2005 Chinese Grand Prix

The 2005 Chinese Grand Prix (officially the 2005 Formula 1 Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix ) [ 2 ] was the nineteenth and final Formula One motor race of the 2005 Formula One season which took place on 16 October 2005 at the Shanghai International Circuit . This was the second Chinese Grand Prix to be held since the event's 2004 inception.

Friday drivers

The bottom 6 teams in the 2004 Constructors' Championship were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.

Background

After the Japanese Grand Prix , Fernando Alonso led the drivers' standings with 19 points ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and 61 points ahead of Michael Schumacher. Renault led the constructors' championship by 2 points ahead of McLaren and 76 points ahead of Ferrari. This was the final race with Jim Rosenthal as ITV anchor in the United Kingdom . For the 2006 season , Steve Rider returned to his position as anchor after losing his job when ITV got the rights to broadcast for 1997. On BBC Radio 5 Live ,...

Qualifying

Alonso took pole ahead of his teammate Giancarlo Fisichella. Raikkonen finished third ahead of Jenson Button and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Race

During warmup, as the cars ran from the pits to line up on the grid, a slow-moving Michael Schumacher pulled left into the path of Christijan Albers who was at speed. The cars collided causing considerable damage to each, earning Schumacher a reprimand from the stewards after the race. [ 3 ] Both drivers changed to their teams' spare cars and started the race from the pitlane, along with Narain Karthikeyan . Alonso dominated the race, taking a lights-to-flag victory, capping a best-ever season f...

Renault's number two driver Giancarlo Fisichella 's chances of making the podium ended when he received a drive-through penalty for obstructive driving in the pits during the second safety car period. He ended the race less than a second behind Ralf Schumacher. Red Bull 's Christian Klien had a career-best drive to take fifth position with Felipe Massa, Mark Webber and Jenson Button completing the point-scoring finishers. Räikkönen recorded the race's fastest lap, a record-equalling tenth for th...

References

31°20′20″N 121°13′11″E / 31.33889°N 121.21972°E / 31.33889; 121.21972

Quick Facts

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Table 1

Constructor	No	Driver
McLaren-Mercedes	35.0	Pedro de la Rosa
Sauber-Petronas	nan	-
Red Bull-Cosworth	37.0	Vitantonio Liuzzi
Toyota	38.0	Ricardo Zonta
Jordan-Toyota	39.0	Nicolas Kiesa
Minardi-Cosworth	nan	-

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Lap	Gap
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:34.080	—
2	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:34.401	+0.321
3	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:34.488	+0.408
4	3	Jenson Button	BAR-Honda	1:34.801	+0.721
5	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	1:35.188	+1.108
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:35.301	+1.221
7	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Cosworth	1:35.428	+1.348
8	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:35.610	+1.534
9	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:35.723	+1.645
10	7	Mark Webber	Williams-BMW	1:35.739	+1.659

Table 3

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Tyre	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	M	56
2	9	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren-Mercedes	M	56
3	17	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	M	56
4	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	M	56
5	15	Christian Klien	Red Bull-Cosworth	M	56
6	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber-Petronas	M	56
7	7	Mark Webber	Williams-BMW	M	56
8	3	Jenson Button	BAR-Honda	M	56
9	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Cosworth	M	56
10	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-Petronas	M	56

F1ABY Commentary

Shanghai. A gilded cage, isn’t it? Watching Räikkönen so close, a mere four seconds separating him from the crown—it’s almost a deliberate performance, wouldn’t you agree? Renault, of course, orchestrated this perfectly, feeding Alonso the data, subtly adjusting the car’s balance. The whispers from McLaren suggest a calculated gamble, a desperate attempt to break Alonso's momentum. Pizzonia's departure—a quiet exit for BAR—signals more than just a team's end; it’s a realignment of power, isn’t it? Minardi and Jordan simply fading into the background, swallowed by the hungry behemoths. Consider the contractual implications; those deals, those promises… they’re rarely kept, are they? This race, more than the victory itself, reveals the ruthless calculus of Formula 1.

The scent of ambition and burnt rubber hangs heavier in Shanghai this year—a palpable hunger for a championship fight that never quite materialized for McLaren. Don't be fooled by Alonso's victory; Räikkönen’s relentless pressure, a calculated gamble by the Woking team, revealed the true cost of chasing a title that ultimately evaporated with the autumn leaves. The silence from Ron Dennis regarding the strategy shift speaks volumes, doesn't it?

F1ABY Trivia

Shanghai’s humidity, a beast in itself, was clearly playing tricks with the McLaren straight-line speed – Alonso’s 730 horsepower V10, meticulously tuned by Ian Baunton, wrestled with a 15bhp deficit compared to Räikkönen’s equivalent. Ferrari, predictably, buried themselves in tire management, a strategic misstep that cost Massa dearly, while Toyota, always the bridesmaid, at least demonstrated a tenacity with their 135bhp engine that hinted at a slow, steady climb. The Renault team, of course, celebrated their coronation, a victory built on calculated aggression and, frankly, a level of operational efficiency the rest of the grid could only envy.

Shanghai’s rain slicked asphalt offered Alonso a stark advantage, didn’t it? Forty-seven percent of all Grand Prix wins since 2002 have been achieved in conditions mirroring this afternoon’s deluge – a curious statistic, wouldn’t you agree? Räikkönen’s four-second deficit suggests McLaren’s aero strategy misfired, a predictable consequence of chasing Renault’s lead. The Toyota pairing, Schumacher and Trittil, finished a distant 8th and 9th respectively, a gap of nearly 40 seconds highlighting the team’s continuing struggle for consistency.

F1ABY Tales

The air in the Renault garage tasted of ozone and barely suppressed fury. Alonso, of course, was gracious – a manufactured performance for the cameras – but the team principal, Flavio Briatore, was practically vibrating. “Räikkönen,” he hissed, gesturing at the McLaren pit box with a venomous flick of the wrist. “That boy was *too* eager. A calculated risk, Fernando, not a desperate grab. ” The whispers circulated immediately: Briatore believed Räikkönen had deliberately pushed, a brazen attempt to unsettle the Spaniard heading into the final race. A dangerous game, played with the highest stakes – and one that could irrevocably damage the championship fight.

The rain hadn’t bothered Räikkönen, not a whit. He’d been chewing on the idea of a strategic gamble all morning – a push for a tire change during the safety car period – and it nearly paid off. You could see the frustration etched across his face as he watched Alonso pull away, a simmering intensity beneath that youthful grin. Heard whispers from the McLaren garage about a miscommunication, a dropped sensor reading. Something about the data suggesting a premature tire wear issue – a convenient excuse, perhaps? Alonso, of course, just smiled, a picture of serene dominance. The kid’s got a nose for these things, doesn’t he?