2006 British Grand Prix

The 2006 British Grand Prix, otherwise advertised as the 2006 Formula 1 Foster's British Grand Prix, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, on 11 June 2006.'Britain 2006: Alonso earns his stripes.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 11/06/2006), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/55957/1/britain-2006-alonso-earns-his-stripes, (Accessed 05/02/2020) The race would see Fernando Alonso narrowly miss-out on a maiden Grand Chelem, having claimed pole position, fastest lap and victory, and led all bar one lap.
It would prove to be Alonso's weekend right from the start, with the Spaniard becoming the first driver to top all three qualifying sessions on Saturday. He duly claimed pole by 0.630s, with title rivals Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher lining up in second and third respectively.
The start of the race would give Alonso's challengers hope, however, for the #1 was surprisingly sluggish off the line. Yet, neither Räikkönen nor Schumacher could force a move into Copse, meaning Alonso was able to retain his spot at the head of the field. Behind, Juan Pablo Montoya received a whack from Jacques Villeneuve as the only incident of note in the first corner.
However, a few moments later and a more costly accident would thin the field, caused by Scott Speed misjudging his speed through Becketts. The American rookie smacked into the back of Ralf Schumacher's with enough force to send the German racer sliding off the circuit, only for Schumacher to rejoin and collect an innocent Mark Webber.
The Safety Car was required to clean up the mess, with Schumacher and Webber out, while Speed pitted for repairs but was forced to retire. At the start of the race the race would resume, with Alonso slowing dramatically towards the end of the SC period before catapulting away from Räikkönen to build an early lead.
With Alonso breaking away attention briefly focused on Jenson Button, who was battling his way up the field at an impressive rate having crashed out in qualifying. Indeed, a series of moves in the early laps carried the Brit from nineteenth to the back of eleventh placed David Coulthard, only for his engine to coat his rear-tyres in oil and set fire to the car as he spun into the gravel at Brooklands.
With that the race settled into a stalemate, with Alonso continuing to eek out a lead, while Räikkönen had Schumacher glued to his tail through to the first round of stops. Schumacher was a surprise first stopper from the lead group, followed by Räikkönen a lap later, while Alonso ran on until lap 22 and managed to rejoin without losing the lead.
The second stint of the race provided little action of note, with the gaps at the head of the field only growing as the summer heat kept any weather intervention at bay. As such, it was only when the second round of stops began on lap 41 that the picture of the race changed, with Schumacher triggering the pit-phase.
Indeed, Schumacher was the main winner of the second stop, emerging in clear air to deliver one flying lap, and hence jump Räikkönen out of the pits. Alonso, meanwhile, would stop on lap 44 to hand the lead to teammate Giancarlo Fisichella, before the Italian stopped on lap 45 and rejoined in fourth behind Räikkönen.
Fisichella was the main focus of attention in the closing stages, slowly drawing in Räikkönen for the final podium spot. A similar battle would develop over the final point, Nico Rosberg drawing in Villeneuve, although both battles would end in disappointment, as track conditions, the Silverstone circuit and the current generation of cars made overtaking near impossible.
Untroubled by all of this, however, was Alonso, who cruised through the final laps to claim his maiden Hattrick, fourteen seconds clear of Schumacher in second. Räikkönen held Fisichella at bay to complete the podium, while Felipe Massa, Montoya, Nick Heidfeld and Villeneuve completed the scorers.
==Background==
A fourth victory of the campaign in Monte Carlo had ensured that Fernando Alonso extended his Championship lead once again, leaving the Principality on 64 points. Michael Schumacher had remained his biggest threat, but now faced a 21 point gap between himself and the defending Champion. Behind, Giancarlo Fisichella had moved ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, Juan Pablo Montoya was back in the top five, and David Coulthard had risen to eleventh with his podium finish.
In the Constructors Championship had once again enhanced their advantage, having moved 28 points clear in Monaco courtesy of Alonso's win. were still their closest challengers after the opening seven rounds, and held a thirteen point advantage over in third. and then completed the top five, while had moved level with after their first trip to the podium.
===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 	 	TF106B 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
8 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF106B 	 	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 	Franck Montagny 	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 	
41 	Sakon Yamamoto 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA05 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)
==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 	1:21.018 	 	1 	1:20.271 	 	1 	1:20.253 	1
2 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	4 	1:21.648 	 	2 	1:20.497 	 	2 	1:20.397 	2
3 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	6 	1:22.096 	 	5 	1:20.659 	 	3 	1:20.574 	3
4 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	3 	1:21.647 	 	8 	1:20.846 	 	4 	1:20.764 	4
5 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	8 	1:22.411 	 	3 	1:20.594 	 	5 	1:20.919 	5
6 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	15 	1:22.965 	 	9 	1:20.929 	 	6 	1:20.943 	6
7 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	14 	1:22.886 	 	10 	1:21.043 	 	7 	1:21.073 	7
8 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	 	7 	1:22.169 	 	7 	1:20.816 	 	8 	1:21.107 	8
9 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	5 	1:21.670 	 	4 	1:20.629 	 	9 	1:21.329 	9
10 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	 	2 	1:21.637 	 	6 	1:20.672 	 	10 	1:21.599 	10
11 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	9 	1:22.424 	 	11 	1:21.442 	 	 	 	11
12 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	16 	1:23.083 	 	12 	1:21.567 	 	 	 	12
13 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	11 	1:22.685 	 	13 	1:21.699 	 	 	 	13
14 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	 	12 	1:22.773 	 	14 	1:21.990 	 	 	 	14
15 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	10 	1:22.541 	 	15 	1:22.076 	 	 	 	15
16 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	13 	1:22.860 	 	16 	1:22.207 	 	 	 	16
17 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	17 	1:23.129 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	18 	1:23.210 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	19 	1:23.247 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20* 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	20 	1:26.158 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
21 	23 	Franck Montagny 	 	 	21 	1:26.316 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
22 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	NC 	— 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/797/great-britain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 05/02/2020)
*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.
** Sato was awarded a ten place grid penalty for changing his engine.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	60 	1:25:51.927 	1 	10
2 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	60 	+13.951s 	3 	8
3 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	60 	+18.672s 	2 	6
4 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	60 	+19.976s 	5 	5
5 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	60 	+31.559s 	4 	4
6 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	60 	+1:04.769 	8 	3
7 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	60 	+1:14.594 	9 	2
8 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	60 	+1:18.299 	10 	1
9 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	60 	+1:19.008 	12 	
10 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	6 	
11 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	22 	
12 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	11 	
13 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	13 	
14 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	14 	
15 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	18 	
16 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	58 	+2 Laps 	16 	
17 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	57 	+3 Laps 	21 	
18 	23 	Franck Montagny 	 	57 	+3 Laps 	20 	
Ret 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	8 	Oil leak 	19 	
Ret 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	1 	Damage 	15 	
Ret 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	0 	Collision 	7 	
Ret 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	0 	Collision 	17 	
Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)	Source:'Britain 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 200th Grand Prix appearance for as a constructor.'8. Britain 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 05/02/2020)
* 500th entry for a car using #21 as its race number.'2006 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190409190014/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2006&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 05/02/2020) - Original
* Thirteenth career victory for Fernando Alonso.
** Alonso also secured his maiden Hattrick.
* 31st win for Renault as a constructor.
** This was also Renault's 80th podium visit as a constructor.
** 111th win for Renault as an engine supplier.
* Alonso recorded the 25th fastest lap for a Renault chassis.
* This race also featured the first ever pit stop to have involved a woman, during a Midland pit stop for Tiago Monteiro, ITV-F1's then pit-lane reporter Louise Goodman was the left rear tyre changer.
==Standings==
A fifth win of the campaign had left Fernando Alonso in complete command of the Championship leaving Silverstone, the Spaniard having scored 74 points. Michael Schumacher was still his closest challenger, but having conceded two more points in Britain the German ace had slipped 23 points behind the Spaniard. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, had moved back ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella to secure third, while Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five.
In the Constructors Championship remained the happiest team in the field, having smashed through the 100 point barrier as a result of the British Grand Prix. That also meant the French manufacturer held a 31 point lead over second placed , while were 47 behind. and completed the top five, which had similar gaps throughout, with , and the only other scorers.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Fernando Alonso 	74 	
2 	Michael Schumacher 	51 	
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	33 	1
4 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	32 	1
5 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	26 	
6 	Felipe Massa 	24 	
7 	Jenson Button 	16 	
8 	Rubens Barrichello 	13 	
9 	Nick Heidfeld 	10 	1
10 	Ralf Schumacher 	8 	1
11 	David Coulthard 	7 	
12 	Jacques Villeneuve 	7 	1
13 	Mark Webber 	6 	1
14 	Nico Rosberg 	4 	
15 	Christian Klien 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	106 	
2 	 	75 	
3 	 	59 	
4 	 	29 	
5 	 	17 	
6 	 	10 	
7 	 	8 	
8 	 	8 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2006 Grands Prix
Category:British Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in the United Kingdom