2006 Australian Grand Prix

The 2006 Australian Grand Prix, officially the 2006 Formula 1 Foster's Australian Grand Prix, was the third round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which took place at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, on 2 April 2006. The race, which was staged on the 80th birthday of Australia's three-time World Champion Jack Brabham, would see Fernando Alonso sweep to his second win in the opening three rounds.
As a result of the 2006 Commonwealth Games being held in Melbourne the Australian Grand Prix would be staged in April, and hence lost its status as the opening round of the season. That brought an end to a ten year streak since that the season had started in the Antipodean city, although the organisers would sign a renewed deal to return as the opening round in .
Into the race weekend itself and qualifying threw up a slight shock as Jenson Button grabbed pole position for , their first as a constructor since the 1968 Italian Grand Prix. Giancarlo Fisichella shared the front row with the Brit ahead of teammate Alonso, while Kimi Räikkönen completed the second row.
Confusion then arrived on raceday, with Juan Pablo Montoya spinning at the end of the formation lap, and so was forced to start at the back. However, a stall for Fisichella on the grid saw the initial start aborted, and hence allowed Montoya to retake fifth on the grid.
The second attempted start would go as planned, with Button easing away from Fisichella and Alonso, with Räikkönen watching on. Behind, however, there would be more chaos, as new driver Felipe Massa tried to go for a gap between Nico Rosberg and Christian Klien, resulting in the Ferrari getting smashed against the outside wall at turn two.
That accident ensured the Safety Car was called at the end of the opening lap, and would stay out until the start of lap three. Alonso duly went on to ace the restart and jump Button for the lead, having inherited second when Fisichella spun on cold tyres behind the #12 Honda.
However, as soon as the field were released they were to be reined back in by the SC, which was called upon again after Klien crashed heavily at Clark Corner. Likely a legacy of his clash with Massa and Rosberg at the start, the had a suspected suspension failure, and was hence pitched straight into the barriers at high speed.
Once Klien's ruined Red Bull was removed the race restarted for a second time, with Alonso bursting clear ahead of Räikkönen, who pounced on Button into the first corner. With that the race would quickly become a procession, with the only change to the order coming when Vitantonio Liuzzi pulled a stunning move on Michael Schumacher at the back of the top ten.
Indeed, it was only when Button, Montoya and Jarno Trulli kick started the first pit-phase that the race gained some interest, with Alonso and Räikkönen stopping a lap later. That hence promoted Mark Webber into a brief lead for , becoming the first Australian to lead his home race since it had become a World Championship race.
Unfortunately for Webber his moment in the sun was curtailed swiftly by a gearbox failure, handing the lead back to Alonso. Again, the race settled down once the stops were completed, until Schumacher's race came to a spectacular end with a crash at Prost, bringing out the SC once again.
This time the majority of the field poured into the pits for their second stops, although this time there would be no major changes to the order. Alonso hence took the restart still in the lead ahead of Räikkönen, although before the field was up to speed the SC was called out again, this time for Liuzzi destroying his at Whiteford.
The race restarted for a fourth and final time on lap 40, with Alonso powering away for the rest of the afternoon to claim victory ahead of Räikkönen. Ralf Schumacher, meanwhile, would emerged from a wave of late retirements, which included an electrical shutdown for Montoya and a last corner engine failure for Button, to complete the podium. Nick Heidfeld, Fisichella, Jacques Villeneuve, Rubens Barrichello and Scott Speed secured the remaining points, with Button falling ten metres shy of the finishing line in his smoking Honda.
There would be one final twist, however, as Speed was relegated to ninth after the race for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags. He hence lost his maiden points finish, and received a $5,000 fine for abusive language during the hearing.
The race would also be notable as the last Grand Prix until the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix that neither was classified.
== Timetable and weather ==
Day 	Timetable 	Timetable 	Session 	Weather 	Air 	Track 	Humidity
Day 	Local Time 	GMT 	Session 	Weather 	Air 	Track 	Humidity
31 March 	11:00–12:00 	03:00–04:00 	Practice 1 	Cloudy 	20 °C 	23 °C 	51 %
31 March 	14:00–15:00 	06:00–07:00 	Practice 2 	Cloudy 	22 °C 	22 °C 	49 %
1 April 	11:00–12:00 	03:00–04:00 	Practice 3 	Rain 	16 °C 	17 °C 	60 %
1 April 	14:00–15:00 	06:00–07:00 	Qualifying 	Partly Cloudy 	19 °C 	27 °C 	51 %
2 April 	14:00–16:00 	07:00–09:00 	Grand Prix 	Cloudy 	18 °C 	25 °C 	53 %
Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)	Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)	Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)	Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)	Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)	Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)	Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)	Source:https://web.archive.org/web/20061020082747/http://www.formula1.com/race/timetable/753.html, (Accessed 11/11/2021)https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/ergebnisse/2006/grosser-preis-von-australien/rennen, (Accessed 11/11/2021)
==Background==
Victory for Giancarlo Fisichella would catapult the Italian racer up the early Championship table, leaving Malaysia in fourth with ten points. However, it was his teammate Fernando Alonso who left Sepang at the head of the pack, and with a fairly ominous seven point lead after just two races. Michael Schumacher had remained as the Spaniard's closest challenger in second, ahead of third placed Jenson Button on countback.
In the Constructors Championship were attempting to make an early break away at the head of the field, and left Malaysia with 28 points to their credit. That left the French manufacturer thirteen clear of in second, who were level on points with third placed . and then completed the top five, with and having picked up their first points of the campaign.
===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 	Markus Winkelhock 	MF1 Racing 	 	M16 	 	RVX-06 2.4 V8 	
40 	Neel Jani 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR1 	 	TJ2006 3.0 V10 	
Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
==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 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	8 	1:28.081 	 	8 	1:26.337 	 	1 	1:25.229 	1
2 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	5 	1:27.765 	 	6 	1:26.196 	 	2 	1:25.635 	2
3 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	13 	1:28.596 	 	1 	1:25.729 	 	3 	1:25.778 	3
4 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	2 	1:27.193 	 	5 	1:26.161 	 	4 	1:25.822 	4
5 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	 	1 	1:27.079 	 	2 	1:25.902 	 	5 	1:25.976 	5
6 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	7 	1:28.007 	 	9 	1:26.596 	 	6 	1:26.612 	6
7 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	3 	1:27.669 	 	4 	1:26.075 	 	7 	1:26.937 	7
8 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	6 	1:27.796 	 	3 	1:26.014 	 	8 	1:27.579 	8
9* 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	 	12 	1:28.460 	 	10 	1:26.714 	 	9 	1:29.239 	19
10 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	4 	1:27.748 	 	7 	1:26.327 	 	NC 	— 	9
11 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	9 	1:28.288 	 	11 	1:26.718 	 	 	 	10
12 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	11 	1:28.408 	 	12 	1:27.023 	 	 	 	11
13 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	16 	1:28.999 	 	13 	1:27.219 	 	 	 	12
14 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	 	14 	1:28.757 	 	14 	1:27.591 	 	 	 	13
15 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	10 	1:28.351 	 	15 	1:29.422 	 	 	 	14
16 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	15 	1:28.868 	 	NC 	— 	 	 	 	15
17 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	17 	1:29.943 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
18 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	18 	1:30.226 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
19 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	19 	1:30.426 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
20 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	20 	1:30.709 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
21 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	21 	1:32.279 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
22 	23 	Yuji Ide 	 	 	22 	1:36.164 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Foster's Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/792/australia/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.
** Villeneuve received a ten place grid penalty for changing his engine.
===Grid===
** Fisichella started the race from the pitlane after stalling during the aborted start.
==Race==
===Report===
Fernando Alonso won for the second time in 2006, after Jenson Button's blew up at the final corner, after starting from pole. Scott Speed was docked his first point (and what would have been the first for an American since ) for ignoring yellow flags. Thus, David Coulthard was promoted to eighth. Speed was also fined $5000 for swearing at Coulthard during the hearing. 
It was not until that America ended its long wait for F1 points in the form of U.S. team .
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	57 	1:34:27.870 	3 	10
2 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	57 	+1.829s 	4 	8
3 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	57 	+24.824s 	6 	6
4 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	57 	+31.032s 	8 	5
5 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	57 	+38.421s 	2 	4
6 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	57 	+49.554s 	19 	3
7 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	57 	+51.904s 	16 	2
8 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	57 	+53.983s 	11 	1
9* 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	57 	+1:18.817 	18 	
10† 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	56 	Engine 	1 	
11 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	17 	
12 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	55 	+2 Laps 	21 	
13 	23 	Yuji Ide 	 	54 	+3 Laps 	22 	
Ret 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	46 	Electrical 	5 	
Ret 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	39 	Steering 	20 	
Ret 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	37 	Accident 	12 	
Ret 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	32 	Accident 	10 	
Ret 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	22 	Engine 	7 	
Ret 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	4 	Suspension 	13 	
Ret 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	0 	Collision 	9 	
Ret 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	0 	Damage 	14 	
Ret 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	0 	Collision 	15 	
Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Australia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Speed received a 25 second time penalty for speeding under yellow flags.
*† Button was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* 2000th individual entry for a car using Michelin tyres.'2006 Australian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190409230618/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2006&gp=Australian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 03/02/2020) - Original
* Nick Heidfeld made his 100th Grand Prix start.'3. Australia 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/australie.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
* Jenson Button scored the second and final pole position for as a constructor.
** It was also the first pole for a Honda chassis since the 1968 Italian Grand Prix.
* Tenth career victory for Fernando Alonso.
* 28th win for as a constructor.
** Also their 108th win as an engine supplier.
* Kimi Räikkönen secured the 150th podium finish for a engine.
* Ralf Schumacher claimed his 27th and final podium finish.
==Standings==
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.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Fernando Alonso 	28 	
2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	14 	2
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	14 	3
4 	Michael Schumacher 	11 	2
5 	Jenson Button 	11 	2
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	9 	1
7 	Ralf Schumacher 	7 	4
8 	Nick Heidfeld 	5 	9
9 	Jacques Villeneuve 	5 	1
10 	Felipe Massa 	4 	3
11 	Mark Webber 	3 	3
12 	Rubens Barrichello 	2 	2
13 	Nico Rosberg 	2 	4
14 	David Coulthard 	1 	1
15 	Christian Klien 	1 	3
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	42 	
2 	 	23 	1
3 	 	15 	1
4 	 	13 	
5 	 	10 	1
6 	 	7 	1
7 	 	5 	2
8 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:2006 Grands Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Australian Grand Prix