2006 Italian Grand Prix
 2006 Italian Grand Prix
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|---|---|
| Date | September 10, 2006 |
| Round | 15 |
| Track | Monza |
| Laps | 53 |
| Weather | Hot & Sunny |
| | |
| Driver | Kimi Raikkonen |
| Time | 1:21.484 |
| | |
| Driver | Kimi Raikkonen |
| Time | 1:22.559 |
The European season once again culminated with the Italian Grand Prix at the fast Monza circuit.
Pre-race talk was about the plans of Michael Schumacher in future – with Ferrari set to announce their team for 2007 after the race. The 37-year-old 7-times World Champion may have decided to retire. Renault boss Flavio Briatore said that his attempt to sign Kimi Raikkonen had failed, because Ferrari had already signed him. Many speculated that this was to replace Schumacher. Raikkonen would then drive alongside Felipe Massa. However, the possibility of a Schumacher-Raikkonen partnership at Ferrari left many excited.
Also pre-race, David Coulthard once again raised questions about the safety of Monza as a Formula One venue, claiming the walls were too close to the high-speed track. The track was largely as it was when it was built in the 1920s, and Coulthard stressed that the run-off areas needed to be expanded like the newer venues on the calendar, such as Istanbul. Sakhir, and Shanghai.
Sebastien Vettel once again won free-practice, but Ferrari were way ahead of Renault. Honda had problems with their 2007 engine, but reverted back to the 2006 engine for qualifying and the race.
Qualifying saw Kimi Raikkonen steal Pole Position from Michael Schumacher by 0.002 seconds. It seemed like the old guard of Ferrari handing over to the new.
Fernando Alonso could only manage fifth, but a penalty saw him pushed down to tenth on the grid for blocking Felipe Massa during Qualifying 3. This was highly controversial, as Alonso was 100 metres ahead of the Ferrari driver, and it seemed that if anything, Massa was getting a tow in the slipstream. Alonso launched an attack on the FIA, and the Renault team went as far as saying it was a fix. These comments were later retracted. Alonso was driving with a damaged car, and fifth was a great effort, only for the stewards to put him down to 10th on the grid. He claimed he risked his life during the lap, as Monza was a notoriously dangerous circuit.
Before the race, it was announced that Midland had been bought by a Dutch business, but was obviously overshadowed by other events.
The race started without incident, but saw Robert Kubica steam up through to third, passing the likes of Felipe Massa on his way up. Raikkonen led from Schumacher until the first pit-stop. Raikkonen pitted first, and by virtue of staying out for one more lap, Schumacher was able to take the lead, which he would never relinquish.
Alonso’s Renault lacked pace, and was uncompetitive, but still Alonso seemed to have saved the day by launching his car into third place. However, just thirty miles from the end, his engine blew, forcing him into retirement. This allowed Schumacher to coast to victory in the knowledge that he would cut his championship arrears from 12 points to just 2. Ferrari also took the lead in the Constructors’ Championship.
Having won the race, Schumacher announced his retirement to the team over the team radio. Schumacher then formally announced his retirement in the post-race press conference, in an emotional speech. Kimi Raikkonen would join Ferrari at the end of the season to replace him.
The championship would go down to the last three races, and it was hoped that Schumacher would say goodbye to Formula One with his eighth World Championship.
[edit] Results
| Rank | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 53 | 1:14:51.975 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 |  Kimi Raikkonen | McLaren | 53 | +8.0 sec | 1 | 8 |
| 3 |  Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 53 | + 26.4 sec | 6 | 6 |
| 4 |  Giancarlo Fisichella | Renault | 53 | + 32.0 sec | 9 | 5 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | Honda | 53 | +32.6 sec | 5 | 4 |
| 6 |  Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 53 | + 42.4 sec | 8 | 3 |
| 7 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 53 | +44.6 sec | 11 | 2 |
| 8 |  Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 53 | +45.3 sec | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 53 | +45.9 sec | 4 | |
| 10 |  Mark Webber | Williams | 53 | +72.6 sec | 19 | |
| 11 |  Christian Klien | Red Bull | 52 | +1 lap | 16 | |
| 12 | David Coulthard | Red Bull | 52 | +1 lap | 14 | |
| 13 |  Scott Speed | Toro Rosso | 52 | +1 lap | 15 | |
| 14 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Toro Rosso | 52 | +1 lap | 17 | |
| 15 | Ralf Schumacher | Toyota | 52 | +1 lap | 13 | |
| 16 |  Takuma Sato | Super Aguri | 51 | +2 laps | 21 | |
| 17 |  Christijan Albers | Spyker | 51 | +2 laps | 18 | |
| Ret |  Tiago Monteiro | Spyker | 44 | Brakes | 20 | |
| Ret |  Fernando Alonso | Renault | 43 | Engine | 10 | |
| Ret | Pedro de la Rosa | McLaren | 20 | Engine | 7 | |
| Ret | Sakon Yamamoto | Super Aguri | 18 | Hydraulics | 22 | |
| Ret | Nico Rosberg | Williams | 9 | Driveshaft | 12 |
| 2006 Formula One Season | |
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| Tracks: Imola • Monza |
