MAY 22, 2005

Race incidents from Monte Carlo

* Lap 1: At the start of the race Giancarlo Fisichella makes a better start than Mark Webber and grabs third behind Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. Jarno Trulli was also faster away than the Williams and grabbed fourth, leaving Webber with his team mate Nick Heidfeld. Behind them David Coulthard was chased by Michael Schumacher. Further back Felipe Massa overtakes Rubens Barrichello and Jacques Villeneuve to grab ninth, while behind them Juan Pablo Montoya goes from 16th to 12th passing Tiago Monteiro, Christijan Albers, Patrick Friesacher and Tonio Liuzzi. At the back Ralf Schumacher manages to get ahead of Narain Karthikeyan. At the end of the lap Raikkonen is 1.2secs ahead.

* Lap 3: Raikkonen's lead is up to 2secs. while the order behind is the same. Trulli is obviously holding up the two Williams-BMWs. Further back Ralf Schumacher manages to pass Monteiro to take 16th.

* Lap 4: Ralf passes Albers for 15th.

* Lap 5: After five consecutive fastest laps Raikkonen's lead is 2.3secs

* Lap 8: The order is the same at the front but down at the back Ralf passes Friesacher to move to 14th place.

* Lap 10: Karthikeyan pits with a problem. He returns to the pits several times before retiring.

* Lap 14: Raikkonen's lead is out to 4.2secs and the race is stable.

* Lap 24: Kimi's lead is 5.5secs. At the top of the hill Albers spins at Mirabeau and is half across the road when Coulthard and Michael Schumacher arrive. DC moves to the left and Michael runs into the back of the Red Bull. The two Saubers are also involved. The Safety Car is sent out. As this is happening Raikkonen passes the end of the pitlane and so does not pit. Massa and Michael Schumacher both pit. Coulthard, Albers and Friesacher are also in the pits.

* Lap 25: The race is under Safety Car rules. Alonso, Fisichella, Webber and Heidfeld come in. Both teams have to deal with two cars at the same time but Williams does a better job and while Webber and Heidfeld are fourth and fifth, Fisichella falls back to eighth. The order behind the Safety Car is Raikkonen, Trulli, Alonso, Webber, Heidfeld, Massa, Villeneuve, Fisichella and Barrichello. Michael Schumacher is a lap behind. in 13th position.

* Lap 29: The race restarts with Raikkonen having a lot to do to make up for the missed pitstop.

* Lap 30: Friesacher crashes when he loses control of the car as he brakes for the chicane. The Minardi hits the wall on the inside and slides across the chicane.

* Lap 32: Raikkonen is setting an amazing pace as he pulls away, making 11secs in just four laps. In the midfield Michael Schumacher is lapping at the same sort of pace despite having already stopped for more fuel.

* Lap 37: Raikkonen's lead is up to 19secs. Sixth-placed Villeneuve has his first stop and drops back to 12th. Also stopping is Monteiro.

* Lap 39: Trulli heads for the pits and drops from second to 11th, leaving Raikkonen almost half a minute ahead of Alonso. Further back Michael Schumacher sets another fastest lap as he makes up lost ground.

* Lap 40: Albers has his first stop.

* Lap 41: Raikkonen sets the fastest lap of the race as he continues to build a gap. Further back Ralf Schumacher stops and falls from 10th to 12th.

* Lap 42: Raikkonen pits and manages to get out before Alonso arrives. He is under major pressure from Webber. Further back Albers goes up the escape road at Ste Devote.

* Lap 45: Barrichello and Liuzzi come into the pits to become victim of not having stopped when the Safety Car was out. Barrichello stalls and so falls from seventh to 13th. Liuzzi drops from eighth but comes out 12th.

* Lap 48: Barrichello has to go back to the pits for a drive-through penalty but does not lose his 13th place.

* Lap 50: Massais fifth but has to stop again and so falls back to seventh, behind Fisichella and Trulli.

* Lap 53: Raikkonen is comfortably ahead of the field, maintaining a 15secs advantage. Alonso is in tyre trouble and Webber is right with him. Alonso makes a mistake at the chicane and Webber is closer than ever.

* Lap 54: Michael Schumacher tries to pass Ralf at the chicane and has to jink to avoid hitting his brother and runs over the chicane.

* Lap 57: The two Williams are stuck behind Alonso and the team decides to bring in Heidfeld because he needed fuel. This means that he gains an advantage. At the same time Barrichello passes Liuzzi for 12th.

* Lap 58: Webber pits and so emerges behind Heidfeld. Further back Michael Schumacher pits again and falls behind Barrichello and Liuzzi. As he exits the pitlane he touches the line in his rush to get back into the race.

* Lap 60: Liuzzi pits and retires with a damaged right rear suspension.

* Lap 61: As Raikkonen cruises on the action behind him is getting frantic. Alonso is holding up the two Williams cars and a long behind them Fisichella is struggling to keep a group of cars behind him. In the fight Montoya passes Massa for seventh. Villeneuve in right there with Ralf Schumacher while Barrichello and Michael Schumacher are closing in on the battle. The only other cars running are Monteiro and Albers.

* Lap 63: At Ste Devote Villeneuve challenges Massa and takes off his team mate. Both men get going again but a good result for Sauber has been thrown away. Massa pits.

* Lap 64: Trulli dives to the inside of Fisichella at the Grand Hotel hairpin. The Renault is pushed out wide and Fisichella is overtaken by Montoya, Ralf Schumacher and the two Ferraris. At the chicane Trulli makes a mistake and dropsfrom sixth to ninth.

* Lap 65: Trulli pits and drops to 11th.

* Lap 72: There has been some breathless racing as the two Williams try to pass Alonso and behind them Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Barrichello and Michael Schumacher do battle for fifth place. Behind them Fisichella is under threat from Massa. Inthe tunnel Heidfeld stays close to Alonso and is able to dive for the inside going into the chicane. He is ahead and gone, leaving Alonso to hold off Webber.

* Lap 74: Webber passes Alonso going into the chicane. Webber manages to make most of the corner while Alonso drives across more of the chicane and stays ahead. Further back Massa passes Fisichella for ninth.

* Lap 75: Webber tries again and the two men scramble through the chicane with the Williams coming out ahead. He quickly leaves the Renault behind.

* Lap 78: Raikkonen wins a dominant victory but all eyes are on the fights behind as Alonso finds his mirrors filled by Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Barrichello and Michael Schumacher. At the chicane Michael goes down the inside of Barrichello and grabs seventh place. As the cars cross the line he tries to overtake his brother and the two cars finish side by side, Ralf taking sixth. Further back Fisichella is crawling around and is overtaken on the last lap by both Trulli and Massa.