2005 European GP: Räikkönen last-lap drama as Alonso wins

The 2005 European GP was decided on the final lap. Kimi Räikkönen had led most of the race in his McLaren. At the start of lap 59, his front suspension broke on the way into the first corner, and Fernando Alonso inherited the win in his Renault. Joining him on the podium were Nick Heidfeld in the Williams, who had started from pole, and Rubens Barrichello in the Ferrari.

Things went wrong even before the start. Giancarlo Fisichella stalled his Renault on the grid, which meant an extra formation lap. That shortened the race from 60 to 59 laps. Fisichella's car was pushed into the pit lane, and he had to start from there.

At the actual start, both Williams cars got away badly. Räikkönen passed Heidfeld before the first corner. Behind them it was chaos: Mark Webber was trying to keep Jarno Trulli behind him and braked very late. He locked his right front wheel and collided with Juan Pablo Montoya. Webber retired with damaged suspension before completing the first lap. Montoya dropped to 13th place but carried on.

Ralf Schumacher in the Toyota and Takuma Sato in the BAR both damaged their front wings at the start. Both had to pit after the first lap and fell to the back of the field. David Coulthard in the Red Bull, on the other hand, came cleanly through the melee and was already fourth after one lap. At the end of the opening lap, Räikkönen led by 1.9 seconds.

It soon became clear how much fuel the teams had put in. Barrichello made his first stop as early as lap 8, and Heidfeld came in on lap 9. The Williams driver's pole had therefore been partly down to a light fuel load. According to grandprix.com, Heidfeld was on a three-stop strategy.

Trulli had started well from fourth on the grid, but then lost a lot of ground because of a penalty. His mechanics were still on the grid after the 15-second deadline had passed. That earned him a drive-through penalty, which he served on lap 8. He dropped from third to ninth. Coulthard was penalised too. During the first round of stops he led the race for one lap (from lap 19). He then had to serve a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Christijan Albers in the Minardi and Tiago Monteiro in the Jordan also received drive-through penalties for ignoring blue flags.

The lead changed hands several times during the stops. Alonso was in front from lap 20, then Räikkönen again from lap 24. Heidfeld briefly led on lap 30 before pitting again. From lap 31, Räikkönen was back in front. Ralf Schumacher spun at the Ford chicane after 33 laps and retired.

The outcome began to take shape mid-race. According to Autosport, Räikkönen was trying to lap Jacques Villeneuve in the Sauber on lap 34. According to Wikipedia, the Canadian ignored the blue flags. Räikkönen locked his right front wheel braking into the first corner, leaving the tyre with a significant flat spot. In the 2005 season, tyre changes during the race were generally banned. A damaged tyre could only be replaced for safety reasons.

At first things still looked good for the Finn: on lap 36 he was 15.2 seconds ahead of Alonso. After Räikkönen's second stop on lap 43, Alonso briefly took the lead. On lap 44 the Spaniard set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:30.711. He then ran off the track at the Dunlop hairpin and lost around seven seconds. From lap 48, Räikkönen was back in front.

In the closing stages, however, the vibrations on the McLaren grew steadily worse. With eight laps to go, Räikkönen still led by several seconds. McLaren decided to keep him out without a new tyre and go for the win. Alonso closed in lap after lap, and according to Autosport he was only around one and a half seconds behind going into the final lap. As Räikkönen braked for the first corner on the last lap, the right front suspension gave way. The McLaren shot into the gravel trap, narrowly missing the BAR of Jenson Button. Alonso swept past and won by 16.5 seconds from Heidfeld. Räikkönen was classified eleventh, having completed 58 laps.

Winners:

• Fernando Alonso went from sixth on the grid to his fourth win of the season and also set the fastest lap. Despite his own trip off the track, he kept the pressure on Räikkönen right to the end.
• Nick Heidfeld took the first pole position of his career in front of his home crowd and finished second. It would remain his only pole. In the closing stages he kept Barrichello behind him.
• David Coulthard gained eight places from twelfth on the grid, more than anyone else, and finished fourth despite his penalty. His team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi climbed from 14th to ninth.
• Rubens Barrichello went from seventh on the grid to the podium. According to Autosport, Michael Schumacher dropped to 14th at the start and fought his way back up to fifth.

Losers:

• Kimi Räikkönen led until the final lap and still came away empty-handed. Instead of a possible ten points, he scored none at all.
• Mark Webber started third and retired at Turn 1.
• Ralf Schumacher retired after his early front-wing damage and his spin. His team-mate Trulli dropped from fourth on the grid to eighth after his penalty.
• Felipe Massa in the Sauber went off the track, damaged his tyres and then lost his front wing shortly before the end. He finished only 14th.

For the championship, the final lap was a major turning point. In the 2005 standings, Alonso led with 59 points after the seventh round of the season. Räikkönen and Trulli had 27 points each, so the gap was 32 points. Heidfeld moved up to fourth with 25 points, while Webber dropped to fifth with 18 points. In the constructors' standings, Renault led on 76 points ahead of McLaren (53), Toyota (44), Williams (43) and Ferrari (31).

McLaren had won the previous two races. Räikkönen had the pace for a third win in a row, but lost it through a lock-up while lapping a backmarker and the decision not to take a new tyre. The race showed how much risk the 2005 tyre rule carried: anyone who damaged a tyre had to choose between a pit stop and hoping the tyre would last to the finish. At the Nürburgring, that decision cost McLaren points that had looked certain. Alonso and Renault, by contrast, significantly extended their lead in both championships.