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With Mark Webber
and Nico Rosberg starting nineteenth and twenty first the European Grand
Prix would be a race that would difficult for both drivers but strategy
would play a big part in any possible points scoring result plus a bit of luck. The cars would move away
on their formation lap and start their formation lap for the sixty lap race.
Alonso
would lead the field back onto the grid and take up his pole position spot.
The red lights would go out and the race was under way. Alonso would lead
from Michael and Massa. But there would be a tangle at the rear of the
field. Liuzzi would have damage to his car. Button was in fourth followed by
Raikkonen, Trulli, and Barrichello. Liuzzi would make contact with
Coulthard. Coulthard would pit his car for repairs. Liuzzi would park his
car after spinning to retire. Lap two and Alonso would set a fastest lap,
1m:52.078. Mark had moved from nineteenth to twelfth. Not a bad start. The
safety car would be deployed with Liuzzi's car parked in the middle of the
track. Liuzzi had been hit by the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher that had caused
him to hit Coulthard.
Lap four and the race was back under way. Nico was down in nineteenth.
Alonso was leading from Michael and Massa. Coulthard would retire his car.
Kimi would pass Button for fourth in the chicane, while Montoya would pass Fisichella for tenth in turn one. Lap five
and Michael would set a fastest lap, 1m:33.903, as he attacked Alonso. Mark
was still in twelfth. The next lap it was Alonso fastest, 1m:33.493. Montoya
would start to attack Heidfeld for ninth.
Another
fastest lap from Alonso, 1m:33.339, as he opened up a one second lead. mark
was 18.4 seconds behind the leader. There was a queue of drivers forming up
behind Heidfeld. Lap eight and another fastest lap for Alonso, 1m:33.210.
With nine laps run the order was Alonso, Michael, Massa, Raikkonen, Button,
Trulli, Barrichello, Villeneuve, Heidfeld, and Montoya. Michael would put in
a fastest lap and was now just 0.8 behind Alonso. Nico had moved up to now
be in sixteenth with Mark still in twelfth. Montoya continued to attack
Heidfeld.
Coulthard said his retirement was due to a hydraulic problem, seeing him
lose all gears. When would the first pit stops be made. Alonso was leading
by 0.7 seconds. Klien was right behind Mark. Lap fourteen and Alonso was
leading Michael by just 0.9 seconds. Mark would retire his car after running
wide and coming to a stop. This would make Nico fifteenth. Lap sixteen and
little had changed in the order with Alonso still holding off an attacking
Michael Schumacher. Michael would set a fastest lap, 1m:32.794. The Renault
mechanics were out joined by those from Ferrari. Alonso and Massa would pit.
Massa would return in sixth and Alonso fourth.
The
next lap, nineteen, and Michael would pit. 7.9 seconds and Michael would
come out behind Alonso. Kimi was now leading Button by 9.9 seconds, with
Alonso right behind Button. Nico was still in fifteenth. Lap twenty one and
Barrichello would pit. Mark would explain his retirement by saying that it
was going well until the failure when he lost all hydraulics. He added that
they were going long so he could have score points. He was looking to pit on
lap thirty one. Button and Villeneuve would pit on lap twenty two. The next
lap team-mate Heidfeld would also pit. Lap twenty four and Kimi was still
leading from Alonso, Michael, Massa, Trulli, Montoya, Fisichella, and Ralf.
Lap twenty four and Kimi would pit returning in fourth behind Massa.
Alonso's lead was out to 2.1 seconds with the Renault lapping over a second
faster than the Ferrari. Lap twenty six and Trulli would pit from eighth.
Fisichella would make his first pit stop getting a front wing adjustment.
Lap twenty eight and Montoya would pit after a long first stint. Nico was
now in eight but yet to make a stop. Ralf would make his first stop leaving
just Nico yet to come in. On lap twenty nine Button would pull his car off
the track to retire with smoke coming from the rear of his car. He would be
joined by Klien who would also retire his car. So with thirty laps run the
order was Alonso, Michael, Massa, Raikkonen, Nico, Barrichello, Ralf and
Villeneuve. Was Nico on a one stop strategy?
Fisichella
was challenging eight placed Villeneuve. Lap thirty two and Montagny would
retire his Super Aguri. Michael was now just 0.6 seconds behind Alonso. Lap
thirty five and Nico would make his pit stop. Michael would continue to
follow the Renault as the pair traded fastest laps and sectors. Lap thirty
eight and Alonso would pit. It was a long stop for the Spaniard. Lap thirty
nine and Michael was pushing setting a new fastest lap, 1m:32.099. Nico was
now down in tenth. With Alonso 24 seconds behind Michael it looked like
Michael would come back out in front of the Renault driver.
Lap forty one and Massa would pit. Michael was running a second faster tan
Alonso. The next lap and Michael would pit from the lead. It would be a
quick stop for the Ferrari allowing him to come out in front of Alonso. Kimi
was now leading by just 3.2 seconds from Michael with Alonso 5.98 seconds
behind the Ferrari. Kimi would put in a quick lap to extend his lead out to
4.7 seconds. But Alonso was now 6.9 seconds behind Michael. Massa was in
fourth and Barrichello fifth. Lap forty four and Trulli would pit from
eleventh. He was joined by Scott Speed. Kimi would pit on lap forty five. He
would be joined by Barrichello, Ralf, Villeneuve, and Fisichella. His top
would see Giancarlo move ahead of Villeneuve.
At the end of lap forty five the order was Michael followed by Alonso,
Massa, Raikkonen, Montoya, Rosberg, Barrichello, Ralf, and Fisichella in
eighth. The next lap and Heidfeld would pit from tenth. This would leave
just Montoya and Nico to make a second stop, assuming the WilliamsF1 driver
is going to make a second stop. Even if he continues to finish and Montoya
stops the best Nico can hope for is fifth, unless their are retirements in
the top four. Sato would retire on alp forty eight. At the front Michael was
now 7.1 seconds ahead of Alonso.
On
lap fifty and Nico would make a second stop. This was a strange strategy for
the team after
having run so long in his first stint. Nico would come out in eighth running
close behind Fisichella and Ralf. Could Nico take a few places before the
end of the race? Lap fifty two and Michael's lead was out to 9.1 seconds
with Massa 2.8 seconds behind Alonso. Kimi was in fourth followed by
Barrichello, Ralf, Fisichella, and Nico. But Nico was under pressure from
ninth placed Montoya. But the pressure would come off when Juan Pablo would
pull his car off the track to retire. He would be joined by Ralf in
retirement when the Toyota would slow with an engine problem, smoke pouring
from the rear of his car, and pull off the track.
This would put Nico in seventh just 0.4 seconds behind Fisichella.
Villeneuve was now in eighth. Nico was pushing Giancarlo hard as the race
came down to its final laps. Kimi was now just 1.1 seconds behind Massa. Lap
fifty seven and the order was Michael leading Alonso by 6.7 seconds, Massa,
Raikkonen, Barrichello, Fisichella, Rosberg, and Villeneuve. Kimi was
putting the pressure on Massa now been just 0.5 seconds behind the Ferrari.
Massa was just 1.0 seconds behind Alonso. But with Michael staring his last
lap it was unlikely the order would change.
Michael would cross the line taking victory for Ferrari. Alonso was second
and Massa third. Kimi was fourth. The final points scoring positions were
made up of Barrichello, Fisichella, Rosberg, and Villeneuve. Two points for
Nico is a small consolation prize for the team after what has been a
difficult weekend.
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