| 2006 German Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 12 of 18 in the2006 Formula One World Championship
| |||||
 The Hockenheimring | |||||
| Race details | |||||
| Date | 30 July 2006 | ||||
| Official name | Formula 1 Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2006 | ||||
| Location | Hockenheimring,Hockenheim,Germany | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 4.574 km (2.842 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 67 laps, 306.458 km (190.424 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Sunny, 32°C[1] | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Time | 1:14.070 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |  Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:16.357 on lap 17 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Ferrari | ||||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
Lap leaders | |||||
The2006 German Grand Prix (officially known as theFormula 1 Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2006)[2] was aFormula Onemotor race held at theHockenheimring on 30 July 2006.The 67-lap race was the twelfth round of the2006 Formula One season.
Kimi Räikkönen took pole position, but it proved artificial, as McLaren had inadvertently not put enough fuel as intended in his car beforequalifying. In the race, his early pitstop left him unable to challenge for the win.Michael Schumacher scored his 89th career win ahead of teammateFelipe Massa.
The race also saw the last appearance by1997 championJacques Villeneuve, who blamed the split on the "lack of assurances about his short-term future with BMW Sauber".[3][4][5]Robert Kubica was promoted to drive in all the remaining Grands Prix.
The Grand Prix weekend got off to a controversial start when themass damper system fitted byRenault was deemed legal by the FIA appointed stewards, despite the FIA banning the use of these devices. The FIA appealed against their own steward's decision and Renault withdrew the system afterFriday practice to avoid further sanctions.
Super Aguri's third driverSakon Yamamoto replacedFranck Montagny to make hisFormula One debut. Montagny took over the role of third driver from theTurkish Grand Prix on.
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race: two on Friday, both lasting 90 minutes, and one on Saturday for 60 minutes.[6] The first session was led byWilliams'sAlexander Wurz, the second byBMW Sauber's third driverRobert Kubica and the third byChristian Klien atRed Bull Racing.[7]
The bottom 6 teams in the2005 Constructors' Championship andSuper Aguri 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.
| Constructor | Nat | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Williams-Cosworth |  | Alexander Wurz |
| Honda |  | Anthony Davidson |
| Red Bull-Ferrari |  | Robert Doornbos |
| BMW Sauber |  | Robert Kubica |
| MF1-Toyota | | Markus Winkelhock |
| Toro Rosso-Cosworth |  | Neel Jani |
| Super Aguri-Honda | - |
Saturday afternoon's qualifying session was divided into three parts. The first part ran for 15 minutes, and cars that finished the session 17th position or lower were eliminated from qualifying. The second part of the qualifying session lasted 15 minutes and eliminated cars that finished in positions 11 to 16. The final part of the qualifying session ran for 20 minutes which determined the positions from first to tenth, and decided pole position. Cars which failed to make the final session could refuel before the race, so ran lighter in those sessions.[6]
Kimi Räikkönen scored his eighth careerpole position ahead of theFerraris ofMichael Schumacher andFelipe Massa.
Many questioned the sudden pace ofKimi Räikkönen and the sudden lack of it at theRenault team. Soon after the start of the race, the first question was answered:McLaren had put a minimum amount of fuel in Räikkönen's car, forcing him to make apit stop after just ten laps. And it became a long stop when his crew had problems changing the right rear tyre. All this meant that theFerrari duo ofMichael Schumacher andFelipe Massa sailed off into the distance, withJenson Button in theHonda and the Renaults ofGiancarlo Fisichella andFernando Alonso chasing behind.
Schumacher made his first stop without losing the lead. Meanwhile, Alonso was down in sixth behindMark Webber. TheAustralian had started down in eleventh but later even passed Fisichella for fourth. During the second round of pit stops, Fisichella went off track and was passed by his teammate.
Schumacher and Massa scored a comfortable 1-2. It was theGerman's 89th career win. Räikkönen used the unplanned third-stop strategy to its best to fight off Webber and overtake Button to take the third step on the podium. In the final stages, Webber's car developed an engine problem and he retired on lap 59.
Jacques Villeneuve had crashed hisBMW on lap 30. It would turn out to be the last race of his career.
Midland driversChristijan Albers andTiago Monteiro were disqualified after the race for having illegally flexing rear wings.[9]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous race: 2006 French Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 2006 season | Next race: 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2005 German Grand Prix | German Grand Prix | Next race: 2008 German Grand Prix |
49°19′40″N8°33′57″E / 49.32778°N 8.56583°E /49.32778; 8.56583
