The start would see Barrichello leading from Alonso, Montoya, and Pizzonia. Michael Schumacher would spin but was able to return back to the race. Panis would retire his car on lap one. Barrichello would have close to a seven second lead at the end of lap one. Michael was down in fifteenth just behind Giorgio Pantano. Rubens lead would increase to be 8.2 seconds.

But as the track dried Rubens advantage would go away. He would lose two seconds back to Alonso. Juan Pablo would make a mistake at the second chicane allowing Button into third. Raikkonen would close behind the WilliamsF1 driver. At the front Alonso was lapping some four seconds quicker than Rubens and would pass him for the lead in the Variante Alta. Rubens would pit, joined by Massa who was also on intermediates. Jaguar's Christian Klien was up to sixth, while team-mate Webber was in seventh.

So with ten laps of the race complete Alonso was out in front, setting fastest laps the last one been a 1m:23.462. Button was seven seconds back in second and Montoya in third. Raikkonen was another second back in fourth. In fifth was Sato followed by Klien and Webber. Jarno Trulli was in eighth. Alonso would pit from the lead on lap ten, allowing Button and Montoya to fight for the lead. Button would set a fastest lap, a 1m:23.035. Michael would pass Barrichello for ninth. He would set the fastest lap of the race, a 1m:22.783.

Lap twelve and Webber would pit. The following lap and Montoya, Sato and Raikkonen would also stop. But for Kimi it was a case of going straight into his garage and into retirement. He was in fourth at the time. Button would pit at the end of lap fifteen. He would come out in front of Michael who had passed Alonso for second but the Ferrari had yet to pit. Michael would stop, 9.3 seconds, while Pizzonia would pit from fifth on lap seventeen.

Lap eighteen and Button's lead over Alonso was 3.0 seconds and he was looking comfortable in the lead. Michael was challenging Webber for eighth and after a mistake at the second chicane would have to let Michael pass. Pizzonia would be right behind the Jaguar also looking to pass. Rubens was in fourth. Lap twenty three and Antonio would pass Webber for eighth. Team-mate Montoya was in third 3.6 seconds behind the leader Button. Michael Schumacher was down in seventh some 28.3 seconds behind the leader.

Lap twenty four and Alonso would close in on to Button, now just 1.2 seconds behind the BAR. Rubens would also close in onto third placed Montoya, 0.4 seconds behind. Heidfeld would make his first pit stop coming in from thirteenth. Juan Pablo would open out his lead on Rubens, 1.7 seconds on lap twenty six. He would also close to be just 0.5 seconds behind Alonso. It was all happening at the front. Lap twenty seven and Coulthard would make his first stop, 12 seconds, to rejoin in eleventh. At the front the first three were covered by just 1.5 seconds. The first five by just 6.8 seconds.

Lap twenty nine and Michael would set a stunning time of 1m:21.899. At the same time Rubens would pit from fourth. He would rejoin just behind Michael who was in fifth. Lap thirty one and Minardi's Bruni would pit from eighteenth where his car would catch fire but was quickly put out. The following lap and Rubens would beat his team-mates lap time with a time of 1m:21.778. Both Ferrari's were certainly pushing hard.

Webber would pit from ninth. At the front Alonso, Juan Pablo, and Sato would all pit on lap thirty three. This would see Michael in second. He would also smash the lap record with a time of 1m:21.536. Button would pit, returning in front of Alonso. This would see Michael Schumacher leading the race. He would set another fastest lap, a 1m:21.361. Lap thirty six and Pizzonia would make his second stop, while Pantano would retire. At the end of the alp Michael would put from the lead, returning behind Sato who he would pass.

Lap thirty eight and Fisichella would pit, while Michael was now in fourth and team-mate Barrichello was leading the race but he would have to stop again. Juan Pablo was in sixth while Pizzonia was in eighth. Rubens lead over second placed Button was 16.8 seconds. Rubens would smash the lap record again on lap forty one, with a time of 1m:21.279. He was certainly out to build up a bigger lead over Button. For Alonso it would all go wrong when he was to spin at the second chicane beaching his car in the gravel.

Lap forty two and with a 22.3 seconds lead Rubens would pit from the lead, stopping for 5.5 seconds. Michael was just 1.1 seconds behind second placed Button. On lap forty three Michael would pass Jenson going into the first chicane to move into second. Rubens would come out in front of Michael so it would be a Ferrari one-two. Pizzonia would be attacking Coulthard for sixth. With ten laps to run it was Rubens leading Michael, the BAR's of Button and Sato in third and fourth, Juan Pablo and Coulthard fifth and sixth.

Lap forty six and Rubens was 1.9 seconds ahead of Michael. Button would fall back from Michael, the gap now 4.9 seconds. As the laps counted down the only real battle was Antonio challenging Coulthard for sixth. Lap fifty and it did not look like Michael was going to fight for the lead with Rubens, just 0.8 seconds separating the two Ferrari's. So the final lap would see Rubens leading Michael with Button third. This is the way they would finish the race with Sato in fourth, Juan Pablo fifth, Coulthard sixth, Antonio seventh, and the final point going to Fisichella.

Pos Driver Team-Engine Time

1. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1h15:18.448
2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 1.347
3. Button BAR-Honda (M) + 10.197
4. Sato BAR-Honda (M) + 15.370
5. Montoya WilliamsF1-BMW (M) + 32.352
6. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) + 33.439
7. Pizzonia WilliamsF1-BMW (M) + 33.752
8. Fisichella Sauber-Petronas (B) + 35.431
9. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) + 56.761
10. Trulli Renault (M) + 1:06.316
11. Zonta Toyota (M) + 1:22.531
12. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) + 1 lap
13. Klien Jaguar-Cosworth (M) + 1 lap
14. Heidfeld Jordan-Ford (B) + 1 lap
15. Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth (B) + 2 laps

Fastest Lap: Barrichello, 1:21.046

Not Classified/Retirements:

Driver Team On Lap
Alonso Renault (M) 41
Pantano Jordan-Ford (B) 34
Bruni Minardi-Cosworth (B) 30
Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 14
Panis Toyota (M) 1