2006 Malaysian Grand Prix

The 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 2006 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, was the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, on 19 March 2006.'Malaysia 2006: Fisichella wins over malaise.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 19/03/2006), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/55052/1/malaysia-2006-fisichella-wins-over-malaise, (Accessed 03/02/2020) The race would see Giancarlo Fisichella secure victory from pole position, beating teammate Fernando Alonso after a race long game of leap-frog.
Indeed, the difference between the two s had been decided in qualifying, with Fisichella on pole while Alonso could only muster eighth. That allowed Jenson Button to grab second for , Nico Rosberg to secure third in only his second race, and Michael Schumacher to secure fourth for before being slapped with a penalty for changing his engine.
The start of the race saw Fisichella instantly sprint into an early lead, leaving Button to consolidate second for . His run was aided by the two s, with Rosberg and Mark Webber so focused on one-another as the moved towards the inside wall that they allowed Alonso to sweep straight past them.
Webber eventually managed to scramble into fourth, while Rosberg was jumped by both and Nick Heidfeld. However, he quickly got back one of those positions as Kimi Räikkönen exited the race in spectacular fashion, a suspension failure resulting from contact at turn four.
Out front, meanwhile, Fisichella stamped his authority on the race, establishing a fair lead over Button as the Brit kept Alonso at bay. Behind, the race would likewise develop into a stalemate behind Webber, with the only source of entertainment coming in the form of Schumacher as he battled his way into the points.
Early retirements would further thin the field, with Rosberg and Webber both retiring with quickfire engine failures while fighting with Juan Pablo Montoya. The put Schumacher into sixth as the first round of stops began, with Fisichella opening the pit-window on lap seventeen.
Button would lead for two laps before making his first stop, handing the lead to Alonso, who was intending to complete the race on one-stop. However, Renault had a change of heart and instead short-fuelled the Spanish ace, believing that keeping out of traffic would be more beneficial than missing out on a second stop.
The ploy worked, for when Fisichella and Button darted into the pits on lap 38, Alonso would have a five lap run in clear air, and hence jumped the #12 Honda as a result. He subsequently went charging off after teammate Fisichella, leaving Button to drift back towards Montoya until his pace returned in the closing stages.
Indeed, the race would rather peeter out, with Fisichella able to win at a canter ahead of teammate Alonso. Button was also allowed to close but had to settle for completing the podium, while Montoya kept out of reach of the battling s, Felipe Massa emerging ahead of teammate Schumacher. Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher secured the remaining points for and respectively.
==Background==
Victory at the opening round of the season meant Fernando Alonso opened his maiden title defence in perfect form, scoring a maximum ten points. Michael Schumacher, meanwhile, had started his campaign in second, two behind, while Kimi Räikkönen completed the opening day top three. The rest of the scorers in Bahrain were Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber, debutante Nico Rosberg and Christian Klien.
In the Constructors Championship it was who led the way after the opening round, all because of Alonso's win. Indeed, had matched the French squad's ten point haul at the opening round, but because Alonso had won the race, it was Renault who headed the field on countback. Behind, started the season in third ahead of , with and having also scored points.
===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:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)
==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 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	11 	1:35.488 	 	2 	1:33.623 	 	1 	1:33.840 	1
2 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	4 	1:35.023 	 	1 	1:33.527 	 	2 	1:33.986 	2
3 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	6 	1:35.105 	 	7 	1:34.563 	 	3 	1:34.626 	3
4* 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	16 	1:35.810 	 	9 	1:34.574 	 	4 	1:34.668 	14
5 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	9 	1:35.252 	 	4 	1:34.279 	 	5 	1:34.672 	4
6 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	 	1 	1:34.536 	 	8 	1:34.568 	 	6 	1:34.916 	5
7 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	2 	1:34.667 	 	5 	1:34.351 	 	7 	1:34.983 	6
8 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	12 	1:35.514 	 	3 	1:33.997 	 	8 	1:35.747 	7
9 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	 	7 	1:35.171 	 	6 	1:34.537 	 	9 	1:38.715 	8
10† 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	8 	1:35.214 	 	10 	1:34.586 	 	NC 	— 	22
11* 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	3 	1:34.839 	 	11 	1:34.614 	 	 	 	19
12* 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	14 	1:35.526 	 	12 	1:34.683 	 	 	 	20
13 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	13 	1:35.517 	 	13 	1:34.702 	 	 	 	9
14 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	 	10 	1:35.391 	 	14 	1:34.752 	 	 	 	10
15 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	15 	1:35.588 	 	15 	1:34.783 	 	 	 	11
16‡ 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	5 	1:35.091 	 	NC 	— 	 	 	 	21
17 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	17 	1:36.297 	 	 	 	 	 	 	12
18 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	18 	1:36.581 	 	 	 	 	 	 	13
19 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	19 	1:37.426 	 	 	 	 	 	 	15
20 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	20 	1:37.819 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
21 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	21 	1:39.011 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
22 	23 	Yuji Ide 	 	 	22 	1:40.720 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/791/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 02/02/2020)
** Michael Schumacher, Coulthard and Barrichello were all awarded ten place grid penalties for changing their engines.
*† Ralf Schumacher suffered an engine failure in Q2 so could not take part in Q3, and was awarded a ten place grid penalty.
*‡ Massa suffered an engine failure in practice and so sat out Q2, and was awarded a ten place grid penalty.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	56 	1:30:40.529 	1 	10
2 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	56 	+4.585s 	7 	8
3 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	56 	+9.631s 	2 	6
4 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	56 	+39.351s 	5 	5
5 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	56 	+43.254s 	21 	4
6 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	56 	+43.854s 	14 	3
7 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	56 	+1:20.461 	10 	2
8 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	56 	+1:21.288 	22 	1
9 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	9 	
10 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	20 	
11 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	54 	+2 Laps 	13 	
12 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	54 	+2 Laps 	15 	
13 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	54 	+2 Laps 	16 	
14 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	53 	+3 Laps 	17 	
Ret 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	48 	Engine 	11 	
Ret 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	41 	Clutch 	12 	
Ret 	23 	Yuji Ide 	 	33 	Throttle 	18 	
Ret 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	26 	Hydraulics 	8 	
Ret 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	15 	Hydraulics 	4 	
Ret 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	10 	Hydraulics 	19 	
Ret 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	6 	Engine 	19 	
Ret 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	0 	Collision 	6 	
Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 50th individual entry for a chassis.'2006 Malaysian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190410004154/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2006&gp=Malaysian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 03/02/2020) - Original
* Third and final career victory for Giancarlo Fisichella.'2. Malaysia 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/malaisie.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
* secured their 27th win as a constructor.
** Also the 107th win for a Renault engine.
* Maiden points finish for as a constructor.
* Fernando Alonso recorded the 110th fastest lap for a Renault engine.
==Standings==
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.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Fernando Alonso 	18 	
2 	Michael Schumacher 	11 	
3 	Jenson Button 	11 	1
4 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	10 	15
5 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	9 	
6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	6 	3
7 	Felipe Massa 	4 	2
8 	Mark Webber 	3 	2
9 	Nico Rosberg 	2 	2
10 	Jacques Villeneuve 	2 	9
11 	Ralf Schumacher 	1 	3
12 	Christian Klien 	1 	5
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	28 	
2 	 	15 	1
3 	 	15 	1
4 	 	11 	
5 	 	5 	
6 	 	2 	2
7 	 	1 	2
8 	 	1 	1
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2006 Grands Prix
Category:Malaysian Grand Prix