2006 French Grand Prix

The 2006 French Grand Prix, otherwise known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de France 2006, was the eleventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, France, on 16 July 2006.'French GP, 2006', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr761.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim a record breaking eighth victory at the French Grand Prix, and secure his 22nd career Hattrick.
Qualifying had seen Schumacher continue his dominant form from the US Grand Prix, sweeping to his 68th career pole position. Teammate Felipe Massa joined him on the front row, while Championship leader Fernando Alonso would start from third for .
Schumacher duly aced his start to claim an early lead, while Massa moved across the prevent Alonso from diving through to claim second. Behind it was a similarly tame start, with Takuma Sato the only casualty as his broke its gearbox shortly after the start.
With Massa in second and defending heavily from Alonso, Schumacher was able to escape up the road in the early stages, setting a succession of fastest laps. Behind, the two s found themselves defending from Kimi Räikkönen, while Pedro de la Rosa and Mark Webber were in an intense duel for eighth. At the back, meanwhile, Tiago Monteiro would exit the race in somewhat spectacular fashion, smashing into a kerb at the chicane with enough force to pitch the into the air.
Unfortunately after those early exchanges the race would soon develop into a procession, largely due to a combination of the 2006 spec-cars and the Magny-Cours circuit. Indeed, it was only when the first round of stops began that the order was significantly changed, albeit briefly as Jarno Trulli inherited the lead before making his first stop.
However, once the stops were completed the race would settle down again, resulting in another tepid spell. In the midst of that Renault would issue a press release regarding the political state of F1, which drew more attention than the on-track action.
It was at this point that strategy came into play, however, as several drivers made their second stops early, the signal that they were on a three-stop plan. The most significant of these was Massa, who relinquished second to Alonso as a result of making an additional stop.
Massa's only hope of getting back ahead of Alonso was that he would be on low fuel for the foreseeable future, with the Spaniard would take on more fuel when he made his second and final stop. Yet, without Massa in front of him the Spaniard was able to build a fair gap either side of his stop, and so would reclaim a safe second when Massa completed his second stop.
Untroubled by all of this, however, was race leader Schumacher, who cruised through the second half of the race to secure his 88th career victory, ten seconds clear of Alonso. Massa finished a distant third ahead of Ralf Schumacher, with Räikkönen, Giancarlo Fisichella, de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld.
Notably the 2006 French Grand Prix would see Schumacher claim his 68th and final pole position, a record tally that would stand until Lewis Hamilton claimed his 69th pole at the 2017 Italian Grand Prix.
==Background==
For the first time in Fernando Alonso had failed to finish in the top two in the Championship, and hence had seen his title lead reduced. However, the Spaniard had still scored points, and so the damage done to his lead by race winner Michael Schumacher had been minimal, the German ace only closing the gap to nineteen points. Behind, Giancarlo Fisichella had moved ahead of Kimi Räikkönen after the Finn's retirement, while Felipe Massa had gained ground on both in fifth.
In the Constructors Championship the US Grand Prix had been a hugely beneficial day for , who closed the gap to the leaders and broke through the 100 point barrier. However, the Scuderia would remain 26 points behind at the end of the weekend, and had therefore only really enhanced their grip on second. Indeed, a double non-score for had left them in a now distant third, while were on the board for the first time in ninth.
===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 	 	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 	Adrian Sutil 	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:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)
==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 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	2 	1:15.865 	 	1 	1:15.111 	 	1 	1:15.493 	1
2 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	5 	1:16.277 	 	3 	1:15.679 	 	2 	1:15.510 	2
3 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	6 	1:16.328 	 	4 	1:15.706 	 	3 	1:15.785 	3
4 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	1 	1:15.550 	 	6 	1:15.776 	 	4 	1:16.036 	4
5 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	3 	1:15.949 	 	2 	1:15.625 	 	5 	1:16.091 	5
6 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	4 	1:16.154 	 	5 	1:15.742 	 	6 	1:16.281 	6
7 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	12 	1:16.825 	 	7 	1:15.901 	 	7 	1:16.345 	7
8 	4 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	 	10 	1:16.679 	 	8 	1:15.902 	 	8 	1:16.632 	8
9* 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	9 	1:16.534 	 	9 	1:15.926 	 	9 	1:18.272 	9
10 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	7 	1:16.350 	 	10 	1:15.974 	 	10 	1:18.663 	10
11 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	8 	1:16.531 	 	11 	1:16.129 	 	 	 	11
12 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	11 	1:16.686 	 	12 	1:16.294 	 	 	 	12
13 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	 	13 	1:16.921 	 	13 	1:16.433 	 	 	 	13
14 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	15 	1:17.022 	 	14 	1:17.027 	 	 	 	14
15 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	16 	1:17.117 	 	15 	1:17.063 	 	 	 	15
16 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	14 	1:16.962 	 	16 	1:17.105 	 	 	 	16
17* 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	17 	1:17.164 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	 	18 	1:17.304 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	19 	1:17.495 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	20 	1:17.589 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
21 	23 	Franck Montagny 	 	 	21 	1:18.637 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
22 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	22 	1:18.845 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix de France 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/800/france/qualifying.html, (Accessed 06/02/2020)
*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.
** Rosberg and Liuzzi served ten place grid penalties for changing their engines.
===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 	 	70 	1:32:07.803 	1 	10
2 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	70 	+10.131s 	3 	8
3 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	70 	+22.546s 	2 	6
4 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	70 	+27.212s 	5 	5
5 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	70 	+33.006s 	6 	4
6 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	70 	+45.265s 	7 	3
7 	4 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	70 	+49.407s 	8 	2
8 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	11 	1
9 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	9 	
10 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	14 	
11 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	16 	
12 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	12 	
13 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	22 	
14 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	68 	+2 Laps 	19 	
15 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	68 	+2 Laps 	15 	
16 	23 	Franck Montagny 	 	67 	+3 Laps 	20 	
Ret 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	61 	Engine 	17 	
Ret 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	55 	Wheel 	10 	
Ret 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	39 	Brakes 	4 	
Ret 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	28 	Engine 	13 	
Ret 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	11 	Accident 	18 	
Ret 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	0 	Gearbox 	21 	
Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)	Source:'France 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Seventh and final start for Franck Montagny.
* Michael Schumacher secured his 68th and final pole position.'11. France 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/france.aspx, (Accessed 06/02/2020)
** His record for most pole positions would stand until Lewis Hamilton claimed his 69th pole at the 2017 Italian Grand Prix.
* 88th career victory for Schumacher.
* scored their 187th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
==Standings==
Victory for Michael Schumacher meant that the German veteran had managed to close the gap to Championship leader Fernando Alonso, leaving France with a seventeen point deficit. Alonso's second place finish had reduced the damage, however, and meant that the Spaniard could afford to finish second to Schumacher through the remaining seven races and still claim the crown. Behind, Giancarlo Fisichella and Kimi Räikkönen were in a fight with Felipe Massa to secure third, while Pedro de la Rosa had become the season's eighteenth different scorer.
In the Constructors Championship had left their home race still at the head of the hunt, but had seen their advantage somewhat reduced. Indeed, 's double podium ensured the Scuderia closed to within 21 points of the French manufacturer, and hence were a significant threat for the crown. , meanwhile, were set to claim third having dropped 50 points behind Ferrari, with and completing 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 	96 	
2 	Michael Schumacher 	79 	
3 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	46 	
4 	Kimi Räikkönen 	43 	
5 	Felipe Massa 	42 	
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	26 	
7 	Jenson Button 	16 	
8 	Rubens Barrichello 	16 	
9 	Ralf Schumacher 	13 	2
10 	Nick Heidfeld 	13 	1
11 	David Coulthard 	10 	1
12 	Jarno Trulli 	8 	
13 	Jacques Villeneuve 	7 	
14 	Mark Webber 	6 	
15 	Nico Rosberg 	4 	
16 	Pedro de la Rosa 	2 	8
17 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	1 	1
18 	Christian Klien 	1 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	142 	
2 	 	121 	
3 	 	71 	
4 	 	32 	
5 	 	21 	1
6 	 	20 	1
7 	 	11 	
8 	 	10 	
9 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2006 Grands Prix
Category:French Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in France