecone, took second spot. Pole sitter Jenson Button lost the lead early on and then retired with an engine fire in his Honda. The safety car was required four times while Michael Schumacher failed to make the end when his Ferrari hit the pit wall and limped back to the pits as he fell 17 points behind Alonso in the title race. San Marino, April 23 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3. Juan Pablo Montoya (McLaren) Michael Schumacher ended his long drought without a competitive victory when he held off a fierce challenge from Alonso. The 37-year-old increased his record number of wins to 85 and won on the Italian team's home Imola circuit for the seventh time. It was his and Ferrari's first win since 2005's controversial United States Grand Prix when all of the Michelin-tyred cars pulled out, but his first against a full field since the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 2004, 18 months earlier. European Grand Prix, Nurburgring, May 7 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) Schumacher capitalised on a perfect pit-stop strategy to win in front of his home crowd and register his fifth win here. He stayed out three laps longer than Alonso at the second round of pit-stops and put in three stunning laps to overhaul the Renault driver and win by 3.7 seconds. In doing so, the seven-times world champion cut Alonso's lead in the standings to 13 points. Spain, May 14 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 3. Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault) Alonso made history when he became the first home winner of the Spanish Grand Prix. He finished 18.5secs ahead of Schumacher after starting from pole to deliver the 11th victory of his career and increase his lead in the championship to 15 points. Schumacher gave his all in front of the 130,000 crowd but after starting from third behind the two Renaults and leading during the pit-stops he was unable to close the gap on the Spaniard. Monaco, May 25 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2. Juan Pablo Montoya (McLaren), 3. David Coulthard (Red Bull) Alonso won from pole position with Schumacher trailing in fifth place after he had been sent to the back of the grid in disgrace. The German had clocked the fastest time in qualifying but was penalised for deliberately stopping on the circuit to prevent his rivals from improving their times. Alonso, who opened up a 21-point gap over the seven-time champion, dedicated his win to Michelin tyres chief Edouard Michelin, who died two days before the race. Britain, June 11 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Alonso opened up 23-point gap with his fifth win of the season after leading from pole. It was Renault's first Silverstone win as a constructor since 1983. Schumacher was 13.9secs behind while Raikkonen took his first podium finish for five races. Canada, June 25 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren) Alonso's faultless display gives him his sixth win of the season and a 25-point lead over Schumacher. The world champion started from pole position and led almost every one of the race's 70 laps to win by 2.1 seconds. Schumacher finished second, overtaking Raikkonen on the penultimate lap when the 26-year-old Finn ran wide. USA, July 2 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 3. Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault) Schumacher cruised to his third win of the season as he led home Ferrari's first one-two of the year after an incident-filled race. He beat his Brazilian team mate Massa by 7.9 seconds as he took a record fifth win at the Indianapolis circuit and the 87th of his career to cut Alonso's lead in the championship to 19 points. Seven cars were eliminated in two separate incidents while Alonso, mysteriously off the pace all weekend, trailed home in a disappointing fifth. France, July 16 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) In stifling temperatures of 35 degrees at Magny Cours, Schumacher maintained his mid-season revival as he drove a faultless race from pole. He won by 10.1secs and his victory cut Alonso's advantage in the title race from 19 to 17 points. It was Schumacher's eighth victory in the French Grand Prix, the 88th of his career and his fourth win in 11 races this year. Germany, July 30 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren) Another faultless Schumacher drive as the German begins to dream of an eighth world title after cutting Alonso's lead from 17 to 11 points after the Spaniard struggled to fifth place in his Renault. For Massa, the result equalled his best finish in Formula One, and was his third visit to the podium this year. A clearly rattled Alonso, celebrating his 25th birthday, ran wide on lap 62 and almost took team-mate Fisichella off as he rejoined the race. Hungary, August 6 1. Jenson Button (Honda), 2. Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren), 3. Nick Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber) In his 113th race, Button finally wins a Grand Prix at a wild and rain-swept Hungaroring after starting from 14th place. Alonso crashed out while Schumacher also abandoned but was classified as eighth place to earn a point after Poland's Robert Kubica was disqualified. De la Rosa, who replaced Montoya in mid-season, was second in a McLaren and Nick Heidfeld was third. Pole-sitting Raikkonen failed to score after crashing. Turkey, August 27 1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 2. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) Massa scored his maiden victory from pole as Alonso fended off a fierce challenge from Schumacher. Massa triumphed by 5.5 seconds from Alonso who had to fight off the seven-time champion several times over the last 15 laps to take a vital second place by just a car's length. The Spaniard increased his championship lead over the German to 12 points with four races left. Italy, Sept 10 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren), 3. Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) Schumacher announces he will retire at the end of the season and cuts Alonso's lead to just two points with his 90th career win. Alonso was forced to retire after 44 laps of the 53-lap race when his Renault engine blew up. He had been forced to start from 10th on the grid after being penalised by the race stewards. He claims the championship has been 'fixed' after his penalty was imposed for blocking Massa. Kubica makes history as the first Pole to make an F1 podium China, Oct 1 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3. Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault) Schumacher overcame the challenge of wet and dry conditions at Shanghai to triumph in a stirring race from sixth on the grid. Alonso started from pole, led for 30 laps but ended up finishing second after being beset by tyre problems. Schumacher led him home by 3.1 seconds. Schumacher and Alonso are now locked on 116 points having won seven races to the Spaniard's six with only two races to go. Japan, Oct 8 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 3. Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault) In a dramatic race, Alonso wins after Schumacher's Ferrari suffered engine failure for the first time in six years. Alonso, who hadn't won since June, trailed the German for 36 laps of the 53-laps contest before taking the lead when Schumacher limped out. It left Alonso only requiring a point at the final race in Brazil to take the title. Schumacher concedes the 2006 title. Brazil, Oct 22 1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 2. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3. Jenson Button (Honda) Local hero Massa wins as Alonso, who finishes second, confirms his second drivers' world title. Massa was supreme for Ferrari but Schumacher produced the most heroic drive. He started 10th, reached fifth briefly, suffered a puncture and then from the back of the field stormed through to finish fourth with one of the greatest drives of his remarkable career. His chances of an eighth world title had already been dashed in qualifying when a broken fuel pump on his Ferrari left him in 10th place on the grid. © Copyright 2003 by Expat-Village.com |
