2006 European Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher made it two wins in succession with a decisive pit-stop victory over Fernando Alonso at the Nürburgring. Felipe Massa joined them on the European Grand Prix podium, his first top-three finish in Formula 1.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Pole time	1:29.819
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:32.099 on lap 39
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Third	Felipe Massa	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
5 May 2006	Practice 1	11:00
5 May 2006	Practice 2	14:00
6 May 2006	Practice 3	11:00
6 May 2006	Qualifying	14:00
7 May 2006	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 5 leading the 2006 F1 World Championship on 36 points, with Michael Schumacher on 21. Renault headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 51 points.

Race entries

Franck Montagny replaced Yuji Ide at Super Aguri following concerns over Yuji Ide’s driving; Yuji Ide’s superlicence was subsequently revoked. Franck Montagny made his Grand Prix debut alongside Takuma Sato. Adrian Sutil also appeared in Midland’s third car on Friday, gaining experience at his home event.

Free Practice

Wurz led Friday morning as the third drivers undertook most of the early work. Renault’s race drivers, along with those from Williams, BMW Sauber and Red Bull, largely restricted themselves to installation running. Franck Montagny began getting to grips with the Super Aguri in a race role, while Sutil made an encouraging impression in Midland’s additional car.

Wurz remained quickest in the afternoon, but Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher supplied the more revealing contest among the race drivers. Fernando Alonso narrowly beat the Ferrari as both increased their pace. Jarno Trulli failed to record a time because of technical trouble, while Sutil again featured strongly and other teams concentrated on race preparation rather than headline laps.

Ferrari finished first and second on Saturday morning, Michael Schumacher ahead of Felipe Massa. Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve also ran high in an order that still reflected differing programmes, with the Renaults further back. Ferrari’s recent improvement was clear, but qualifying would test whether its apparent advantage survived when everyone committed to a quick lap.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2006 European Grand Prix FP1, 5 May 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	35	Alexander Wurz	Williams	1:32.079	20
2	36	Anthony Davidson	Honda	+0.320s	29
3	38	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.773s	22
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.779s	4
5	37	Robert Doornbos	Red Bull Racing	+0.865s	19
6	12	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.556s	7
7	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.134s	6
8	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+2.323s	5
9	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+2.916s	6
10	39	Adrian Sutil	Midland	+3.253s	21
11	40	Neel Jani	Toro Rosso	+3.286s	19
12	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+3.533s	8
13	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	+3.906s	8
14	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	+3.983s	10
15	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+5.738s	20
16	23	Franck Montagny	Super Aguri	+5.854s	16
17	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	No time	2
18	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	No time	2
19	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	No time	1
20	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	No time	1
21	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
22	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
23	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	No time	2

Free Practice 2 Classification

2006 European Grand Prix FP2, 5 May 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	35	Alexander Wurz	Williams	1:32.675	27
2	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.904s	14
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.944s	14
4	37	Robert Doornbos	Red Bull Racing	+1.124s	25
5	36	Anthony Davidson	Honda	+1.195s	29
6	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+1.208s	19
7	12	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.245s	12
8	38	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.316s	30
9	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+1.355s	19
10	39	Adrian Sutil	Midland	+1.504s	23
11	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.540s	19
12	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	+1.797s	23
13	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.861s	13
14	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.871s	18
15	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.956s	11
16	9	Mark Webber	Williams	+2.150s	14
17	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+2.293s	14
18	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+2.391s	19
19	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.566s	14
20	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.633s	12
21	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+2.731s	19
22	40	Neel Jani	Toro Rosso	+2.804s	26
23	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+2.994s	21
24	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	+3.013s	12
25	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	+3.227s	18
26	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+3.580s	25
27	23	Franck Montagny	Super Aguri	+3.990s	16
28	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	No time	5

Free Practice 3 Classification

2006 European Grand Prix FP3, 6 May 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:30.788	12
2	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.305s	10
3	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+0.607s	21
4	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	+0.743s	13
5	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.796s	12
6	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.019s	14
7	12	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.316s	16
8	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	+1.409s	13
9	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+1.502s	17
10	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.532s	11
11	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.671s	15
12	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+1.717s	18
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.746s	18
14	9	Mark Webber	Williams	+1.923s	16
15	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.985s	16
16	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.991s	15
17	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	+2.201s	12
18	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.332s	24
19	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	+2.956s	19
20	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	+3.681s	21
21	23	Franck Montagny	Super Aguri	+4.918s	20
22	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+5.294s	15

Qualifying

Fernando Alonso claimed pole ahead of Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa, giving Renault the best starting position against Ferrari’s two-car challenge. Rubens Barrichello qualified fourth ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button. Giancarlo Fisichella failed to reach Q3, leaving Fernando Alonso without his team-mate among the leading ten.

A software glitch triggered a false red flag in Q1. Jacques Villeneuve’s lap, completed during the interruption, was reinstated, while Christian Klien had abandoned his own attempt and lost out. The disruption added confusion to the early knockout phase before the leading contenders settled the front of the grid.

Qualifying Classification

2006 European Grand Prix Qualifying, 6 May 2006

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:31.138	1:30.336	1:29.819	20
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:31.235	1:30.013	1:30.028	19
3	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:31.921	1:30.732	1:30.407	21
4	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:31.671	1:30.469	1:30.754	20
5	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:31.263	1:30.203	1:30.933	20
6	12	Jenson Button	Honda	1:31.420	1:30.755	1:30.940	23
7	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:31.809	1:30.733	1:31.419	26
8	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	1:31.774	1:30.671	1:31.880	22
9	9	Mark Webber	Williams	1:31.712	1:30.892	1:33.405	20
10	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	1:31.545	1:30.865	1:36.998	22
11	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:31.470	1:30.944	—	13
12	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:32.053	1:31.194	—	7
13	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:31.574	1:31.197	—	9
14	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:31.742	1:31.227	—	13
15	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:31.457	1:31.422	—	9
16	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	1:32.621	1:31.728	—	12
17	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	1:32.901	—	—	7
18	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	1:32.936	—	—	5
19	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	1:32.992	—	—	7
20	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	1:33.658	—	—	6
21	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	1:35.239	—	—	4
22	23	Franck Montagny	Super Aguri	1:46.505	—	—	4

Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg both had their engines changed, and were both dropped ten places on the grid on Sunday. They started the race in 19th and 22nd places respectively.

Jacques Villeneuve originally qualified 8th with a time of 1:31.542, but his fastest three laps from the third qualifying session were deleted due to blocking the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella.

What happened in the 2006 European Grand Prix?

Fernando Alonso held the lead, with Michael Schumacher resisting Felipe Massa at the first corner. An incident involving Ralf Schumacher, Vitantonio Liuzzi and David Coulthard brought out the safety car. Kimi Räikkönen passed Jenson Button after the restart, while Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher began another close contest at the front.

The first stops left the order unchanged. At the second round, Fernando Alonso pitted first and Schumacher used three additional laps in clear air to build the margin he needed. Ferrari’s stop returned him to the track comfortably ahead, turning the race in his favour.

Schumacher won from Fernando Alonso, with Felipe Massa holding off Kimi Räikkönen for his first podium. Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Nico Rosberg and Jacques Villeneuve completed the points. Ferrari’s second successive victory confirmed that its Imola success was more than a one-race revival.

After the race, Fernando Alonso headed the drivers’ standings with 44 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 31. Renault led the constructors’ table on 62, with Ferrari on 46.

2006 European Grand Prix race results

The 2006 European Grand Prix was held on 7 May 2006, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	60	1:35:58.765	10
2	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	60	+3.751	8
3	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	60	+4.447	6
4	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	60	+4.879	5
5	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	60	+1:12.586	4
6	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	60	+1:14.116	3
7	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	60	+1:14.565	2
8	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	60	+1:29.364	1
9	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	59	+1 Lap	0
10	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	59	+1 Lap	0
11	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	59	+1 Lap	0
12	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	59	+1 Lap	0
13	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	59	+1 Lap	0
Ret	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	52	Engine	0
Ret	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	52	Engine	0
Ret	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	45	Hydraulics	0
Ret	23	Franck Montagny	Super Aguri	29	Hydraulics	0
Ret	12	Jenson Button	Honda	28	Engine	0
Ret	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	28	Transmission	0
Ret	9	Mark Webber	Williams	12	Hydraulics	0
Ret	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	2	Collision damage	0
Ret	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	0	Collision damage	0

2006 European Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	39	1:32.099	201.226
2	3	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	43	1:32.472	200.415
3	1	Fernando Alonso	Renault	37	1:32.532	200.285
4	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	46	1:32.964	199.354
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	19	1:33.099	199.065
6	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren	47	1:33.571	198.061
7	10	Nico Rosberg	Williams	48	1:33.579	198.044
8	7	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	27	1:33.607	197.985
9	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	59	1:33.952	197.258
10	8	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	58	1:33.953	197.256
11	16	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	47	1:34.035	197.084
12	17	Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	38	1:34.037	197.079
13	12	Jenson Button	Honda	9	1:34.042	197.069
14	21	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	57	1:34.091	196.966
15	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull Racing	16	1:34.553	196.004
16	9	Mark Webber	Williams	11	1:35.415	194.233
17	19	Christijan Albers	Midland	35	1:35.428	194.207
18	18	Tiago Monteiro	Midland	41	1:35.504	194.052
19	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	26	1:36.706	191.640
20	23	Franck Montagny	Super Aguri	21	1:37.214	190.639
21	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	2	2:24.500	128.254

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 European Grand Prix.

2006 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	44
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	31
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	23
4	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Renault	18
5	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	15
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	McLaren	15
7	Jenson Button	British	Honda	13
8	Ralf Schumacher	German	Toyota	7
9	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	6
10	Mark Webber	Australian	Williams	6
11	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BMW Sauber	6
12	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	5
13	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	4
14	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	1
15	Christian Klien	Austrian	Red Bull Racing	1
16	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	0
17	Scott Speed	American	Toro Rosso	0
18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Toro Rosso	0
19	Christijan Albers	Dutch	Midland	0
20	Tiago Monteiro	Portuguese	Midland	0
21	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
22	Yuji Ide	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
–	Franck Montagny	French	Super Aguri	0

2006 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Renault	62
2	Ferrari	46
3	McLaren	38
4	Honda	19
5	BMW Sauber	11
6	Williams	10
7	Toyota	7
8	Red Bull Racing	2
9	Toro Rosso	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