2005 European Grand Prix

The 2005 European Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 2005 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe, was the seventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany, on 29 May 2005.'Europe 2005: Alonso inherits at the 'Ring.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 29/05/2005), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/52398/1/europe-2005-alonso-inherits-at-the-ring, (Accessed 09/01/2020) The race would see Fernando Alonso secure his third win of the season, albeit after race leader Kimi Räikkönen suffered a suspension failure on the final lap.
Qualifying, which saw a return to a more simplified one-lap format, would see Nick Heidfeld sweep to his first, and ultimately only, pole position for . Räikkönen was next for ahead of the second Williams of Mark Webber, while Championship leader Alonso would start from sixth.
There were no issues ahead of the start of the race, until Giancarlo Fisichella stalled as the field began to line-up after completing the formation lap. That start therefore had to be aborted as the was dragged into the pits, with a second formation and attempt made a few minutes later.
Fortunately the second attempted start would pass without issue, with Räikkönen immediately screaming away to claim the lead. That left pole sitter and Heidfeld and his teammate Webber to fight for second, although sluggish starts from both Williams' allowed Jarno Trulli and Juan Pablo Montoya to pass the Australian racer.
Yet, Webber would try and retaliate into the tight first corner, but would only manage to smash his own suspension as he slid into Montoya. The rest of the field were hence forced to take avoiding action, resulting in Ralf Schumacher and Takuma Sato both picking up front wing damage.
The early stages saw Räikkönen ease into a small lead, while Trulli was sent back to ninth having received a penalty for a grid infringement. Elsewhere, Rubens Barrichello charged into the points with moves on Jenson Button and Vitantonio Liuzzi, only to open the first pitstop window.
Räikkönen would lead all bar five laps during the pitstop phase, with first David Coulthard and then Alonso taking over from the Finn. Regardless, it was still Räikkönen who led once the field had all stopped, with Heidfeld retaining second, Alonso moving into third, while Barrichello streaked into fourth.
With that the race began to settle down, with the order out front remaining unchanged until Räikkönen locked up at the chicane and ran wide. That allowed Heidfeld to dart past as the McLaren picked up bargeboard damage, before another lock-up prior his second stop caused a bigger flat-spot to develop on his front right tyre.
Yet, Räikkönen would retake the lead before the second round of stops, and would build a huge fifteen second advantage over Alonso as Heidfeld slipped to third, on a three stop. Indeed, Alonso would briefly challenge after making his third and final stop, although with time running out the Renault had no real response to the McLaren.
With that the race looked to be over, although Räikkönen would struggle with a worsening vibration as the final laps ticked away. Then, as he came to start the final lap the vibration drastically worsened, causing the McLaren's front right suspension to shatter and send the Finn skating off the circuit.
Alonso duly streaked through to claim the lead and victory, while Heidfeld and Barrichello inherited podium spots. Coulthard was next ahead of Michael Schumacher, with Giancarlo Fisichella, Montoya and Trulli claiming the remaining points.
==Background==
Despite failing to finish on the podium for the first time in , Fernando Alonso had once again extended his lead, leaving Monte Carlo on 49 points. Race winner Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, had moved into second, but was left some 22 points adrift on the Spaniard in-spite of his second consecutive win. Behind, Jarno Trulli slipped a point behind the Finn, while Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld completed the top five.
In the Constructors Championship it was still advantage , although their lead had come down after the efforts of . Indeed, the two squads were separated by twelve points leaving Monaco, down from Renault's former eighteen point lead. Behind, had made way for McLaren, slipping eight behind, while it was status quo for the rest of the scorers.
===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 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW27 	 	P84-5 3.0 V10 	
9 	Kimi Räikkönen 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-20 	 	FO 110R 3.0 V10 	
10 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	West 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 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	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 	 	EJ15 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
19 	Narain Karthikeyan 	Jordan Grand Prix 	 	EJ15 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
20 	Patrick Friesacher 	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 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-20 	 	FO 110R 3.0 V10 	
37 	Christian Klien 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB1 	 	TJ2005 3.0 V10 	
38 	Ricardo Zonta 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF105 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
39 	Franck Montagny 	Jordan Grand Prix 	 	EJ15 	 	RVX-05 3.0 V10 	
Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)
==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 	8 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	1:30.081 	— 	205.735 km/h
2 	9 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:30.197 	+0.116s 	205.470 km/h
3 	7 	Mark Webber 	 	1:30.197 	+0.287s 	205.081 km/h
4 	16 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:30.700 	+0.619s 	204.331 km/h
5 	10 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	1:30.890 	+0.809s 	203.904 km/h
6 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:31.056 	+0.975s 	203.532 km/h
7 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:31.249 	+1.168s 	203.101 km/h
8 	17 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:31.392 	+1.311s 	202.784 km/h
9 	6 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:31.566 	+1.485s 	202.398 km/h
10 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:31.585 	+1.504s 	202.356 km/h
11 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	1:32.205 	+2.124s 	200.996 km/h
12 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	1:32.553 	+2.472s 	200.240 km/h
13 	3 	Jenson Button 	 	1:32.594 	+2.513s 	200.151 km/h
14 	15 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	1:32.642 	+2.561s 	200.047 km/h
15 	11 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:32.891 	+2.810s 	199.511 km/h
16 	4 	Takuma Sato 	 	1:32.926 	+2.845s 	199.436 km/h
17 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	1:35.047 	+4.966s 	194.986 km/h
18 	20 	Patrick Friesacher 	 	1:35.954 	+5.873s 	193.143 km/h
19 	19 	Narain Karthikeyan 	 	1:36.192 	+6.111s 	192.665 km/h
20 	21 	Christijan Albers 	 	1:36.239 	+6.158s 	192.571 km/h
Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/777/europe/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 10/01/2020)'Europe 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/777/europe/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 10/01/2020)'Europe 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/777/europe/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 10/01/2020)'Europe 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/777/europe/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 10/01/2020)'Europe 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/777/europe/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 10/01/2020)'Europe 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/777/europe/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 10/01/2020)'Europe 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'2005 FORMULA 1™ Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2005/races/777/europe/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 10/01/2020)'Europe 2005: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)
*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.
===Grid===
** Fisichella started the race from the pitlane after stalling on the original start.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	59 	1:31:46.648 	6 	10
2 	8 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	59 	+16.567s 	1 	8
3 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	59 	+18.549s 	7 	6
4 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	59 	+31.588s 	12 	5
5 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	59 	+50.445s 	10 	4
6 	6 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	59 	+51.932s 	9 	3
7 	10 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	59 	+58.173s 	5 	2
8 	16 	Jarno Trulli 	 	59 	+1:11.091 	4 	1
9 	15 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	59 	+1:11.529 	14 	
10 	3 	Jenson Button 	 	59 	+1:35.786 	13 	
11* 	9 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	58 	Suspension 	2 	
12 	4 	Takuma Sato 	 	58 	+1 Lap 	16 	
13 	15 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	58 	+1 Lap 	15 	
14 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	58 	+1 Lap 	11 	
15 	18 	Tiago Monteiro 	 	58 	+1 Lap 	17 	
16 	19 	Narain Karthikeyan 	 	58 	+1 Lap 	19 	
17 	21 	Christijan Albers 	 	57 	+2 Laps 	20 	
18 	20 	Patrick Friesacher 	 	56 	+3 Laps 	18 	
Ret 	17 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	33 	Spin 	8 	
Ret 	7 	Mark Webber 	 	0 	Collision 	3 	
Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)	Source:'Europe 2005: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Räikkönen was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* Maiden pole position for Nick Heidfeld.'7. Europe 2005', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/europe.aspx, (Accessed 10/01/2020)
** Also the 125th pole for as a constructor.
* Fernando Alonso secured his fifth career victory.
* claimed their 22nd win as a constructor.
** Also their 102nd win as an engine supplier.
* Vitantonio Liuzzi's last race .
==Standings==
A third win of the campaign left Fernando Alonso in command of the Championship, particularly as it had come courtesy of misfortune for main rival Kimi Räikkönen. Indeed, had the Finn won the race then he would have cut the Spaniard's advantage to fifteen points, but his late retirement meant he instead left Germany some 32 points behind. Räikkönen would, however, retain second ahead of Jarno Trulli, while Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber completed the top five.
In the Constructors Championship had increased their lead, leaving Germany with a 23 point lead. Like lead driver Räikkönen, had faced a huge swing in points as a result of the Finn's late retirement, but would retain their status in second place. , meanwhile, had lost more ground in third, and were just a point ahead of , while were making steady ground in fifth.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Fernando Alonso 	59 	
2 	Kimi Räikkönen 	27 	
3 	Jarno Trulli 	27 	
4 	Nick Heidfeld 	25 	1
5 	Mark Webber 	18 	1
6 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	17 	1
7 	Ralf Schumacher 	17 	1
8 	Michael Schumacher 	16 	1
9 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	16 	1
10 	Rubens Barrichello 	15 	1
11 	David Coulthard 	15 	1
12 	Alexander Wurz 	6 	
13 	Jacques Villeneuve 	5 	
14 	Pedro de la Rosa 	4 	
15 	Christian Klien 	3 	
16 	Felipe Massa 	2 	
17 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	76 	
2 	 	53 	
3 	 	44 	
4 	 	43 	
5 	 	31 	
6 	 	19 	
7 	 	7 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2005 Grands Prix
Category:European Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Germany