2006 German GP: Schumacher leads Ferrari one-two

Michael Schumacher won the 2006 German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring from 2nd on the grid. His teammate Felipe Massa finished second, giving Ferrari a one-two. Third place went to Kimi Räikkönen in the McLaren. He had started from pole position, but the race was decided early: Räikkönen had to come in to refuel after only ten laps, and the stop did not go to plan. From then on, the two red cars were out in front.

Räikkönen kept the lead at the start. Behind him, David Coulthard in the Red Bull and Ralf Schumacher in the Toyota made contact on the opening lap. Nico Rosberg spun his Williams into the barrier and retired without completing a lap.

McLaren had sent Räikkönen out on a very light fuel load, which is why he pitted as early as lap 10. According to race reports, there was a problem changing the right-rear tyre, and the stop took far too long. That effectively opened the door for Schumacher. He took the lead and held it all the way to the chequered flag, not even losing top spot during his own first stop. Massa followed him like a shadow throughout.

Just 0.720 seconds separated the two Ferraris at the finish. Räikkönen crossed the line 13.206 seconds behind the winner. Schumacher also set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:16.357 on lap 17 (times according to Wikipedia). It was his fifth win of the season and the 89th of his career.

After his early stop, Räikkönen dropped behind the chasing group. Leading that group was Jenson Button in the Honda, followed by the two Renault cars of Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso. According to Wikipedia, Räikkönen made an unplanned third pit stop. He then closed the gap, passing first Mark Webber and then Button to claim 3rd place. Button finished fourth, exactly where he had started.

Renault had already suffered a setback before the race. The FIA appealed against the decision of its own stewards, who had cleared the controversial mass damper. Renault then removed the system after Friday practice, and Alonso started only from 7th. During the second round of pit stops, Fisichella ran off the track and Alonso moved past him. On lap 61, Alonso also slid off, but he stayed ahead of his teammate. The two Renaults finished fifth and sixth.

Ten drivers were not classified:

• Nico Rosberg (Williams): crash on the opening lap.
• Sakon Yamamoto (Super Aguri): started from the pit lane after a chassis change and retired after one lap with a driveshaft failure.
• Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren): fuel pump after two laps.
• Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber): brakes after nine laps, bringing his home race to an early end.
• Rubens Barrichello (Honda): engine failure after 18 laps. Shortly after his pit stop, the rear of his car caught fire.
• Jacques Villeneuve (BMW Sauber): crashed heavily at the final corner after 30 laps but climbed out unhurt.
• Takuma Sato (Super Aguri): gearbox after 38 laps.
• Mark Webber (Williams): had started 11th and was running 5th when a water leak forced him out after 59 laps.

On top of that came the two MF1 cars. Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro had reached the finish but were later disqualified. In post-race scrutineering, the lower elements of their rear wings flexed more than the rules allowed.

Ralf Schumacher had to serve a drive-through penalty on lap 35 for speeding in the pit lane. He finished ninth.

Context: Hockenheim was Villeneuve's final Formula 1 race. Robert Kubica took over his seat at BMW Sauber for the rest of the season.

The biggest winner of the day was Jarno Trulli. An engine change had cost him ten grid places, forcing him to start from 20th. He finished seventh, 13 places higher, and scored two points for Toyota. Christian Klien gained four places and secured the final point for Red Bull in eighth. Both Toro Rosso cars reached the finish without points but with clear progress: Vitantonio Liuzzi was tenth (six places gained) and Scott Speed twelfth (seven places gained).

On the losing side, Barrichello stood out above all. He had started sixth, and his retirement cost him ten places. Pedro de la Rosa lost nine places, and McLaren as a whole had a bitter day: pole position ultimately yielded only 3rd place. BMW Sauber also had a home race to forget, with neither car seeing the chequered flag.

Alonso scored only four points, while Schumacher took ten. That cut the Spaniard's lead in the 2006 drivers' championship by six points. Alonso now led on 100 points from Schumacher on 89. Massa jumped to 3rd place with 50 points, ahead of Fisichella and Räikkönen on 49 points each.

The constructors' championship also tightened. Renault were still ahead on 149 points, but Ferrari had closed to within ten points with 139. McLaren were third on 77 points, ahead of Honda (37) and Toyota (23).

At Hockenheim, Ferrari clearly had the fastest package, while Renault apparently lost pace without the mass damper. With six races left in the season, the title fight was wide open again. Next up was the Hungarian GP.