2006 Chinese Grand Prix

The 2006 Chinese Grand Prix, formally the 2006 Formula 1 Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix (2006中石化中国大奖赛 or alternately 2006 Zhōngshíhuà zhōngguó dàjiǎng sài in Chinese) was the sixteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China, on 1 October 2006.'China 2006: Top Schuey!', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 01/10/2006), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/57080/1/china-2006-top-schuey, (Accessed 10/02/2020) The race would be notable as the 91st and final victory for Michael Schumacher, and would move the German ace to the top of the 2006 Drivers' Championship.
Qualifying had not suggested it would be a good race for Schumacher, however, for the German ace could only muster sixth on the grid for . Instead, it was Championship leader Fernando Alonso who emerged on pole position, setting the fastest time in all three qualifying sessions ahead of teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.
Heavy rain on race morning meant that the circuit was very damp ahead of the start and hence meant that the field started on intermediates. This favoured the Michelin shod drivers in the field, and hence would put those on Bridgestones on the back foot.
Alonso duly aced the start to claim an early lead, sprinting ahead of teammate Fisichella who eased into the first corner to allow Alonso to escape. Behind, Jenson Button initially managed to fend off the attentions of Kimi Räikkönen, while Robert Kubica was barged off the track by Robert Doornbos in the #15 .
The race quickly settled down, with Schumacher the main source of entertainment as he battled his way pas the two s of Rubens Barrichello and Button. Räikkönen would also make progress by diving past Fisichella, who had been defending heavily from the Finn since the opening lap, and duly went about demolishing Alonso's fifteen second lead.
After fifteen laps the circuit was showing signs of having a dry line, a fact which enabled those on Bridgestone tyres to come to the fore. As such there was little surprise when Schumacher closed right onto Fisichella's tail, while Räikkönen was on the verge of catching Alonso, until a throttle failure ended his challenge.
The top three made their first pitstops on consecutive laps, beginning with Schumacher and ending with Fisichella on lap 23. Interestingly both Fisichella and Schumacher would stick with the same set of intermediate tyres, while Alonso opted to have just his front tyres changed for a new set of inters.
That, however, would unbalance the #1 Renault, which was steadily reeled in by both Fisichella and Schumacher during the second stint. By lap 29 Fisichella was on the attack and after a failed attempt into the hairpin claimed the lead, with Schumacher following the Italian racer through.
Alonso opted to switch to slicks a few laps later, although lost even more time courtesy of a sticking wheel nut. Fisichella and Schumacher, meanwhile, would be among the last to switch to slicks, with Fisichella paying the price for cold tyres by sliding wide at the first corner and handing the lead to the German ace.
With that Schumacher was away, with Fisichella dutifully allowing a recovering Alonso to pass for second without issue. The Spaniard quickly blasted away to hunt down Schumacher, although time was fast running out as the race entered its final throes.
Ultimately, time would run out for Alonso, who succession of fastest laps was not enough to catch Schumacher, who claimed his 91st victory and the Championship lead. Fisichella was a distant third to complete the podium, with Button, Pedro de la Rosa, Barrichello, Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber claimed the remaining points.
==Background==
Victory for Michael Schumacher in front of the tifosi had completely changed the Championship picture, for the German ace had eliminated Fernando Alonso's lead. Indeed, the Spaniard had seen his twelve point advantage demolished to just two after Schumacher's win and his engine failure, with those two now the only title contenders. Behind, Felipe Massa had retained third, although both Kimi Räikkönen and Giancarlo Fisichella had closed to within five points of the Brazilian.
In the Constructors Championship it had been a very good home race for , as they moved ahead of for the first time all season. The Scuderia established a three point lead over the French manufacturer, with those two officially in a duel for the title much like their lead drivers. Behind, had almost secured third ahead of , who likewise had a healthy lead over fifth placed .
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Fernando Alonso 	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team 	 	R26 	 	RS26 2.4 V8 	
2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team 	 	R26 	 	RS26 2.4 V8 	
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Team McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-21 	 	FO 108S 2.4 V8 	
4 	Pedro de la Rosa 	Team McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-21 	 	FO 108S 2.4 V8 	
5 	Michael Schumacher 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	248 F1 	 	056 2.4 V8 	
6 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	248 F1 	 	056 2.4 V8 	
7 	Ralf Schumacher 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF106B 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
8 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF106B 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
9 	Mark Webber 	Williams F1 Team 	 	FW28A 	 	CA2006 2.4 V8 	
10 	Nico Rosberg 	Williams F1 Team 	 	FW28A 	 	CA2006 2.4 V8 	
11 	Rubens Barrichello 	Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA106 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
12 	Jenson Button 	Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA106 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
14 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB2 	 	056 2.4 V8 	
15 	Robert Doornbos 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB2 	 	056 2.4 V8 	
16 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.06 	 	P86 2.4 V8 	
17 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.06 	 	P86 2.4 V8 	
18 	Tiago Monteiro 	Spyker MF1 Racing 	 	M16 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
19 	Christijan Albers 	Spyker MF1 Racing 	 	M16 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR1 	 	TJ2006 3.0 V10 	
21 	Scott Speed 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR1 	 	TJ2006 3.0 V10 	
22 	Takuma Sato 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA06 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
23 	Sakon Yamamoto 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA06 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only
35 	Alexander Wurz 	Williams F1 Team 	 	FW28 	 	CA2006 2.4 V8 	
36 	Anthony Davidson 	Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA106 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
37 	Michael Ammermüller 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB2 	 	056 2.4 V8 	
38 	Sebastian Vettel 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.06 	 	P86 2.4 V8 	
39 	Alexandre Premat 	Spyker MF1 Racing 	 	M16 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
40 	Neel Jani 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR1 	 	TJ2006 3.0 V10 	
41 	Franck Montagny 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA06 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	1 	1:44.128 	 	1 	1:43.951 	 	1 	1:44.360 	1
2 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	2 	1:44.378 	 	2 	1:44.336 	 	2 	1:44.992 	2
3 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	12 	1:47.072 	 	6 	1:45.228 	 	3 	1:45.503 	3
4 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	6 	1:45.809 	 	3 	1:44.662 	 	4 	1:45.503 	4
5 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	4 	1:44.909 	 	8 	1:45.622 	 	5 	1:45.754 	5
6 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	14 	1:47.366 	 	9 	1:45.660 	 	6 	1:45.775 	6
7 	4 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	 	3 	1:44.808 	 	5 	1:45.095 	 	7 	1:45.877 	7
8 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	10 	1:46.249 	 	4 	1:45.055 	 	8 	1:46.053 	8
9 	17 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	8 	1:46.049 	 	7 	1:45.576 	 	9 	1:46.632 	9
10 	15 	Robert Doornbos 	 	 	11 	1:46.387 	 	10 	1:45.747 	 	10 	1:48.021 	10
11 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	9 	1:46.222 	 	11 	1:45.851 	 	 	 	11
12 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	7 	1:45.931 	 	12 	1:45.968 	 	 	 	12
13* 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	13 	1:47.231 	 	13 	1:45.970 	 	 	 	20
14 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	5 	1:45.564 	 	14 	1:46.172 	 	 	 	13
15 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	16 	1:48.560 	 	15 	1:46.413 	 	 	 	14
16 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	15 	1:47.535 	 	16 	1:47.419 	 	 	 	15
17 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	17 	1:48.894 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
18 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	18 	1:49.098 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
19 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	19 	1:49.903 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
20* 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	20 	1:50.326 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
21 	23 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	 	21 	1:55.560 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
EXC† 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	EXC 	— 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/805/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Massa and Sato both received ten place grid penalties for changing their engines.
*† Albers was excluded from the results of qualifying for missing a weighbridge check.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	56 	1:37:32.747 	6 	10
2 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	56 	+3.121s 	1 	8
3 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	56 	+44.197s 	2 	6
4 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	56 	+1:12.056 	4 	5
5 	4 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	56 	+1:17.137 	7 	4
6 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	56 	+1:19.131 	3 	3
7 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	56 	+1:31.979 	8 	2
8 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	56 	+1:43.588 	14 	1
9 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	56 	+1:43.796 	12 	
10 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	13 	
11 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	15 	
12 	15 	Robert Doornbos 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	10 	
13 	17 	Robert Kubica 	 	55 	+1Lap 	9 	
14 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	11 	
15* 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	53 	+3 Laps 	22 	
16 	23 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	52 	+4 Laps 	19 	
17 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	49 	Exhaust 	16 	
DSQ† 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	55 	Disqualified 	21 	
Ret 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	44 	Accident 	20 	
Ret 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	38 	Water leak 	17 	
Ret 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	37 	Spun off 	18 	
Ret 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	18 	Gearbox 	5 	
Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'China 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Albers was handed a 25-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags.
*† Sato was disqualified from the race for ignoring blue flags.
==Milestones==
* 750th Grand Prix start for a car using #2 as its race number.[Archived] '2006 Chinese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190409190834/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2006&gp=Chinese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 10/02/2020) - Original
* Fernando Alonso claimed the 50th pole position for a chassis.'16. China 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/chine.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
* Michael Schumacher recorded his 91st and final career victory.
** This remained the record for most wins by a single driver until it was eclipsed by Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix.
* scored their 191st win as a constructor and engine supplier.
==Standings==
A second victory in succession for Michael Schumacher had moved the German ace level on points with long-standing leader Fernando Alonso atop the Championship, both ending the weekend on 116 points. However, courtesy of having seven wins to the Spaniard's six, it was the German ace who headed to Japan at the head of the title hunt. Behind, the battle for third had also intensified, with Giancarlo Fisichella having moved a point ahead of Felipe Massa.
In the Constructors Championship had moved back to the head of the pack, albeit by just a point after their double podium in China. had been forced to make way for them, and could potentially concede the title fight in Japan, if Renault claimed a one-two and the Scuderia failed to score. Behind, would claim third in the Championship if failed to outscore them by ten points in Suzuka, while had eased away from in fifth.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	116 	1
2 	Fernando Alonso 	116 	1
3 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	63 	1
4 	Felipe Massa 	62 	1
5 	Kimi Räikkönen 	57 	
6 	Jenson Button 	45 	
7 	Rubens Barrichello 	28 	1
8 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	26 	1
9 	Nick Heidfeld 	22 	
10 	Pedro de la Rosa 	18 	2
11 	Ralf Schumacher 	18 	1
12 	David Coulthard 	14 	1
13 	Jarno Trulli 	12 	
14 	Mark Webber 	7 	2
15 	Jacques Villeneuve 	7 	1
16 	Robert Kubica 	6 	1
17 	Nico Rosberg 	4 	
18 	Christian Klien 	2 	
19 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	179 	1
2 	 	178 	1
3 	 	101 	
4 	 	73 	
5 	 	35 	
6 	 	30 	
7 	 	16 	
8 	 	11 	
9 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Chinese Grand Prix
Category:2006 Grands Prix