Race Incidents

Takuma Sato is slow off the grid but is able to get going and take sup his place on the grid as normal.

* Lap 1: At the start Michael Schumacher goes into the lead but Felipe Massa squeezes a fast-starting Fernando Alonso in the first corner and so the Renault is stuck in third place. Behind them little is changed: Jarno Trulli is fourth, Ralf Schumacher fifth and Kimi Raikkonen six and Giancarlo Fisichella seventh. Pedro de la Rosa makes a poor start and is passed by Mark Webber while Nick Heidfeld is next with a slow-starting David Coulthard is 11th.

* Lap 2: Michael Schumacher is 1.7secs ahead at the start of the lap. Alonso is stuck behind Massa. Tonio Liuzzi passes Christijan Albers for 18th place.

* Lap 6: The story is the same with Michael pulling away to lead by 3.2secs. Massa holds back Alonso. Further back Rubens Barrichello has an off and is overtaken for 12th by Scott Speed.

* Lap 11: Schumacher's lead is 5.5secs. The story is the same. At the back Tiago Monteiro goes over a kerb and nearly rolls the MF1. He pits to retire.

* Lap 14: Barrichello loses 13th place to Villeneuve.

* Lap 16: Massa stops and is overtaken by Alonso, Trulli, Ralf Raikkonen and Fisichella.

* Lap 17: Alonso stops and is followed into pitlane by Raikkonen.

* Lap 18: Michael Schumacher stops and so Trulli goes into the lead in his Toyota. Fisichella also stops along with de la Rosa.

* Lap 19: Trulli stays in the lead from Ralf Schumacher with Michael in third ahead of Massa, Alonso and Raikkonen. Barrichello comes into the pits and retires. Webber stops but emerges behind de la Rosa.

* Lap 20: Trulli pits and falls back to fifth. Ralf Schumacher leads for Toyota.

* Lap 21: Down at the back Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg have their first stops.

* Lap 22: Ralf Schumacher pits and his brother Michael goes back into the lead with Massa second and Alonso third. Ralf has trouble with the left rear and is delayed and so he drops back to seventh place.

* Lap 23: The order is Michael Schumacher ahead of Massa, Alonso, Trulli, Raikkonen, Fisichella, Ralf, Heidfeld, David Coulthard and Scott Speed (the last three still to pit).

* Lap 25: Heidfeld stops and falls from eighth to 13th.

* Lap 27: Raikkonen passes Trulli for fourth place at the Adelaide Hairpin. Further back Villeneuve pits and falls from 10th to 15th.

* Lap 28: Speed stops and drops from ninth to 14th.

* Lap 29: Coulthard is eighth when he pits but falls back to 11th.

* Lap 31: The last of the first stops occur as Klien and Liuzzi pit. They fall from 12th and 13th to 15th and 16th.

* Lap 32: Raikkonen comes in for his second stop and drops from fourth to seventh.

* Lap 34: Second-placed Massa stops and drops behind Alonso.

* Lap 35: de la Rosa has his second stop and loses places to Webber and Heidfeld.

* Lap 38: Michael stops and Alonso goes into the lead. Schumacher rejoins in second with Massa third. Trulli also stops but there is trouble and he disappears into the pits and retires after several exploratory stops. Webber also stops but suffers a puncture on his out lap and goes back to the pits for repairs.

* Lap 41: Speed has an off-track moment but stays 10th.

* Lap 42: Alonso stops and rejoins behind Massa.

* Lap 45: Fisichella is fourth when he comes in for his last stop and drops back to sixth, behind Ralf and Raikkonen.

* Lap 46: Ralf stops and drops from fourth to fifth, behind Raikkonen. Heidfeld has his second stop and drops from eighth to ninth.

* Lap 50: De la Rosa has his third pit stop but remains in seventh place.

* Lap 53: Massa stops for the third time and falls behind Alonso. The big question is whether of not Alonso will have to stop again. Fourth-placed Raikkonen has his third stop and falls behind the two-stopping Ralf Schumacher.

* Lap 55: Michael has his third and final stop. He stays in the lead with Alonso around 18secs behind him. Fernando shows no signs of stopping again and so seems comfortable in second. Massa is third ahead of Ralf Schumacher, Raikkonen, Fisichella and de la Rosa. A lap down is Nick Heidfeld the last points scorer.

* Lap 61: Twelfth-placed Button retires.

* Lap 70: Michael Schumacher wins his eighth French Grand Prix victory. Alonso is second and thus minimises the damage in the World Championship. He remains 17 points ahead. Pedro de la Rosa crosses the line but pulls off on the slowing down lap.