2005 Belgian Grand Prix

The 2005 Belgian Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 2005 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, was the sixteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium, on 11 September 2005.'Belgium 2005: Raikkonen wins, Alonso consolidates.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 11/09/2005), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/53684/1/belgium-2005-raikkonen-wins-alonso-consolidates, (Accessed 26/01/2020) The race would see Kimi Räikkönen claim victory to keep his title hopes alive, although Fernando Alonso finished second to leave Spa just six points away from the crown.
Qualifying had seen Räikkönen get beaten to pole position by teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, losing out by half a tenth. Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli made it an all Italian second row, only for the #6 to get a grid penalty, with Alonso inheriting fourth ahead Ralf Schumacher. The Spaniard could win the Championship if he out-scored Räikkönen by four points in Spa.
It would rain on race morning, although by the time the field began to line-up on the grid a large part of the circuit was drying. Almost everyone would opt to start on intermediate or slick tyres, although the two opted to start from the pitlane having changed their setups to compensate for the conditions.
The start itself would be incredibly clean given the conditions, with Montoya easing into an early lead, while Räikkönen had to fend off the attentions of Trulli. Further down, Takuma Sato streak up the field to claim seventh behind Michael Schumacher, with a lot of twitching on the brakes behind.
The rest of the opening lap passed without issue, with Montoya and Räikkönen checking out at the front of the field. Trulli, meanwhile, would fend off the attentions of Alonso, while a mistake from Ralf Schumacher at the Bus-stop dumped him back to eighth and allowed Jenson Button to attack teammate Sato.
Fisichella proved to be the man to watch during the early stages of the race, charging up the order to eighth with a series of clean moves. However, having passed Button the Italian racer would put too much faith in the kerbs at Eau Rouge, and duly went skating into the barriers at Radillion at high speed.
The Italian racer emerged from his wrecked Renault without injury, with the Safety Car appearing to allow the debris to be removed. At that point several drivers would dive into the pits, with Räikkönen backing up the field to avoid getting stuck behind teammate Montoya, for McLaren called in both their drivers at the same time.
Only Jacques Villeneuve would remain out, and would restart the race in second behind Montoya and ahead of Ralf Schumacher, who had stopped a lap before the SC. Montoya duly checked out at the head of the field as Räikkönen and Alonso tried to move back past the and the . At the back, meanwhile, Sato would mess up his braking point into La Source, and duly removed Michael Schumacher from the race.
Villeneuve would soon slip back down the order, although neither Ralf Schumacher, Räikkönen nor Alonso could challenge Montoya. Indeed, the second round of stops would only result in Ralf Schumacher slipping out of the lead group, with the leaders all sticking with intermediates.
Into the closing stages and Rubens Barrichello, Mark Webber and Antônio Pizzonia all switched to drys, and immediately began lapping quickly. As a result, Webber led Barrichello on towards the leaders, with Button in fourth challenging Alonso for third, albeit with time running out.
However, there would be one late twist as Montoya's McLaren was suddenly spotted buried in the tyre wall at Fagnes. The cause was a clash between the Colombian ace and a lapped but faster Pizzonia, resulting in both cars receiving terminal damage.
With that the race was run, with Räikkönen easing through the final laps to claim victory to keep his slim title hopes alive. Alonso, meanwhile, secured second to all but secure the crown, with Button completing the podium well clear of Webber. Barrichello, Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Tiago Monteiro claimed the remaining points.
==Background==
With four races to go the World Championship battle seemed to be over, for Fernando Alonso had managed to extend his lead to 27 points over Kimi Räikkönen. That meant that the Spanish ace could secure the title in Belgium if he out-scored the Finn by four points in Spa. Räikkönen, meanwhile, would have to beat Alonso in each of the four remaining races just to stand a hope of taking the crown, with those two the only drivers mathematically in the fight.
In the Constructors Championship it had been a fairly even day for the main protagonists, with only able to nudge a point closer to 's 144 point tally. Indeed, the Anglo-German squad were sat eight off the French manufacturer with four rounds to go, and were the only constructor feasibly capable of overhauling the French squad in 2005. Indeed, were still mathematically in the hunt, but with a huge 58 point deficit to the leaders.
===Entry List===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Michael Schumacher 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2005 	 	055 3.0 V10 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2005 	 	055 3.0 V10 	
3 	Jenson Button 	Lucky Strike BAR Honda 	 	007 	 	RA005E 3.0 V10 	
4 	Takuma Sato 	Lucky Strike BAR Honda 	 	007 	 	RA005E 3.0 V10 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team 	 	R25 	 	RS25 3.0 V10 	
6 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team 	 	R25 	 	RS25 3.0 V10 	
7 	Mark Webber 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW27 	 	P84-5 3.0 V10 	
8 	Antônio Pizzonia 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW27 	 	P84-5 3.0 V10 	
9 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Team McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-20 	 	FO 110R 3.0 V10 	
10 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	Team McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-20 	 	FO 110R 3.0 V10 	
11 	Jacques Villeneuve 	Sauber Petronas 	 	C24 	 	05A 3.0 V10 	
12 	Felipe Massa 	Sauber Petronas 	 	C24 	 	05A 3.0 V10 	
14 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB1 	 	TJ2005 3.0 V10 	
15 	Christian Klien 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB1 	 	TJ2005 3.0 V10 	
16 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF105 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
17 	Ralf Schumacher 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF105 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
18 	Tiago Monteiro 	Jordan Grand Prix 	 	EJ15B 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
19 	Narain Karthikeyan 	Jordan Grand Prix 	 	EJ15B 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
20 	Robert Doornbos 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	PS05 	 	TJ2005 3.0 V10 	
21 	Christijan Albers 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	PS05 	 	TJ2005 3.0 V10 	
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 	Team McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-20 	 	FO 110R 3.0 V10 	
37 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB1 	 	TJ2005 3.0 V10 	
38 	Ricardo Zonta 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF105 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
39 	Nicolas Kiesa 	Jordan Grand Prix 	 	EJ15 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
40 	Enrico Toccacelo 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	PS05 	 	TJ2005 3.0 V10 	
Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1 Report===
===Q2 Report===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Gap 	Ave. Speed
1 	10 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	1:46.391 	— 	236.050 km/h
2 	9 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:46.440 	+0.049s 	235.941 km/h
3* 	6 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:46.497 	+0.106s 	235.815 km/h
4 	16 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:46.596 	+0.205s 	235.596 km/h
5 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:46.760 	+0.369s 	235.234 km/h
6 	17 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:47.401 	+1.010s 	233.830 km/h
7 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:47.476 	+1.085s 	233.667 km/h
8 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	1:47.867 	+1.476s 	232.820 km/h
9 	3 	Jenson Button 	 	1:47.978 	+1.587s 	232.581 km/h
10 	7 	Mark Webber 	 	1:48.071 	+1.680s 	232.381 km/h
11 	4 	Takuma Sato 	 	1:48.353 	+1.962s 	231.776 km/h
12 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	1:48.508 	+2.117s 	231.445 km/h
13 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:48.550 	+2.159s 	231.355 km/h
14 	11 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:48.889 	+2.498s 	230.635 km/h
15 	8 	Antônio Pizzonia 	 	1:48.898 	+2.507s 	230.616 km/h
16 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	1:48.994 	+2.603s 	230.413 km/h
17 	 	Robert Doornbos 	 	1:49.779 	+3.388s 	228.765 km/h
18 	21 	Christijan Albers 	 	1:49.842 	+3.451s 	228.634 km/h
19 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	1:51.498 	+5.107s 	225.238 km/h
20 	19 	Narain Karthikeyan 	 	1:51.675 	+5.284s 	224.881 km/h
Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Belgian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/786/belgium/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 27/01/2020)'Belgium 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Belgian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/786/belgium/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 27/01/2020)'Belgium 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Belgian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/786/belgium/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 27/01/2020)'Belgium 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Belgian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/786/belgium/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 27/01/2020)'Belgium 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Belgian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/786/belgium/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 27/01/2020)'Belgium 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Belgian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/786/belgium/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 27/01/2020)'Belgium 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Belgian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/786/belgium/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 27/01/2020)'Belgium 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
** Fisichella awarded a ten place grid penalty for changing his engine.
===Grid===
** Doornbos and Albers started the race from the pitlane.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	9 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	44 	1:30:01.295 	2 	10
2 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	44 	+28.394s 	4 	8
3 	3 	Jenson Button 	 	44 	+32.077s 	8 	6
4 	7 	Mark Webber 	 	44 	+1:09.167 	9 	5
5 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	44 	+1:18.136 	12 	4
6 	11 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	44 	+1:27.435 	14 	3
7 	17 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	44 	+1:27.574 	5 	2
8 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	19 	1
9 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	16 	
10 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	7 	
11 	19 	Narain Karthikeyan 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	20 	
12 	21 	Christijan Albers 	 	42 	+2 Laps 	PL 	
13 	20 	Robert Doornbos 	 	41 	+3 Laps 	PL 	
14* 	10 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	40 	Collision 	1 	
15* 	8 	Antônio Pizzonia 	 	39 	Collision 	15 	
Ret 	16 	Jarno Trulli 	 	34 	Accident 	3 	
Ret 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	18 	Engine 	11 	
Ret 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	13 	Collision 	6 	
Ret 	4 	Takuma Sato 	 	13 	Collision 	10 	
Ret 	6 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	10 	Accident 	13 	
Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Montoya and Pizzonia were both classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* 50th Grand Prix entry for Felipe Massa.Archived, '2005 Belgian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190410002522/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2005&gp=Belgian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 27/01/2020) - Original
* Juan Pablo Montoya claimed his thirteenth and final pole position.'16. Belgium 2005', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/belgique.aspx, (Accessed 27/01/2020)
** Also the tenth pole for a car with #10 registered as its race number.
** First front row lock-out since the 2001 San Marino Grand Prix.
* Kimi Räikkönen registered his eighth career victory.
* 146th win for as a constructor.
** claimed their 51st win as an engine supplier.
* Twentieth podium finish for Fernando Alonso.
* Jenson Button secured the fifteenth and final podium for a chassis.
** Also the 170th podium finish for as an engine supplier.
* Ralf Schumacher recorded his eighth and final Fastest lap.
** This was also the first fastest lap recorded by a chassis and engine.
* Tiago Monteiro's last point.
** This was also last point.
==Standings==
Victory for Kimi Räikkönen ensured that the title fight would go on for at least one more race, although the Finn was facing a very one-sided battle. Indeed, second place in Spa for Fernando Alonso ensured that the Spaniard had to score just six points across the final three rounds to claim the crown, leaving Belgium with 25 points in hand. Behind, Michael Schumacher was set to fight with Juan Pablo Montoya to finish third, while Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella were to battle for fifth.
In the Constructors Championship had once again inched closer to leaders , leaving Belgium with a six point deficit. Those two would hence battle it out over the final three races, with a huge 56 point gap back to in third, now mathematically out of the fight. were the Scuderia's biggest threat, ten behind the Italian manufacturer, with set to round 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 	111 	
2 	Kimi Räikkönen 	86 	
3 	Michael Schumacher 	55 	
4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	50 	
5 	Jarno Trulli 	43 	
6 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	41 	
7 	Ralf Schumacher 	37 	
8 	Rubens Barrichello 	35 	
9 	Jenson Button 	30 	1
10 	Mark Webber 	29 	1
11 	Nick Heidfeld 	28 	2
12 	David Coulthard 	21 	
13 	Jacques Villeneuve 	9 	3
14 	Felipe Massa 	8 	1
15 	Tiago Monteiro 	7 	1
16 	Alexander Wurz 	6 	1
17 	Narain Karthikeyan 	5 	
18 	Christian Klien 	5 	
19 	Christijan Albers 	4 	
20 	Pedro de la Rosa 	4 	
21 	Patrick Friesacher 	3 	
22 	Antônio Pizzonia 	2 	
23 	Takuma Sato 	1 	
24 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	152 	
2 	 	146 	
3 	 	90 	
4 	 	80 	
5 	 	59 	
6 	 	31 	1
7 	 	27 	1
8 	 	17 	
9 	 	12 	
10 	 	7 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2005 Grands Prix
Category:Belgian Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Belgium