2006 Italian Grand Prix

The 2006 Italian Grand Prix, officially the LXXVII Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia, was race number fifteen of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which took place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy, on 10 September 2006.'Italy 2006: Schumacher rides emotion to 90th win.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 10/09/2006), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/56898/1/italy-2006-schumacher-rides-emotion-to-90th-win, (Accessed 07/02/2020) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim an emotional 90th race victory for on home soil, on the day that he announced his retirement from F1.
The German ace would not have it all his own way, however, for Kimi Räikkönen would beat him to pole position during qualifying, albeit by just 0.002s. Nick Heidfeld was a surprise third for ahead of Felipe Massa, as Championship leader Fernando Alonso could only muster tenth after being penalised for impeding Massa.
Räikkönen made the best getaway at the start of the race, easing clear as Schumacher came under attack from Heidfeld. The #5 Ferrari ultimately emerged ahead, while Heidfeld, who had to back off in the middle of the Rettifilo chicane, would slip down the field during the opening lap.
Instead, it was his rookie teammate Robert Kubica who emerged in third, having rocketed up from sixth on the grid. He led Massa, Heidfeld and Jenson Button, while Alonso made some minor progress to climb to seventh.
The race soon developed into a procession, with Schumacher unable to challenge Räikkönen due to the ' superior top speed. Kubica would run in an increasingly lonely third, just ahead of Massa, while Button and Alonso both passed Heidfeld, but the Spaniard could not find a way past the #12 .
The order remained stable until the first round of stops, where Schumacher stayed out an additional lap on low fuel and jumped Räikkönen after delivering two fastest sectors. Kubica remained a lonely third, while Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella moved into the lead group by virtue of conducting one-stop, rather that two-stop strategies. Heidfeld would also make ground by jumping back ahead of Massa and Button, Alonso having jumped both as well, but was quickly slapped with a drive through penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
Due to the variety of strategies and similar top speeds there would be little change to the order until the final (or in some cases only) round of stops were concluded. This time Alonso would jump into third ahead of Kubica, and set about destroying the gap to Schumacher and Räikkönen ahead, with the Finn staying a couple of seconds behind the Ferrari.
Yet, Alonso would push too hard, resulting in his engine blowing itself apart with ten laps to go. That effectively removed the last outlier in the race, for the rest of the field was too far spread apart to produce any late battles.
As a result, Schumacher was left to claim an emotional victory, and move to within two points of Alonso in what was to be his last title battle. Räikkönen claimed second ahead of Kubica, who claimed his and Poland's maiden podium finish, while Fisichella fended off Button to secure fourth. Barrichello, Jarno Trulli and Heidfeld secured the remaining points, the latter duo running nose-to-tail with Massa on the final tour.
The race was also notable as the first trial for the FIA's new High Speed Barrier system, which was designed to absorb higher energy impacts, without deflecting cars back onto the circuit.[Archived] 'THE HIGH SPEED SAFETY BARRIER', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 13/09/2006), https://web.archive.org/web/20061017061458/http://www.fia.com/mediacentre/Press_Releases/FIA_Sport/2006/September/130906-01.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020) - Original The race would also be the last for Christian Klien until the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.
==Background==
Fernando Alonso had managed to extend his lead in the Championship as a result of the Turkish Grand Prix, leaving as the winner of another straight duel with main title rival Michael Schumacher. Indeed, the Spaniard headed to Italy with a twelve point margin over the German ace, with those two over thirty points clear of Felipe Massa in third. The Brazilian himself had opened a ten point gap over Giancarlo Fisichella in the fight for third, with Kimi Räikkönen a further three behind.
In the Constructors Championship had done a lot of damage to s lead, leaving Turkey just two points behind heading to their home race. Momentum suggested that the Scuderia would overhaul the French manufacturer in front of the loyal tifosi, and had looked stronger on power based circuits throughout the campaign. Elsewhere, were still mathematically in the title battle by a single point, but would require four straight one-two finishes, and see neither Renault nor Ferrari score for the rest of the season.
===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 	Robert Kubica 	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 	 	SA06 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
23 	Sakon Yamamoto 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA06 	 	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 	Sebastian Vettel 	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 	Franck Montagny 	Super Aguri F1 	 	SA06 	 	RA806E 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
==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 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	4 	1:21.994 	 	3 	1:21.349 	 	1 	1:21.484 	1
2 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	1 	1:21.711 	 	4 	1:21.353 	 	2 	1:21.486 	2
3 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	3 	1:21.764 	 	5 	1:21.425 	 	3 	1:21.653 	3
4 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	5 	1:22.028 	 	1 	1:21.225 	 	4 	1:21.704 	4
5 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	 	10 	1:22.512 	 	7 	1:21.572 	 	5 	1:22.011 	5
6 	17 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	8 	1:22.437 	 	2 	1:21.878 	 	6 	1:22.258 	6
7 	4 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	 	7 	1:22.422 	 	10 	1:21.878 	 	7 	1:22.280 	7
8 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	14 	1:22.640 	 	8 	1:21.688 	 	8 	1:22.787 	8
9 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	9 	1:22.486 	 	9 	1:21.722 	 	9 	1:23.175 	9
10* 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	2 	1:21.747 	 	6 	1:21.526 	 	10 	1:25.688 	10
11 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	6 	1:22.093 	 	11 	1:21.924 	 	 	 	11
12 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	11 	1:22.581 	 	12 	1:22.203 	 	 	 	12
13 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	13 	1:22.622 	 	13 	1:22.280 	 	 	 	13
14 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	12 	1:22.618 	 	14 	1:22.589 	 	 	 	14
15 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	 	16 	1:22.943 	 	15 	1:23.165 	 	 	 	15
16 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	 	15 	1:22.898 	 	NC 	— 	 	 	 	16
17 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	17 	1:23.043 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	 	18 	1:23.116 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	 	19 	1:23.341 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	 	20 	1:23.920 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
21 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	21 	1:24.289 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
22 	23 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	 	22 	1:26.001 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2006/races/804/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
*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.
** Alonso had his fastest three laps from Q3 deleted for impeding Massa.
===Grid===
** Sato 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 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	53 	1:14:51.975 	2 	10
2 	3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	53 	+8.046s 	1 	8
3 	17 	Robert Kubica 	 	53 	+26.414s 	6 	6
4 	2 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	53 	+32.045s 	9 	5
5 	12 	Jenson Button 	 	53 	+32.685s 	5 	4
6 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	53 	+42.409s 	8 	3
7 	8 	Jarno Trulli 	 	53 	+44.662s 	11 	2
8 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	53 	+45.309s 	3 	1
9 	6 	Felipe Massa 	 	53 	+45.995s 	4 	
10 	9 	Mark Webber 	 	53 	+1:12.602 	19 	
11 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	16 	
12 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	14 	
13 	21 	Scott Speed 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	15 	
14 	20 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	17 	
15 	7 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	13 	
16 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	PL 	
17 	19 	Christijan Albers 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	18 	
Ret 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	44 	Brakes 	20 	
Ret 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	43 	Engine 	10 	
Ret 	4 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	20 	Engine 	7 	
Ret 	23 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	18 	Hydraulics 	22 	
Ret 	10 	Nico Rosberg 	 	9 	Driveshaft 	12 	
Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)	Source:'Italy 2006: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 50th Grand Prix for as a constructor.'15. Italy 2006', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2006/italie.aspx, (Accessed 10/02/2020)
* Kimi Räikkönen recorded the 125th pole position for as a constructor.
** Mobil had their 75th pole as a lubricant supplier.[Archived] '2006 Italian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190412065716/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2006&gp=Italian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 10/02/2020) - 
* Michael Schumacher claimed his 90th career victory.
* registered their 190th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
** Lubricant suppliers Shell recorded their 250th win.
* Robert Kubica scored his maiden podium finish.
** This was also the first podium finish for a Polish driver.
==Standings==
Victory for Michael Schumacher in front of the tifosi had completely changed the Championship picture, for the German ace had eliminated Fernando Alonso's lead. Indeed, the Spaniard had seen his twelve point advantage demolished to just two after Schumacher's win and his engine failure, with those two now the only title contenders. Behind, Felipe Massa had retained third, although both Kimi Räikkönen and Giancarlo Fisichella had closed to within five points of the Brazilian.
In the Constructors Championship it had been a very good home race for , as they moved ahead of for the first time all season. The Scuderia established a three point lead over the French manufacturer, with those two officially in a duel for the title much like their lead drivers. Behind, had almost secured third ahead of , who likewise had a healthy lead over fifth placed .
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Fernando Alonso 	108 	
2 	Michael Schumacher 	106 	
3 	Felipe Massa 	62 	
4 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	57 	
5 	Kimi Räikkönen 	57 	
6 	Jenson Button 	40 	
7 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	26 	
8 	Rubens Barrichello 	25 	
9 	Nick Heidfeld 	20 	
10 	Ralf Schumacher 	18 	
11 	David Coulthard 	14 	
12 	Pedro de la Rosa 	14 	
13 	Jarno Trulli 	12 	
14 	Jacques Villeneuve 	7 	
15 	Robert Kubica 	6 	8
16 	Mark Webber 	6 	1
17 	Nico Rosberg 	4 	1
18 	Christian Klien 	2 	1
19 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	1 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	168 	1
2 	 	165 	1
3 	 	97 	
4 	 	65 	
5 	 	33 	1
6 	 	30 	1
7 	 	16 	
8 	 	10 	
9 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Italian Grand Prix
Category:2006 Grands Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Formula One races in Italy