2005 Malaysian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian Grand Prix to take the championship lead, while Jarno Trulli delivered Toyota’s first Formula 1 podium. Nick Heidfeld finished third after a dramatic clash between Giancarlo Fisichella and Mark Webber at Sepang.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Pole time	3:07.672
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:35.483 on lap 23
First	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Second	Jarno Trulli	Toyota
Third	Nick Heidfeld	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
18 March 2005	Practice 1	11:00
18 March 2005	Practice 2	14:00
19 March 2005	Practice 3	09:00
19 March 2005	Practice 4	10:15
19 March 2005	Qualifying 1	13:00
20 March 2005	Qualifying 2	11:00
20 March 2005	Race	15:00

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

Championship background

Giancarlo Fisichella arrived at round 2 leading the 2005 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 8. Renault headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 16 points.

Race entries

Takuma Sato became ill after Friday practice and withdrew on medical advice. BAR promoted reserve driver Anthony Davidson to the race seat alongside Jenson Button from Saturday onward. The other teams retained their Melbourne line-ups, with eligible teams again using third cars during Friday practice.

Free Practice

Ricardo Zonta led Friday morning for Toyota as the teams began work in Sepang’s oppressive heat. Renault completed no timed laps, preserving engine mileage while its rivals gathered data. The busy third cars occupied the leading positions, and the two-race engine requirement made the amount of running an important choice for every team.

Felipe Massa narrowly topped the afternoon, while McLaren showed encouraging pace despite Kimi Räikkönen losing running after a spin. Mark Webber was sidelined by technical trouble for the session, costing Williams valuable preparation time. Track temperatures climbed sharply, placing tyre durability and cooling at the centre of the teams’ work before the race.

Fernando Alonso moved to the front in Saturday’s first session, with Michael Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella close behind. Anthony Davidson began adapting to an unexpected race appearance after Takuma Sato’s illness, completing his first competitive weekend running since 2002. Renault’s move from limited Friday mileage to representative laps made its pace much clearer before qualifying.

Giancarlo Fisichella spun at Turns 12 and 13 during the final practice session, causing an interruption. After the restart, Jarno Trulli set the quickest time of the weekend, narrowly ahead of Christian Klien and Fernando Alonso. Toyota’s second car also ran strongly, while Anthony Davidson continued gaining mileage and the tight gaps suggested an open contest behind Renault.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2005 Malaysian Grand Prix FP1, 18 March 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	1:34.092	17
2	35	Pedro de la Rosa	McLaren	+1.052s	15
3	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Red Bull Racing	+1.599s	18
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.919s	13
5	3	Jenson Button	BAR	+2.421s	9
6	8	Nick Heidfeld	Williams	+2.459s	7
7	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+2.471s	6
8	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+2.518s	5
9	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.871s	4
10	7	Mark Webber	Williams	+2.897s	8
11	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+3.076s	5
12	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+3.246s	8
13	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	+3.274s	9
14	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+3.550s	9
15	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+3.751s	4
16	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	+4.324s	8
17	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	+5.479s	18
18	39	Robert Doornbos	Jordan	+6.197s	20
19	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	+6.283s	14
20	20	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi	+9.482s	18
21	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	+9.599s	12
22	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	No time	2
23	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	No time	2
24	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	No time	2

Free Practice 2 Classification

2005 Malaysian Grand Prix FP2, 18 March 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:35.608	19
2	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+0.012s	13
3	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+0.069s	30
4	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.111s	6
5	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+0.230s	16
6	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.233s	16
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.341s	7
8	3	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.384s	19
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.495s	15
10	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.967s	20
11	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.233s	18
12	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+1.360s	19
13	35	Pedro de la Rosa	McLaren	+1.425s	31
14	4	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.436s	18
15	8	Nick Heidfeld	Williams	+1.459s	17
16	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.662s	22
17	39	Robert Doornbos	Jordan	+2.270s	23
18	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	+2.513s	19
19	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	+3.247s	21
20	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Red Bull Racing	+3.741s	11
21	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	+4.147s	21
22	20	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi	+5.332s	19
23	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	+5.548s	16
24	7	Mark Webber	Williams	No time	2

Free Practice 3 Classification

2005 Malaysian Grand Prix FP3, 19 March 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:34.715	5
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.168s	10
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.215s	6
4	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.339s	9
5	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.858s	6
6	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+0.930s	10
7	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+1.135s	8
8	3	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.447s	7
9	8	Nick Heidfeld	Williams	+1.719s	3
10	7	Mark Webber	Williams	+1.750s	5
11	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.173s	11
12	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+2.188s	7
13	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.272s	6
14	4	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+2.334s	12
15	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+2.489s	10
16	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	+3.135s	6
17	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	+3.729s	11
18	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	+4.634s	12
19	20	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi	+6.683s	15
20	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	+7.308s	16

Free Practice 4 Classification

2005 Malaysian Grand Prix FP4, 19 March 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:32.832	12
2	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+0.038s	9
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.048s	11
4	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+0.119s	11
5	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.260s	10
6	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.362s	8
7	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.517s	12
8	8	Nick Heidfeld	Williams	+0.636s	5
9	7	Mark Webber	Williams	+0.685s	10
10	4	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.748s	15
11	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+0.857s	10
12	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.111s	11
13	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.170s	10
14	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.270s	10
15	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	+2.700s	9
16	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	+4.992s	10
17	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	+5.294s	8
18	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	+5.841s	12
19	20	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi	+6.142s	12

Qualifying

Fernando Alonso headed Saturday’s low-fuel session, with Jarno Trulli close enough to keep Toyota in the pole contest. The second lap on Sunday morning, now carrying race fuel, was added to the first rather than replacing it. Fernando Alonso retained the best aggregate time and secured pole.

Jarno Trulli joined him on the front row, ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella and Mark Webber. Kimi Räikkönen qualified sixth, while both Ferraris were further down the order. The combined result confirmed Renault’s speed and gave Toyota a genuine opportunity to turn its promising practice into a breakthrough race result.

Qualifying Classification

2005 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying, 19 March 2005 and 20 March 2005

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	First qualifying	Second qualifying	Aggregate	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:32.582	1:35.090	3:07.672	6
2	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:32.672	1:35.253	3:07.925	6
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:32.765	1:35.683	3:08.448	6
4	7	Mark Webber	Williams	1:33.204	1:35.700	3:08.904	6
5	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:33.106	1:35.901	3:09.007	6
6	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:32.839	1:36.644	3:09.483	6
7	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	1:33.724	1:35.865	3:09.589	6
8	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:33.809	1:35.891	3:09.700	6
9	3	Jenson Button	BAR	1:33.616	1:36.216	3:09.832	6
10	8	Nick Heidfeld	Williams	1:33.464	1:36.453	3:09.917	6
11	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	1:33.333	1:36.757	3:10.090	6
12	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:34.162	1:37.340	3:11.502	6
13	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:34.072	1:37.561	3:11.633	6
14	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:34.151	1:37.733	3:11.884	6
15	4	Anthony Davidson	BAR	1:34.866	1:37.024	3:11.890	6
16	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	1:34.887	1:38.108	3:12.995	6
17	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	1:37.806	1:39.850	3:17.656	6
18	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	1:37.856	1:40.106	3:17.962	6
19	20	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi	1:39.268	1:41.918	3:21.186	6
20	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	1:40.432	1:42.569	3:23.001	6

Patrick Friesacher received a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change.

What happened in the 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix?

Fernando Alonso led away from Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella. Both BARs suffered early engine failures, ending Anthony Davidson’s unexpected return and Jenson Button’s challenge almost immediately. Kimi Räikkönen later lost time to a puncture, while Jacques Villeneuve spun out of the race.

Mark Webber caught Giancarlo Fisichella and attacked around the outside of the final corner, but contact sent the Renault over the Williams and eliminated both. Nick Heidfeld inherited third, while Fernando Alonso remained comfortably in control ahead of Jarno Trulli. Ferrari’s difficult weekend continued as Rubens Barrichello retired and Michael Schumacher fought for the lower points positions.

Fernando Alonso won from Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld, with Juan Pablo Montoya fourth and Ralf Schumacher fifth. David Coulthard, Michael Schumacher and Christian Klien completed the points. Toyota celebrated its first podium, while Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish driver to lead the Formula 1 drivers’ championship.

After the race, Fernando Alonso headed the drivers’ standings with 16 points, followed by Giancarlo Fisichella on 10. Renault led the constructors’ table on 26, with Toyota on 12.

2005 Malaysian Grand Prix race results

The 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix was held on 20 March 2005, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	56	1:31:33.736	10
2	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	56	+24.327	8
3	8	Nick Heidfeld	Williams	56	+32.188	6
4	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	56	+41.631	5
5	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	56	+51.854	4
6	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	56	+1:12.543	3
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	56	+1:19.988	2
8	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	56	+1:20.835	1
9	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	56	+1:21.580	0
10	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	55	+1 Lap	0
11	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	54	+2 Laps	0
12	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	53	+3 Laps	0
13	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	52	+4 Laps	0
Ret	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	49	Handling	0
Ret	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	36	Collision	0
Ret	7	Mark Webber	Williams	36	Collision	0
Ret	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	26	Spun Off	0
Ret	3	Jenson Button	BAR	2	Engine	0
Ret	4	Anthony Davidson	BAR	2	Engine	0
Ret	20	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi	2	Spun Off	0

2005 Malaysian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	23	1:35.483	208.987
2	8	Nick Heidfeld	Williams	40	1:35.712	208.487
3	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	18	1:35.816	208.261
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	18	1:35.899	208.081
5	7	Mark Webber	Williams	20	1:36.026	207.806
6	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	21	1:36.182	207.469
7	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	15	1:36.321	207.169
8	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	42	1:36.585	206.603
9	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	18	1:36.790	206.165
10	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	22	1:36.878	205.978
11	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	17	1:36.902	205.927
12	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	41	1:36.982	205.757
13	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	18	1:37.212	205.270
14	3	Jenson Button	BAR	2	1:37.912	203.803
15	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber	18	1:38.058	203.499
16	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan	18	1:39.833	199.881
17	18	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan	36	1:40.432	198.689
18	4	Anthony Davidson	BAR	2	1:41.470	196.657
19	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi	12	1:42.465	194.747
20	20	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi	2	1:43.558	192.692

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 Malaysian Grand Prix.

2005 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	16
2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Renault	10
3	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	8
4	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	8
5	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	8
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	McLaren	8
7	Nick Heidfeld	German	Williams	6
8	Ralf Schumacher	German	Toyota	4
9	Mark Webber	Australian	Williams	4
10	Christian Klien	Austrian	Red Bull Racing	3
11	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	2
12	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	1
13	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Sauber	0
14	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	Jordan	0
15	Tiago Monteiro	Portuguese	Jordan	0
16	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Sauber	0
17	Christijan Albers	Dutch	Minardi	0
18	Patrick Friesacher	Austrian	Minardi	0
–	Jenson Button	British	BAR	0
–	Takuma Sato	Japanese	BAR	0
–	Anthony Davidson	British	BAR	0

2005 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Renault	26
2	Toyota	12
3	Red Bull Racing	11
4	Ferrari	10
5	Williams	10
6	McLaren	9
7	Sauber	0
8	Jordan	0
9	Minardi	0
–	BAR	0

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