2006 San Marino Grand Prix

The 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, officially the Formula 1 Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006, was race number four of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which took place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on 23 April 2006.'San Marino 2006: Schumacher's Imola role reversal.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 23/04/2006), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/55415/1/san-marino-2006-schumachers-imola-role-reversal, (Accessed 03/02/2020) The race, which proved to be the last Grand Prix to be staged at Imola until , would see Michael Schumacher claim a popular victory for on home turf.
Indeed, it would be a record breaking weekend for the German ace, with Schumacher securing his 66th pole position in qualifying, beating Ayrton Senna's old mark of 65. The s of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello would split Schumacher from teammate Felipe Massa, while Championship leader Fernando Alonso started from fifth.
The start of the race saw the #5 Ferrari instantly sprint away into an early lead, with Button leading the chase from second. Behind, Alonso would follow Massa past Barrichello as the field thundered into Tamburello, before an accident behind would end the career of one of the back markers.
That driver was Yuji Ide, who smashed into the back of Christijan Albers on the brakes for Villeneuve with enough force to send the into a series of barrel rolls. While Albers escaped his ruined car unharmed, Ide would continue with a smashed front wing, and stopped for repairs as the Safety Car emerged from the pits. He would go on to retire on lap 23, before an FIA tribunal held on 10 May 2006 decided to revoke Ide's FIA Super Licence due to his erratic driving.'Ide loses super license', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 11/05/2006), https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ide-loses-super-license/217204/, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
On track, meanwhile, the race would resume at the start of lap four, with Schumacher again easing away from Button at the restart. The Brit was left to fend off the attentions of Massa and Alonso for second, with the top four all breaking clear from a struggling Barrichello.
Barrichello duly became the first of the leaders to stop on lap eight, only for an issue with the fuel rig to dump him to the back of the field. Button, meanwhile, would also miss out after making his early stop, with a similar issue, combined with a sticking wheel nut, ending his hopes of victory.
That left Schumacher ahead of Massa and Alonso, and would hence allow the Scuderia to play a tactical game with , with Massa easing his pace. That hence allowed Schumacher to sprint clear as their pitstops loomed, with Alonso only released from Massa's hold when the Brazilian made his first stop.
By that stage Schumacher had made his first stop and rejoined without losing the lead, although now released Alonso was able to close the gap. However, before he could catch the #5 Ferrari the Spaniard had to make his stop, and duly rejoined in second on lap 25 just ahead of Button and Juan Pablo Montoya who were fighting for third with Massa.
With that Alonso was away, demolishing Schumacher's advantage in ten laps to harass the Ferrari at every opportunity to try and claim the lead. Yet, despite the obvious issues that Schumacher's car was having, the #1 Renault could not force a move, even with a series of lunges at Tosa to try and force the German ace into a mistake.
The leaders made their second and final stops in tandem, with Schumacher managing to gain some time with a swifter stop. Their battle hence continued in the same vain as before for the final phase of the race, as behind Button's battle for the podium was ended by another pitlane mistake, this time caused by the lollipop man telling him to go even though his Honda was still attached to the refuelling rig.
With two laps to go the fight for victory would also be over, with Alonso making a mistake at Villeneuve to leave him too far back to challenge Schumacher.< The #5 Ferrari duly swept across the line to claim victory ahead of Spaniard, while Montoya fended off Massa's attentions to complete the podium. Kimi Räikkönen would close on the pair but ran out of time to challenge in fifth ahead of Mark Webber, Button scrambled through to seventh, while Giancarlo Fisichella rounded out the scorers in eighth.
==Background==
A second victory in the opening three rounds left Fernando Alonso in early command of the Championship, having left Australia with 28 points to his name. That translated into a fourteen point lead over teammate Giancarlo Fisichella in second, with the Italian racer level on points with third placed Kimi Räikkönen. Behind, Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button remained tied on eleven points, with fifteen drivers on the score sheet.
In the Constructors Championship had already built a comfortable lead at the head of the pack, leaving Australia with more than a race's worth of points in hand. Indeed, had slipped nineteen behind the French squad as a result of the battle of Australia, but had moved eight clear of in third. , meanwhile, had retained fourth ahead of , with eight constructors having scored across the opening three rounds.
===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 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	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 	 	TF106 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
8 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF106 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
9 	Mark Webber 	Williams F1 Team 	 	FW28 	 	CA2006 2.4 V8 	
10 	Nico Rosberg 	Williams F1 Team 	 	FW28 	 	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 	Christian Klien 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB2 	 	056 2.4 V8 	
16 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.06 	 	P86 2.4 V8 	
17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.06 	 	P86 2.4 V8 	
18 	Tiago Monteiro 	MF1 Racing 	 	M16 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
19 	Christijan Albers 	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 	 	SA05 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
23 	Yuji Ide 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA05 	 	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 	Robert Doornbos 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB2 	 	056 2.4 V8 	
38 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.06 	 	P86 2.4 V8 	
39 	Giorgio Mondini 	MF1 Racing 	 	M16 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
40 	Neel Jani 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR1 	 	TJ2006 3.0 V10 	
Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
* Fabrizio del Monte was set to act as Midland's third driver for this race, but this fell through due to lack of sponsorship.
==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 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	8 	1:24.598 	 	1 	1:22.579 	 	1 	1:22.795 	1
2 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	6 	1:24.480 	 	8 	1:23.749 	 	2 	1:22.988 	2
3 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	9 	1:24.727 	 	9 	1:23.760 	 	3 	1:23.242 	3
4 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	12 	1:24.884 	 	4 	1:23.595 	 	4 	1:23.702 	4
5 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	1 	1:23.536 	 	5 	1:23.743 	 	5 	1:23.709 	5
6 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	3 	1:24.370 	 	3 	1:23.565 	 	6 	1:23.772 	6
7 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	 	13 	1:24.960 	 	10 	1:23.760 	 	7 	1:24.021 	7
8 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	2 	1:24.259 	 	2 	1:23.190 	 	8 	1:24.158 	8
9 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	5 	1:24.446 	 	7 	1:23.727 	 	9 	1:24.172 	9
10 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	14 	1:24.992 	 	6 	1:23.718 	 	10 	1:24.795 	10
11 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	4 	1:24.434 	 	11 	1:23.771 	 	 	 	11
12 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	 	15 	1:25.081 	 	12 	1:23.887 	 	 	 	12
13 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	7 	1:24.495 	 	13 	1:23.966 	 	 	 	13
14 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	10 	1:24.849 	 	14 	1:24.101 	 	 	 	14
15 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	16 	1:25.410 	 	15 	1:24.129 	 	 	 	15
16 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	11 	1:24.879 	 	16 	1:24.520 	 	 	 	16
17 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	 	17 	1:25.410 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	18 	1:25.437 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	19 	1:26.820 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	20 	1:27.088 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
21 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	21 	1:27.609 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
22 	23 	Yuji Ide 	 	 	22 	1:29.282 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/793/san-marino/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
*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.
===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 	 	62 	1:31:06.486 	1 	10
2 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	62 	+2.096s 	5 	8
3 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	62 	+15.868s 	7 	6
4 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	62 	+17.096s 	4 	5
5 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	62 	+17.524s 	8 	4
6 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	62 	+37.739s 	10 	3
7 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	62 	+39.635s 	2 	2
8 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	62 	+40.200s 	11 	1
9 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	62 	+45.511s 	6 	
10 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	62 	+1:17.851 	3 	
11 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	62 	+1:19.675 	13 	
12 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	62 	+1:22.370 	12 	
13 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	61 	+1 Lap 	15 	
14 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	61 	+1 Lap 	16 	
15 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	61 	+1 Lap 	18 	
16 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	60 	+2 Laps 	19 	
Ret 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	47 	Driveshaft 	14 	
Ret 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	44 	Accident 	21 	
Ret 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	40 	Hydraulics 	17 	
Ret 	23 	Yuji Ide 	 	23 	Suspension 	22 	
Ret 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	5 	Steering 	9 	
Ret 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	0 	Collision 	20 	
Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'San Marino 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Final San Marino Grand Prix to be staged as part of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
** This was also the last Grand Prix to be held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari until 2020.
* 150th Grand Prix start for Jarno Trulli.'4. San Marino 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/saint-marin.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
* Michael Schumacher registered a record 66th pole position.
* 85th career victory for Schumacher.
* secured their 184th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Fernando Alonso secured the 75th podium finish for a chassis.
* Fourth and final race start for Yuji Ide.
==Standings==
Fernando Alonso had seen his lead at the top of the Championship once again grow as a result of the San Marino Grand Prix, leaving Imola with a fifteen point advantage. Race winner Michael Schumacher had, however, moved into second courtesy of his victory, three ahead of third placed Kimi Räikkönen. Giancarlo Fisichella and Juan Pablo Montoya were a further three behind the Finn, while Jenson Button had slipped to sixth, two points off.
In the Constructors Championship had seen their lead slightly reduced, although they still held a very healthy eighteen point margin. had hence inched closer to their opponents in second, although a strong weekend for had seen the Scuderia double their tally, and move to within three points of the Anglo-German alliance. were next, with half the points of Ferrari, while rounded out the top five.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Fernando Alonso 	36 	
2 	Michael Schumacher 	21 	2
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	18 	
4 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	15 	2
5 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	15 	1
6 	Jenson Button 	11 	1
7 	Felipe Massa 	9 	3
8 	Ralf Schumacher 	7 	1
9 	Mark Webber 	6 	2
10 	Nick Heidfeld 	5 	2
11 	Jacques Villeneuve 	5 	2
12 	Rubens Barrichello 	2 	
13 	Nico Rosberg 	2 	
14 	David Coulthard 	1 	
15 	Christian Klien 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	51 	
2 	 	33 	
3 	 	30 	
4 	 	15 	
5 	 	10 	
6 	 	8 	1
7 	 	7 	1
8 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:San Marino Grand Prix
Category:2006 Grands Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Formula One races in Italy