2006 European Grand Prix

The 2006 European Grand Prix, otherwise known as the L Grand Prix of Europe was the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany, on 7 May 2006.'Europe 2006: Scintillating Schumi.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 03/02/2020), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/55571/1/europe-2006-scintillating-schumi, (Accessed 03/02/2020) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim his second victory in a row, beating Championship leader Fernando Alonso.
Qualifying would see a red flag glitch cause some confusion, and resulted in Christian Klien dropping out on Q1, much to the Austrian racer's ire. However, it would not affect those fighting for pole position, a battle which was won by Alonso in Q3 by 0.097s over Schumacher.
It was status quo at the start of the race, with Alonso easing clear of Schumacher into the first corner, who instead had to keep an eye on his young teammate Felipe Massa. The Brazilian racer ultimately opted against making a lunge at his teammate, and instead fended off a move from a fast starting Jenson Button, who had leapt ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Räikkönen off the grid.
Behind, however, there would be yet another first corner crash, as David Coulthard and Vitantonio Liuzzi collided in the sister and cars. Replays subsequently showed that Liuzzi had been spun into the side of Coulthard's Red Bull by Ralf Schumacher in the , although regardless both Red Bull liveried cars would suffer terminal damage.
Liuzzi's spin into the gravel at the chicane with a smashed rear wing while limping back to the pits brought out the Safety Car, which stayed out for two laps. The restart saw Alonso blast away at the start of lap four to claim an early lead ahead of the scarlet Ferraris, while Räikkönen eased past Button for fourth.
The race quickly settled down, with Alonso, Schumacher, Massa and Räikkönen entering a stalemate a few seconds apart, while Button dropped back towards Juan Pablo Montoya. Indeed, the monotony was only broken up when Alonso triggered the first round of stops on lap sixteen, followed on successive laps by Massa and Schumacher.
Räikkönen ran on in the lead until lap 23, while Nico Rosberg ran longest out of everyone, going on past half-distance. Yet, the German rookie would not affect the order out front, with Alonso continuing to lead ahead of Schumacher, who were exchanging barrages of fastest laps as they eased away from Massa and Räikkönen throughout the second stint.
Their fight came to its apex when Alonso dived in for his second stop, releasing Schumacher for a three-lap burst in clear air. That, ultimately, proved to be the difference, for two fastest laps and a seven second stop ensured that the #5 Ferrari shot out of the pitlane just ahead of the #1 Renault.
With that the battle for the lead was over, for Alonso's attempt to get back on terms with the scarlet Ferrari would collapse along with his pace. Schumacher was hence left to win at a canter, while the Spaniard had to keep an eye on his mirrors for the ongoing battle between Massa and Räikkönen that was steadily catching him.
Fortunately for Alonso those two would run out of time to catch the Renault, as Schumacher collected a deceptively simple victory three seconds clear of Alonso. Massa duly completed the podium as Räikkönen could not force a move, while Barrichello recovered to fifth after his dismal start. Fisichella was next ahead of Rosberg on his ambitious strategy, the German youth having started from last place on the grid, while Jacques Villeneuve completed the scorers.
==Background==
Fernando Alonso had seen his lead at the top of the Championship once again grow as a result of the San Marino Grand Prix, leaving Imola with a fifteen point advantage. Race winner Michael Schumacher had, however, moved into second courtesy of his victory, three ahead of third placed Kimi Räikkönen. Giancarlo Fisichella and Juan Pablo Montoya were a further three behind the Finn, while Jenson Button had slipped to sixth, two points off.
In the Constructors Championship had seen their lead slightly reduced, although they still held a very healthy eighteen point margin. had hence inched closer to their opponents in second, although a strong weekend for had seen the Scuderia double their tally, and move to within three points of the Anglo-German alliance. were next, with half the points of Ferrari, while rounded out the top five.
===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 	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* 	Yuji Ide 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA05 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
** Ide was registered as Super Aguri's third driver but did not take part in the race weekend.
==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 	1:31.138 	 	3 	1:30.336 	 	1 	1:29.816 	1
2 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	2 	1:31.235 	 	1 	1:30.013 	 	2 	1:30.028 	2
3 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	14 	1:31.921 	 	6 	1:30.732 	 	3 	1:30.407 	3
4 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	9 	1:31.671 	 	4 	1:30.469 	 	4 	1:30.754 	4
5 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	3 	1:31.263 	 	2 	1:30.203 	 	5 	1:30.933 	5
6 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	4 	1:31.420 	 	8 	1:30.755 	 	6 	1:30.940 	6
7 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	13 	1:31.809 	 	7 	1:30.733 	 	7 	1:31.419 	7
8 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	 	12 	1:31.774 	 	5 	1:30.671 	 	8 	1:31.880 	8
9* 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	10 	1:31.712 	 	10 	1:30.892 	 	9 	1:33.405 	19
10† 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	 	7 	1:31.545 	 	9 	1:30.856 	 	10 	1:36.998 	9
11 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	6 	1:31.470 	 	11 	1:30.944 	 	 	 	10
12* 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	15 	1:32.053 	 	12 	1:31.194 	 	 	 	22
13 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	8 	1:31.547 	 	13 	1:31.197 	 	 	 	11
14 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	11 	1:31.742 	 	14 	1:31.227 	 	 	 	12
15 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	5 	1:31.457 	 	15 	1:31.422 	 	 	 	13
16 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	16 	1:32.651 	 	16 	1:31.728 	 	 	 	14
17 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	 	17 	1:32.901 	 	 	 	 	 	 	15
18 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	18 	1:32.936 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
19 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	19 	1:32.992 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
20 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	20 	1:33.658 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
21 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	21 	1:35.239 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
22 	23 	Franck Montagny 	 	 	22 	1:46.505 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'2006 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/794/europe/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.
** Webber and Rosberg received ten place grid penalties for changing their engines.
*† Villeneuve had his three fastest laps from Q3 deleted for blocking Fisichella.
===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 	 	60 	1:35:58.765 	2 	10
2 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	60 	+3.751s 	1 	8
3 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	60 	+4.447s 	3 	6
4 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	60 	+4.879s 	5 	5
5 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	60 	+1:12.586 	4 	4
6 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	60 	+1:14.116 	11 	3
7 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	60 	+1:14.565 	22 	2
8 	17 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	60 	+1:29.364 	9 	1
9 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	7 	
10 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	13 	
11 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	17 	
12 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	18 	
13 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	16 	
Ret 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	52 	Engine 	10 	
Ret 	4 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	52 	Engine 	8 	
Ret 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	45 	Hydraulics 	20 	
Ret 	23 	Franck Montagny 	 	29 	Hydraulics 	21 	
Ret 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	28 	Engine 	6 	
Ret 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	28 	Transmission 	15 	
Ret 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	12 	Hydraulics 	19 	
Ret 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	2 	Damage 	12 	
Ret 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	0 	Damage 	14 	
Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)	Source:'Europe 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 600th Grand Prix appearance for as a constructor.'5. Europe 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/europe.aspx, (Accessed 03/02/2020)
* Ralf Schumacher made his 150th start at a Grand Prix.
* Mark Webber entered his 75th Grand Prix.'2006 European GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190409193512/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2006&gp=European%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 03/02/2020) - Original
* Franck Montagny made his Grand Prix debut.
* Fernando Alonso secured his tenth pole position.
* 86th career victory for Michael Schumacher.
* recorded their 185th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Maiden podium finish for Felipe Massa.
* 70th fastest lap recorded by Schumacher.
==Standings==
Fernando Alonso had seen his early Championship lead chipped away at as a result of the European Grand Prix, leaving the Nürburgring with a thirteen point advantage. Michael Schumacher had been the man to do the damage, his second win of the season leaving him on 31 points and in a clear second place. Kimi Räikkönen had hence lost ground in third but remained five ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella, while Felipe Massa moved into the top five, level on points with Juan Pablo Montoya.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to take another point out of 's early lead, although the French squad still held a decent margin. Indeed, Renault left Germany with a fourteen point lead over the Scuderia, while third placed were a further six behind. , meanwhile, had enhanced their grip on fourth ahead of , 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 	44 	
2 	Michael Schumacher 	31 	
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	23 	
4 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	18 	
5 	Felipe Massa 	15 	2
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	15 	1
7 	Jenson Button 	13 	1
8 	Ralf Schumacher 	7 	
9 	Rubens Barrichello 	6 	3
10 	Mark Webber 	6 	1
11 	Jacques Villeneuve 	6 	
12 	Nick Heidfeld 	5 	2
13 	Nico Rosberg 	4 	
14 	David Coulthard 	1 	
15 	Christian Klien 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	62 	
2 	 	46 	1
3 	 	38 	1
4 	 	19 	
5 	 	11 	
6 	 	10 	
7 	 	7 	
8 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:European Grand Prix
Category:2006 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in Germany