2006 Bahrain Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Fernando Alonso began his title defence with a hard-fought Bahrain Grand Prix victory, beating Michael Schumacher through the final pit-stop sequence. Kimi Räikkönen charged from the back to third, while debutant Nico Rosberg made an immediate impression at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:31.431
Fastest lap	Nico Rosberg	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:32.408 on lap 42
First	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Second	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Third	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 March 2006	Practice 1	11:00
10 March 2006	Practice 2	14:00
11 March 2006	Practice 3	11:00
11 March 2006	Qualifying	14:00
12 March 2006	Race	14:30

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

Championship background

The 2006 F1 World Championship introduced 2.4-litre V8 engines, a new knockout qualifying format and the return of race tyre changes. Toro Rosso alone retained a restricted V10. Fernando Alonso defended his title with Renault, while Ferrari sought a return to the front after its difficult previous season.

Race entries

Super Aguri arrived as a new team with Takuma Sato and rookie Yuji Ide. BMW Sauber, Honda, Midland and Toro Rosso continued existing operations under new ownership or names. Nico Rosberg debuted for Williams and Scott Speed for Toro Rosso, while Felipe Massa joined Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and Rubens Barrichello moved to Honda. Eligible teams also ran third cars on Friday, giving their test drivers substantial preparation work.

Free Practice

Robert Kubica led Friday morning in BMW Sauber’s third car, narrowly ahead of Williams test driver Alexander Wurz. Many race drivers did very little running to conserve engines required to last two race weekends. With several cars confined to installation laps or remaining in the garage, the session gave the third drivers a prominent role without revealing the full competitive order.

Anthony Davidson topped the afternoon for Honda as the third cars again carried much of the workload. Michael Schumacher was the fastest race driver, while Kimi Räikkönen stopped on track with mechanical trouble. Jarno Trulli also suffered a technical problem, and Vitantonio Liuzzi and Yuji Ide spun. The tyre comparison and engine-conservation programmes made outright lap times only part of the story.

Jenson Button narrowly beat Michael Schumacher in final practice as more representative laps arrived late in the session. The Renaults were close behind, suggesting Fernando Alonso would have support from Giancarlo Fisichella in the fight at the front. With Friday’s third drivers absent, the race field had its clearest opportunity yet to assess its pace before the new qualifying format began.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix FP1, 10 March 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	38	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:32.170	20
2	35	Alexander Wurz	Williams	+0.014s	18
3	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.218s	6
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.299s	5
5	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+2.630s	6
6	40	Neel Jani	Toro Rosso	+2.661s	15
7	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+2.717s	6
8	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+2.755s	6
9	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.847s	4
10	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+2.913s	8
11	37	Robert Doornbos	Red Bull Racing	+3.033s	15
12	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+3.201s	7
13	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	+4.372s	9
14	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	+4.760s	9
15	39	Markus Winkelhock	Midland	+5.748s	16
16	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+6.020s	15
17	23	Yuji Ide	Super Aguri	+8.612s	15
18	36	Anthony Davidson	Honda	No time	2
19	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	No time	2
20	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	No time	2
21	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	No time	2
22	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	No time	1
23	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	No time	1
24	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix FP2, 10 March 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	36	Anthony Davidson	Honda	1:31.353	28
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.398s	15
3	35	Alexander Wurz	Williams	+0.411s	27
4	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.822s	13
5	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.185s	13
6	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+1.350s	24
7	37	Robert Doornbos	Red Bull Racing	+1.573s	24
8	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+1.862s	14
9	12	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.873s	12
10	38	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.891s	26
11	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+2.204s	8
12	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+2.224s	11
13	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+2.373s	15
14	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.495s	9
15	40	Neel Jani	Toro Rosso	+2.547s	24
16	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+2.931s	22
17	9	Mark Webber	Williams	+2.980s	5
18	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+3.031s	9
19	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+3.079s	7
20	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	+3.106s	14
21	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+3.600s	5
22	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+3.817s	18
23	39	Markus Winkelhock	Midland	+4.333s	24
24	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+4.545s	11
25	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	+4.911s	8
26	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	+4.961s	16
27	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+6.235s	19
28	23	Yuji Ide	Super Aguri	+7.668s	21

Free Practice 3 Classification

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix FP3, 11 March 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	12	Jenson Button	Honda	1:31.857	16
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.011s	8
3	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.118s	11
4	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.193s	12
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.969s	6
6	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	+1.056s	14
7	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.181s	16
8	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.405s	12
9	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+1.666s	14
10	9	Mark Webber	Williams	+2.019s	11
11	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+2.087s	14
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.152s	15
13	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.237s	11
14	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.285s	16
15	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+2.549s	11
16	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+2.577s	11
17	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	+2.684s	14
18	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	+3.169s	14
19	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+3.494s	13
20	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+3.675s	13
21	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+5.137s	15
22	23	Yuji Ide	Super Aguri	+10.032s	10

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher took pole ahead of Felipe Massa as Ferrari locked out the front row in the first knockout qualifying session. Jenson Button qualified third and Fernando Alonso fourth. The opening two 15-minute segments eliminated six cars apiece before the final ten contested a 20-minute, race-fuelled shootout.

Kimi Räikkönen’s rear suspension failed in Q1, leaving him without a time and at the back. The resulting red flag also disrupted Ralf Schumacher’s attempt to escape the opening cut. Both Midlands and both Super Aguris were eliminated with them, while Nico Rosberg qualified twelfth on debut.

Qualifying Classification

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying, 11 March 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:33.310	1:32.025	1:31.431	20
2	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:33.579	1:32.014	1:31.478	20
3	12	Jenson Button	Honda	1:32.603	1:32.025	1:31.549	23
4	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:32.433	1:31.215	1:31.702	20
5	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	1:33.233	1:31.487	1:32.164	20
6	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:33.922	1:32.322	1:32.579	26
7	9	Mark Webber	Williams	1:33.454	1:32.309	1:33.006	20
8	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	1:34.308	1:32.106	1:33.112	25
9	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:32.934	1:31.831	1:33.496	20
10	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:33.374	1:31.958	1:33.926	24
11	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	1:33.882	1:32.456	—	11
12	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:32.945	1:32.620	—	10
13	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:33.678	1:32.850	—	12
14	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:33.987	1:33.066	—	11
15	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	1:34.439	1:33.416	—	13
16	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	1:33.995	1:34.606	—	10
17	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:34.702	—	—	7
18	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	1:35.724	—	—	6
19	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	1:35.900	—	—	4
20	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	1:37.411	—	—	6
21	23	Yuji Ide	Super Aguri	1:40.270	—	—	6
22	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	No time	—	—	2

Kimi Räikkönen suffered a right rear suspension failure during his first timed lap. The suspension failure, which was due to a manufacturing fault, red flagged the session and ended Räikkönen’s qualifying session.

What happened in the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Fernando Alonso moved into second early as Michael Schumacher established the lead. Felipe Massa spun while chasing the Renault and then lost more time during a slow stop. Kimi Räikkönen made rapid progress from the rear on a one-stop strategy, while Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfeld recovered from contact at the opening corner.

Fernando Alonso stayed out longer at the second round of stops and emerged alongside Michael Schumacher at the pit exit. The Renault held the inside for Turn 1 and secured the lead, which Fernando Alonso defended through the closing laps. Jenson Button repeatedly fought Juan Pablo Montoya on track but could not quite catch Kimi Räikkönen for the final podium place.

Fernando Alonso won ahead of Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen, with Jenson Button fourth and Juan Pablo Montoya fifth. Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg gave Williams a double points finish, Nico Rosberg also setting the fastest lap after passing Christian Klien for seventh. Christian Klien retained the final point, while Giancarlo Fisichella’s hydraulics ended a race already compromised by engine-mapping trouble.

After the race, Fernando Alonso headed the drivers’ standings with 10 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 8. Renault led the constructors’ table on 10, with McLaren on 10.

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix race results

The 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix was held on 12 March 2006, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	57	1:29:46.205	10
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	57	+1.246	8
3	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	57	+19.360	6
4	12	Jenson Button	Honda	57	+19.992	5
5	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	57	+37.048	4
6	9	Mark Webber	Williams	57	+41.932	3
7	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	57	+1:03.043	2
8	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	57	+1:06.771	1
9	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	57	+1:09.907	0
10	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	57	+1:15.541	0
11	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	57	+1:25.997	0
12	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
13	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	56	+1 Lap	0
14	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	56	+1 Lap	0
15	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	56	+1 Lap	0
16	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	56	+1 Lap	0
17	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	55	+2 Laps	0
18	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	53	+4 Laps	0
Ret	23	Yuji Ide	Super Aguri	35	Engine	0
Ret	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	29	Engine	0
Ret	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	21	Hydraulics	0
Ret	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	0	Driveshaft	0

Tiago Monteiro suffered transmission failure on the way to the grid, so swapped to the T-car and started from the pitlane.

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	42	1:32.408	210.838
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	38	1:32.523	210.576
3	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	21	1:32.534	210.551
4	9	Mark Webber	Williams	25	1:32.660	210.265
5	12	Jenson Button	Honda	39	1:32.729	210.109
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	28	1:32.739	210.086
7	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	21	1:32.771	210.013
8	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	29	1:32.864	209.803
9	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	45	1:33.108	209.253
10	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	40	1:33.212	209.020
11	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	26	1:33.376	208.653
12	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	26	1:33.480	208.421
13	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	20	1:33.694	207.945
14	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	26	1:33.772	207.772
15	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	14	1:33.840	207.621
16	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	25	1:34.112	207.021
17	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	15	1:34.320	206.564
18	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	24	1:34.852	205.406
19	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	41	1:35.940	203.076
20	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	17	1:37.104	200.642
21	23	Yuji Ide	Super Aguri	11	1:38.302	198.197

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

2006 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix.

2006 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	10
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	8
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	6
4	Jenson Button	British	Honda	5
5	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	McLaren	4
6	Mark Webber	Australian	Williams	3
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	2
8	Christian Klien	Austrian	Red Bull Racing	1
9	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
10	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	0
11	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Toro Rosso	0
12	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	0
13	Scott Speed	American	Toro Rosso	0
14	Ralf Schumacher	German	Toyota	0
15	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	0
16	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	0
17	Tiago Monteiro	Portuguese	Midland	0
18	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
–	Yuji Ide	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
–	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BMW Sauber	0
–	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Renault	0
–	Christijan Albers	Dutch	Midland	0

2006 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Renault	10
2	McLaren	10
3	Ferrari	8
4	Honda	5
5	Williams	5
6	Red Bull Racing	1
7	Toro Rosso	0
8	BMW Sauber	0
9	Toyota	0
10	Midland	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2006 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2006 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	12 March
2	2006 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	19 March
3	2006 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	2 April
4	2006 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	23 April
5	2006 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	7 May
6	2006 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	14 May
7	2006 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	28 May
8	2006 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	11 June
9	2006 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	25 June
10	2006 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	2 July
11	2006 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	16 July
12	2006 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	30 July
13	2006 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	6 August
14	2006 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	27 August
15	2006 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	10 September
16	2006 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	1 October
17	2006 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	8 October
18	2006 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	22 October