By Phil Giles
May 7 2006

Bigpip's lap by lap coverage of the European Grand Prix. It wasn't a classic but if you don't want to know the result then look away now.

Lap by Lap
European Grand Prix
Nurburgring
---------------

Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro officially qualified in 18th and 20th. Engine penalties for the Williams Squad put Christijan
up into 16th and Tiago into 18th as Rosberg starts from the back.

We can expect a few shenanigans at turn one. Let's see if the German director covers anything other than the Schumachers and
Heidfelds.

Parade Lap.
All appear to have made it safely around the parade lap. Tiago and Christijan line up safely behind each other at the back.

Lap 1
Here Goes.
Red Bull and Torro Rosso scrap in the first corner. Both Super Aguri's have got in front of Christijan Albers and TR. The launch system really needs help. Sato is up to 14th. Safety car out as Liuzzi stopped on track. Puncture from a collision with DC at turn one.

Lap2
Tiago Monteiro 17th in front of Christijan Albers 18th but TS 14th in front of RS 15th and Speed 16th
Sato down to 16th - Overtaken under yellow?

Lap 3
SC in. DC stops on track and is out of the race. Yellow flag again.

Lap 5
Sato has been overtaken by Speed, Rosberg and Ralf. Tiago is only 2 hundredths behind him.

Lap 6
Tiago Monteiro has Sato and can start pulling away. Albers is faster by 1/2 second and Monteiro is now 3 seconds faster than Sato

Lap 7
Alonso fastest lap so far. TV shows rubber flying off Fisi's front left tyre.

Lap 8
Alonso fastest again. Christijan Albers struggling to get past Sato. Tiago now six seconds in front of Sato.

Lap9
Christijan Albers is less than 1/2 second behind Sato again. MS responds to FA's fastest lap. Sato is a rolling roadblock again. Strange that Christijan Albers hasn't been able to pass. He'd usually have got past by now. Lap 11 Tiago is 10.8 seconds in front of Sato.

Lap 11
Got him. Had to push him off the the track to get past but he's done it at last. Let's be 2 seconds faster at the end of the lap. Christijan Albers is 11 seconds behind Tiago but 2.4 seconds in front of Sato by the end of the lap. Go get him Christijan.

Lap 13
Yellow flag. Webber out at Turn 10.

Lap15
Tiago 12 seconds down on Rosberg. Christijan Albers is catching Tiago Monteiro with laps nearly 1 second faster.

Lap 16
First pit stop for Alonso. Bit of extra wing on for Fernando.

Lap 18
Alonso back in front after the first set of stops.

Lap 20
Long first run for Midland. Neither driver has pitted yet. 1/3 in so could be single stopping?

Lap 23
Christijan Albers Pits. 2 stopper. (I'm worse than Murray Walker was!)

Lap 24
Tiago Pits. As does Sato 1 lap down

Lap 28
Tiago is 35 seconds behind speed. Albers is now 1.4 seconds behind Tiago. Button has stopped on track. Narrow it down
James. "Could be Hydraulic, transmission, engine..." Git.

Lap 29
Klien's car slow and out. Another double DNF for Red Bull.

Half way and Tiago is 14th and Christijan Albers 15th. Five retirements so far.

Lap 31
Montagny's out. Smoke pouring from the engine.

Lap36
Tiago is 2 seconds behind Tiago. No suggestion there that Tiago is holding up Christijan Albers.

Lap 38
Alonso in pit

Lap 40
Massa in

Lap 41
Schumacher in. Pit stop 6.8s Will come out in front of Fernando by some margin. Alonso looking very slow. (comparitivly!)

Lap 42
Albers pits. Can he leapfrog Tiago? Sato pit's with a broken aero wing on the atop of the airbox.

Lap 43.
Tiago pits and keeps his place only just in front of Christijan Albers.

Lap 45.
Tiago blue flags as Montoya tries to lap. Rosberg laps. Some great TV coverage of the two Midland drivers scrapping it out. James Allen getting his facts all wrong yet again.

Lap 47
Sato retires.

Lap 48
Rosberg is flying! But has to stop again. Will Christijan Albers have a go at Tiago Monteiro before the end of the race?

Lap 50.
10 laps to go. A lot can happen still.

Lap 52.
Still close. Christijan Albers still 1.2s behind.

Lap 53
Christijan Albers very slow in Sector 2. 44 seconds. Ralf Schumacher and Montoya both out on lap 54.

Lap 55.
Tiago now has 3.2 seconds over Christijan Albers.

Lap 56
Tiago 12th Albers 13th. TV Shows a clear gap between Tiago and Christijan.

Lap 57
Christijan Albers is matching lap times with Tiago, although Tiago immediately answers back with a lap 2 seconds faster.

Lap 58
Can Kimi get Massa on the last few laps?

Lap 59
James Allen suggesting publicly that Midland needs a bit more money to go racing properly.

Lap 60
Schumacher wins, Alonso second, Massa third. Tiago 12th and Albers 13th.

Another solid race from Midland. They need to work on their launch control to get away from the Super Aguri cars at the starts.

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