2005 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Kimi Räikkönen won a slippery Belgian Grand Prix, but McLaren lost another likely one-two when Juan Pablo Montoya was hit late in the race. Fernando Alonso inherited second to move closer to the title, with Jenson Button completing the podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren
Pole time	1:46.391
Fastest lap	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota
Fastest-lap time	1:51.453 on lap 43
First	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Second	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Third	Jenson Button	BAR

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
9 September 2005	Practice 1	11:00
9 September 2005	Practice 2	14:00
10 September 2005	Practice 3	09:00
10 September 2005	Practice 4	10:15
10 September 2005	Qualifying	13:00
11 September 2005	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Fernando Alonso arrived at round 16 leading the 2005 F1 World Championship on 103 points, with Kimi Räikkönen on 76. Renault headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 144 points.

Race entries

Antonio Pizzonia continued at Williams in place of Nick Heidfeld. The other race line-ups were unchanged, with Alexander Wurz taking McLaren’s Friday car and Toccacelo again appearing for Minardi. Spa’s uncertain weather promised a very different challenge from the previous weekend at Monza.

Free Practice

Kimi Räikkönen narrowly led Alexander Wurz on a drying track in Friday’s first session. Toccacelo crashed, and Antonio Pizzonia went off near the end. Toyota brought work forward because heavy afternoon rain was expected, allowing Ricardo Zonta to compare shallow wet-weather tyres with dry tyres and the race drivers to gather at least some dry-running information.

Torrential rain effectively wiped out the afternoon. Vitantonio Liuzzi aquaplaned into the barriers at Les Combes shortly after running began, bringing out the red flags. Only Vitantonio Liuzzi, Robert Doornbos and Fernando Alonso ventured out, and nobody recorded a timed lap. The lost session left teams short of evidence for both tyre choice and wet-weather balance.

Kimi Räikkönen led Juan Pablo Montoya on Saturday morning as teams tried to recover Friday’s lost preparation. The disrupted schedule meant the dry-tyre decision could be made later, giving the morning sessions extra significance. Toyota worked through the balance needed for its tyre options rather than treating the opening times as a reliable measure of qualifying speed.

Fernando Alonso headed final practice, with Kimi Räikkönen and Jarno Trulli close behind. Toyota continued debating its tyre choice right up to qualifying, and Ralf Schumacher found the car difficult to drive. With more rain threatening, the teams had to prepare for a dry qualifying lap without neglecting the prospect of a very different race.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2005 Belgian Grand Prix FP1, 9 September 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:48.206	5
2	35	Alexander Wurz	McLaren	+0.010s	18
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.413s	6
4	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+1.239s	22
5	7	Mark Webber	Williams	+1.486s	4
6	3	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.684s	7
7	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.336s	9
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+2.358s	4
9	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+2.614s	8
10	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Red Bull Racing	+2.745s	17
11	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	+2.797s	7
12	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+2.971s	5
13	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	+3.967s	7
14	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+4.030s	9
15	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	+4.942s	9
16	8	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	+5.329s	4
17	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	+5.601s	9
18	39	Nicolas Kiesa	Jordan	+6.231s	17
19	20	Robert Doornbos	Minardi	+6.767s	8
20	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	+6.968s	7
21	40	Enrico Toccacelo	Minardi	+14.296s	5
22	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
23	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2005 Belgian Grand Prix FP2, 9 September 2005

No driver set a timed lap in the torrential rain. The table lists participation only; no competitive order was established.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
—	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
—	20	Robert Doornbos	Minardi	No time	1
—	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	No time	1

Free Practice 3 Classification

2005 Belgian Grand Prix FP3, 10 September 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:48.125	7
2	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+0.391s	9
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.758s	8
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.161s	7
5	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.395s	11
6	3	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.655s	8
7	7	Mark Webber	Williams	+1.941s	5
8	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.014s	14
9	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+2.278s	8
10	8	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	+2.324s	9
11	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.326s	9
12	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	+2.625s	10
13	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.752s	8
14	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+2.782s	14
15	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	+3.530s	8
16	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	+3.828s	9
17	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	+5.125s	8
18	20	Robert Doornbos	Minardi	+5.153s	8
19	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	+5.355s	5
20	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	No time	1

Free Practice 4 Classification

2005 Belgian Grand Prix FP4, 10 September 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:46.307	14
2	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.334s	11
3	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.374s	15
4	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+0.551s	8
5	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.742s	16
6	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+0.747s	16
7	3	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.112s	14
8	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.200s	15
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.466s	12
10	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.684s	14
11	8	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	+1.785s	13
12	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	+1.897s	15
13	7	Mark Webber	Williams	+1.906s	11
14	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.244s	16
15	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.559s	12
16	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+2.570s	11
17	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	+2.859s	12
18	20	Robert Doornbos	Minardi	+2.901s	15
19	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	+4.433s	13
20	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	+5.287s	14

Qualifying

Juan Pablo Montoya took pole ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, giving McLaren control of the front row. Giancarlo Fisichella was third quickest but received an engine-change penalty, promoting Jarno Trulli to third on the grid ahead of Fernando Alonso. Ralf Schumacher started fifth.

The session remained dry enough for the main contest despite occasional spots of rain. Jarno Trulli put together an especially strong lap after Toyota’s uncertain morning, while the Renaults faced the task of disrupting a McLaren one-two on Sunday. Giancarlo Fisichella’s penalty left him thirteenth.

Qualifying Classification

2005 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying, 10 September 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	1:46.391	3
2	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:46.440	3
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:46.497	3
4	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:46.596	3
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:46.760	3
6	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:47.401	3
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:47.476	3
8	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:47.867	3
9	3	Jenson Button	BAR	1:47.978	3
10	7	Mark Webber	Williams	1:48.071	3
11	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:48.353	3
12	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:48.508	3
13	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:48.550	3
14	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	1:48.889	3
15	8	Antônio Pizzonia	Williams	1:48.898	3
16	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	1:48.994	3
17	20	Robert Doornbos	Minardi	1:49.779	3
18	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	1:49.842	3
19	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	1:51.498	3
20	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	1:51.675	3

Giancarlo Fisichella started the race from 13th place – the result of a ten-place grid penalty given for an engine change between final practice and qualifying on the Saturday.

What happened in the 2005 Belgian Grand Prix?

The damp race became a test of tyre judgement as well as speed. Giancarlo Fisichella’s accident at Eau Rouge brought out the safety car, and Takuma Sato later ran into Michael Schumacher, retiring both cars. Several drivers lost time trying dry tyres before the circuit was ready for them.

Kimi Räikkönen moved ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya through the pit-stop sequence and established control. McLaren looked set to finish first and second until Antonio Pizzonia collided with Juan Pablo Montoya while trying to unlap himself. Fernando Alonso moved into second, preserving a valuable championship return from a difficult afternoon.

Kimi Räikkönen won from Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, with Mark Webber fourth after a successful late switch to dry tyres. Rubens Barrichello, Jacques Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Tiago Monteiro completed the points. Fernando Alonso left Spa needing only a small further score to secure the championship, while Juan Pablo Montoya’s retirement also cost McLaren in the constructors’ contest.

After the race, Fernando Alonso headed the drivers’ standings with 111 points, followed by Kimi Räikkönen on 86. Renault led the constructors’ table on 152, with McLaren on 146.

2005 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 2005 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 11 September 2005, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	44	1:30:01.295	10
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	44	+ 28.394	8
3	3	Jenson Button	BAR	44	+ 32.077	6
4	7	Mark Webber	Williams	44	+ 1:09.167	5
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	44	+ 1:18.136	4
6	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	44	+ 1:27.435	3
7	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	44	+ 1:27.574	2
8	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	43	+ 1 Lap	1
9	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	43	+ 1 Lap	0
10	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	43	+ 1 Lap	0
11	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	43	+ 1 Lap	0
12	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	42	+ 2 Laps	0
13	20	Robert Doornbos	Minardi	41	+ 3 Laps	0
14	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	40	Collision	0
15	8	Antônio Pizzonia	Williams	39	Collision	0
Ret	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	34	Accident	0
Ret	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	18	Engine	0
Ret	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	13	Collision	0
Ret	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	13	Collision	0
Ret	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	10	Accident	0

Robert Doornbos and Christijan Albers started the race from the pitlane.

2005 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	43	1:51.453	225.329
2	7	Mark Webber	Williams	44	1:52.287	223.655
3	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	43	1:52.582	223.069
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	44	1:52.590	223.053
5	3	Jenson Button	BAR	44	1:53.323	221.610
6	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	34	1:53.810	220.662
7	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	44	1:54.251	219.810
8	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	43	1:55.885	216.711
9	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	14	1:55.988	216.518
10	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	31	1:56.131	216.252
11	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	3	1:56.953	214.732
12	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	9	1:57.117	214.431
13	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	10	1:57.444	213.834
14	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	10	1:57.534	213.670
15	8	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	32	1:57.541	213.658
16	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	28	1:57.748	213.282
17	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	41	1:57.886	213.032
18	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	8	1:58.451	212.016
19	20	Robert Doornbos	Minardi	38	2:01.148	207.296
20	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	6	2:01.627	206.480

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2005 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2005 Belgian Grand Prix.

2005 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	111
2	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	86
3	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	55
4	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	McLaren	50
5	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	43
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Renault	41
7	Ralf Schumacher	German	Toyota	37
8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	35
9	Jenson Button	British	BAR	30
10	Mark Webber	Australian	Williams	29
11	Nick Heidfeld	German	Williams	28
12	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	21
13	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Sauber	9
14	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Sauber	8
15	Tiago Monteiro	Portuguese	Jordan	7
16	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	McLaren	6
17	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	Jordan	5
18	Christian Klien	Austrian	Red Bull Racing	5
19	Christijan Albers	Dutch	Minardi	4
20	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	McLaren	4
21	Patrick Friesacher	Austrian	Minardi	3
22	Antônio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Williams	2
23	Takuma Sato	Japanese	BAR	1
24	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Red Bull Racing	1
25	Robert Doornbos	Dutch	Minardi	0
–	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	Toyota	0
–	Anthony Davidson	British	BAR	0

2005 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Renault	152
2	McLaren	146
3	Ferrari	90
4	Toyota	80
5	Williams	59
6	BAR	31
7	Red Bull Racing	27
8	Sauber	17
9	Jordan	12
10	Minardi	7

2005 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2005 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	6 March
2	2005 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	20 March
3	2005 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	3 April
4	2005 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	24 April
5	2005 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	8 May
6	2005 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	22 May
7	2005 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	29 May
8	2005 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
9	2005 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	19 June
10	2005 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	3 July
11	2005 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
12	2005 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	24 July
13	2005 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	31 July
14	2005 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	21 August
15	2005 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	4 September
16	2005 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	11 September
17	2005 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	25 September
18	2005 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
19	2005 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	16 October