Race Incidents

RACE INCIDENTS

Jarno Trulli starts from the pitlane after the Toyota team decides to change the rear suspension after his problems in qualifying. Nico Rosberg is at the back having been sent to the back for missing a weight check in qualifying and Tonio Liuzzi changes an engine and so is also behind the two Super Aguris.

* Lap 1: At the start the field heads down into Turn 1 with Felipe Massa making the best start and overtaking Michael Schumacher. Behind them Fernando Alonso beats Rubens Barrichello off the line and then slots into third ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella. Jacques Villeneuve is next followed by Ralf Schumacher. As the tail-enders try to get into the corner there is a mess as Christian Klien tries to go down the inside as he makes a move to pass the two Midlands. Klien does not slow enough and so runs into the back of Mark Webber. This sends the Williams flying. but it lands on its wheels. Klien also hits Christijan Albers. The Austrian retires on the spot. However, the entire incident is overshadowed by a much bigger crash at the second corner as the midfield tries to sort itself out. The incident features a number of different impacts and it is not clear as to whether they happened at the same time or whether one led to another. What is clear is that Juan Pablo Montoya runs into the back of his team mate Kimi Raikkonen. The two McLarens both spin and Montoya's car touches Button's Honda. At the same moment Nick Heidfeld, on the outside, tries to take the racing line and puts his left rear wheel into the path of Button's right front tyre. The result is that the BMW is launched into the air and the car rolls into the gravel trap. Button spins into the path of Scott Speed and the American ends up hitting Raikkonen as well. A Safety Car is deployed. Albers go to the pits. Montagny, Klien, Speed, Webber, Montoya, Heidfeld and Raikkonen are all out on the spot.

* Lap 2: Button pits for repairs, the first of three stops on consecutive laps. In the end the team decides that the car cannot be repaired.

* Lap 6: The race restarts with Massa staying in the lead. Takuma Sato tries to pass Tiago Monteiro for ninth place and the two cars collide. Sato is out on the spot. Monteiro pits for repairs. He retires after a couple of pit stops.

* Lap 7: Ralf Schumacher passes Villeneuve for sixth.

* Lap 8: Trulli overtakes Coulthard for ninth place.

* Lap 10: Trulli overtakes Rosberg for eighth place.

* Lap 11: At the front the order is settled with Massa just ahead of Michael Schumacher. There is then a gap of four seconds back to Alonso who is under pressure from Fisichella. There is then a bigger gap back to Barrichello.

* Lap 15: Fisichella passes Alonso to move to third place.

* Lap 24: The order is unchanged with Massa still just ahead of Michael but Fisichella is now nine seconds behind and Alonso has dropped away. Barrichello heads for the pits to the first scheduled stop of the race. At the same time Villeneuve's BMW blows its engine and he retires. This leaves only 11 cars running.

* Lap 28: Albers is struggling with his car which has developed a transmission problem perhaps related to the earlier accident.. he has four stops before retiring on lap 39.

* Lap 29: Michael Schumacher pits. Fisichella follows him into pitlane. Massa stays in the lead with Alonso second and Ralf Schumacher third. Michael rejoins fourth.

* Lap 30: Massa and Ralf go into the pits. This puts Alonso into the lead ahead of Michael. Massa comes out in third with Trulli up to fourth, Fisichella fifth and Ralf sixth.

* Lap 31: Alonso pits. Schumacher takes the lead with Massa second and Trulli third. Fisichella is fourth with Fernando rejoining fifth. Ralf is sixth.

* Lap 39: Michael has created a lead of 3.9secs while Trulli is just a couple of seconds behind Massa before he pits. This drops the one-stopping Toyota from third to seventh. Also one-stopping is Tonio Liuzzi in 10th place.

* Lap 43: Rosberg pits and drops from eighth to ninth.

* Lap 47: Coulthard is eighth when he comes into the pits but he stays in eighth as a result of his lengthy first stint.

* Lap 49: Sixth-placed Barrichello pits for his second stop and drops to seventh behind Trulli.

* Lap 52: Massa has his second stop. He drops to third behind Fisichella.

* Lap 53: Fisichella stops and is followed into the pits by fifth-placed Ralf Schumacher. Fisichella drops from second to fourth while Ralf falls behing Trulli.

* Lap 54: Schumacher stops but has a sufficient lead to stay ahead.

* Lap 55: Alonso has his second stop and falls from third place to sixth. Further back Liuzzi passes Rosberg for ninth place.

* Lap 63: Michael cruises to victory ahead of Massa with Fisichella third but unable to make up ground. Trulli is next. Ralf Schumacher is fifth but stops with a wheel-bearing failure.

* Lap 73: Schumacher wins from Massa and Fisichella. Trulli is fourth, Alonso fifth and Barrichello sixth. One lap down but still scoring points are Coulthard and Liuzzi with Rosberg the only finisher not to score.