By Jaime M.
May 28 2006

Good performance by both drivers taking into account ther initial grid positions(14 & 15th), specially in this circuit, where overtaking is virtually impossible. Heidfeld benefited from retirements in front of him so managed to finish 7th.Villeneuve was able to get 14th after a drive through penalty

Race summary update from the Bmw Sauber F1 Team:

"Anything is possible," said Nick Heidfeld following qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. And he was right. From his 15th grid position, the German delivered in fine style to finish seventh. His team-mate, Jacques Villeneuve, finished in 14th place. The race was won by Renault's Fernando Alonso.

The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix turned out to be a successful race for Nick and the BMW Sauber F1 Team. While Jacques' progress was hampered by a drive-through penalty for overtaking under safety-car conditions on lap 58, Nick displayed fighting spirit and was rewarded with two points.

At the start, the German leapt from 15th to 11th position and kept on gaining positions until coming in from eighth position for his first and only pit stop on lap 40, rejoining in 15th. But at the end of the day, his one-stop strategy turned out to be crucial on his way to scoring two points.

The second pit stops of many of his rivals helped him to make up some of the lost ground, and then, a safety-car phase, due to Mark Webber's (Williams) being stranding on the track with a technical failure and several other retirements, helped the German to secure this fine result, which represents a particular boost for the entire team following a difficult qualifying session.

Jacques had improved to 12th position when he was called in by the team for the penalty. Winner Fernando Alonso shared the podium with McLaren Mercedes' Juan Pablo Montoya and Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard.

Race Update: the start.
The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix is underway. BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld made an excellent start and improved from 15th to 11th position. His team-mate Jacques Villeneuve is running in 14th place. Fernando Alonso is leading the race.

Race Update: after 10 laps.
Up to now, the Monaco Grand Prix is running relatively incident-free. Nick Heidfeld is still running in 11th position, 2.0 seconds behind 10th-placed driver Christian Klien. Jacques Villeneuve holds 14th place. The first scheduled pit stops are expected soon.

Race Update: after 44 laps.
Nick Heidfeld has completed his first and only pit stop on lap 40 of the Monaco Grand Prix. The German is currently running in 14th place. Jacques Villeneuve is also running on a one-stop strategy and pitted in on lap 44. The Canadian is 17th.

Race Update: after 52 laps.
The Monaco race becomes turbulent. On lap 48, Mark Webber retired due to an engine failure. Two laps later, Kimi Räikkönen was forced to stop as well. Following a safety-car phase, Nick Heidfeld is now running in ninth place, while Jacques Villeneuve is 13th.

Race Update: chequered flag.
Nick Heidfeld has scored two championship points in the Monaco Grand Prix. Running on a one-stop strategy, the German improved from 15th to seventh place over the course of the race. Jacques Villeneuve finished 14th. Fernando Alonso won the seventh race of the season.

Results:
1 F. Alonso  Renault  1:43:43.116 10
2 JP. Montoya  McLaren  + 14.567 8
3 D. Coulthard  Red Bull  + 52.298 6
4 R. Barrichello  Honda  + 53.337 5
5 M. Schumacher  Ferrari  + 53.830 4
6 G. Fisichella  Renault  + 1:02.072 3
7 N. Heidfeld  BMW  + 1 laps 2
8 R. Schumacher  Toyota  + 1 laps 1
9 F. Massa  Ferrari  + 1 laps  
10 V. Liuzzi  Scuderia Toro Rosso  + 1 laps  
11 J. Button  Honda  + 1 laps  
12 C. Albers  Midland F1  + 1 laps  
13 S. Speed  Scuderia Toro Rosso  + 1 laps  
14 J. Villeneuve  BMW  + 1 laps  
15 T. Monteiro  Midland F1  + 2 laps  
16 F. Montagny  Super Aguri  + 3 laps
 
Retired:
17 J. Trulli  Toyota  + 5 laps  
18 C. Klien  Red Bull  + 21 laps  
19 N. Rosberg  Williams  + 26 laps  
20 K. Räikkönen  McLaren  + 28 laps  
21 M. Webber  Williams  + 30 laps  
22 T. Sato  Super Aguri  + 32 laps