Results from the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix
With the odds wide open this year at Monaco, the race was mired in shocking controversy before any of the teams had even turned up for race day. In a blatant display of unsportsmanship which the former champion has become notorious for, Michael Schumacher attempted to block his arch-rival, Fernando Alonso, from snatching pole in the dying moments of qualifying.
With the clock running down and Schumacher ahead he pulled his car up short on the track, preventing Alonso from finishing the final lap which would've certainly gifted the World Champion P1. It drew widespread condemnation from the drivers and a last place grip position for the Ferrari driver. The move eventually handed Alonso his first win on this glamorous circuit and an even stronger grip on the 2006 title.
And while everything continues to go right for Alonso, his rivals struggle with poor luck; Raikkonen retired mid-race while enjoying second place – his best this season, Button failed to feature the entire race and Schumacher had to settle for fifth after clawing his way up a field in which all but four cars were lapped.
McLaren would have been pleased and relieved with Montoya snatching Raikkonen's second place, and David Coulthard will be thrilled with his first podium finish in three years and first ever for Red Bull. Ruben's Barrichello offered some consolation to Honda finishing fourth just ahead of Schumacher, but poor Jarno Trulli threw away a potential third late in the race when his car retired.
Giancarlo Fisichella, in the other Renault, Nick Heidfeld in the Sauber and Ralf Schumacher's Toyota picked up the last of the points. Briton's Jenson Button limped home in 11th, lacking the pace of other contenders. Mark Webber was potentially eyeing a podium finish before retiring on lap 48, others who did not finish included Takuma Sato and Nico Rosberg.
Despite the race itself being uneventful, the retirement of Raikkonen called for a safety car which spelt misfortune for those pressuring Alonso at the front. The Spaniard was once again favoured by good timing when the deployment put several back markers between him and the rest of the field, enabling him to eventually build a 14 second lead, having driven much of the race watching his wing mirrors.
Alonso has now leapt to a 21 point lead over Michael Schumacher's 43 points, while Kimi Raikkonen battles it out with Fisichella, both of whom have 27. Button remains 7th this season with a mere 16 points from seven races. Renault have an unassailable lead of 91 against Ferrari's 63, while McLaren trail in third with 50
Monaco Grand Prix result:
- Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault one hour 43 minutes 43.116 seconds
- Juan Pablo Montoya (Col) McLaren-Mercedes +14.567 secs
- David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Ferrari +25.598
- Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda +53.337
- Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari +53.830
- Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault +1:02.072
- Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1 lap behind
- Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1 lap
- Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1 lap
- Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1 lap
- Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1 lap
- Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland-Toyota 1 lap
- Scott Speed (US) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1 lap
- Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1 lap
- Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland-Toyota 2 laps
- Franck Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri-Honda 3 laps
- (R) Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 5 laps
R Christian Klien (Aut) RedBull-Ferrari 56 laps completed
R Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 51 laps completed
R Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 50 laps
R Mark Webber (Aus) Williams-Cosworth 48 laps
R Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 46 laps