Results from the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix
It promised to be the penultimate race of the penultimate season for the world's greatest ever F1 driver, but the knife-edge title race went up in smoke on lap 37 in Suzuka as Michael Schumacher's dream of finishing a stellar career with an eighth championship went up in smoke. An uncharacteristic engine blow to his Ferrari handed second placed Fernando Alonso a 10 point lead in the championship with just one race remaining.
Starting in second place behind team-mate Felipe Massa, and with the two Toyotas keep Alonso and his Renault team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella back in fifth and sixth, the momentum that Schumacher had gained a week earlier in China was looking very strong. But fate intervened and the race leader, who conveniently passed Massa on lap three for the lead, could only watch in despair as Alonso gleefully took his first victory since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, followed by Massa and Fishichella, with Briton's Jenson Button again finishing fourth.
Kimi Raikkonen, who will replace Schumacher at the end of the season and give up his seat in the McLaren to Alonso, finished fifth having started outside the top 10. He was followed by Jarno Trulli in the Toyota and Nick Heidfeld in the BMW-Sauber. Heading to the Brazilian Grand Prix in two weeks time, Alonso merely has to finish in the points to retain his title. Had Schumacher triumphed in Japan, he would only have needed to finish immediately behind Alonso to snatch a storming late season title victory.
The race did however get off to an exciting start with Alonso snatching a place at the start, while his team-mate lost out to a tricky move from Jenson Button. The lightly fuelled Toyota's didn't hold up the Renault charge as expected and by lap 13 Alonso had moved up to third. A perfectly timed pit stop catapulted him into 2nd, four seconds behind Schumacher, a gap he set about reducing. The advantage that cars had on Bridgestone tyres in the wet qualifying conditions no longer held and it was shaping up to be a classic showdown.
But after Schumacher's retirement, the race was a foregone conclusion. The only other interruptions to the race were a spectacular rear suspensions failure for Christian Albers, sending debris all over the track but prompting no safety car, along with retirements from David Coulthard, Mark Webber and Scott Speed.
With both Renaults finishing well, the team stretched their lead on Ferrari in the Constructor's championship to 9 points (195). Schumacher will now be determined to win his final race, and with Alonso not willing to risk a retirement by competing fiercely, there is still everything to drive for in the Constructors' stakes. An added challenge remains between their second drivers as Massa leads Fisichella by a single point for third place in the Drivers' Title.
Japanese Grand Prix result:
- Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1hr 23 mins 53.413secs
- Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari +00:16.151
- Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 00:23.900
- Jenson Button (GB) Honda 00:34.101
- Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren 00:43.596
- Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 00:46.717
- Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 00:48.869
- Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 01:16.095
- Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 01:16.932
- Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth at 1 lap
- Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) McLaren at 1 lap
- Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda at 1 lap
- Robert Doornbos (Ned) Red Bull-Ferrari at 1 lap
- Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Scuderia Toro Rosso-Cosworth at 1 lap
- Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda at 1 lap
- Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland-Toyota at 2 laps
- Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda at 3 laps
R Scott Speed (USA) Scuderia Toro Rosso-Cosworth 48 laps completed
R Mark Webber (Aus) Williams-Cosworth 39 laps
R Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 36 laps
R David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Ferrari 35 laps
R Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland-Toyota 20 laps