The 2006 San Marino Formula 1 Grand Prix
Moderators: cmlean, Ed, The Qualiflyer, The Heretic
A thrilling race between Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso as the two fought for the lead for nearly half the race.
Alonso managed to make it to second after the first stops and caught up with Michael before the second stops but couldn't pass Michael at the second stops. Michael survived the pressure from Alonso and won the race.
It was clear from the start of the weekend that Michael and Fernando were on the pace however in the race, Alonso was much faster particularly in the second stint and that would be worrying to the rest of the field.
Behind those two, Montoya finished 3rd which is a good result but not what was expected from McLaren. Massa ended up 4th and one wonders how much did the tactic of slowing down Alonso in the first stint cost him.
Kimi Raikkonen finished 5th and didn't look impressive although his poor start must have had an affect.
Webber did well finishing 6th and it was good to see some reliablity in the Williams.
Jenson Button continues to have bad luck. This time it was his pit stops, even though, it would have been hard for him to finish on the podium.
Fisichella started 11th and finished in 8th. Not what you'd expect from the fastest car in the field.
Ralf Schumacher finished 9th on a three stop strategy after starting from 6th.
Also a dissapointing result from Barrichello who finished outside the points despite not having any of the problems Button had.
Rosberg finished 11th, we didn't really see much of him!
Villeneuve looked good for the first half of the race but then dropped back and finished 12 ahead of Heidfeld in 13th who has struggled all weekend.
Only 6 retirements and that is remarkable reliability!
Your thoughts ? You can also vote for the driver of the day at the start of this thread
Alonso managed to make it to second after the first stops and caught up with Michael before the second stops but couldn't pass Michael at the second stops. Michael survived the pressure from Alonso and won the race.
It was clear from the start of the weekend that Michael and Fernando were on the pace however in the race, Alonso was much faster particularly in the second stint and that would be worrying to the rest of the field.
Behind those two, Montoya finished 3rd which is a good result but not what was expected from McLaren. Massa ended up 4th and one wonders how much did the tactic of slowing down Alonso in the first stint cost him.
Kimi Raikkonen finished 5th and didn't look impressive although his poor start must have had an affect.
Webber did well finishing 6th and it was good to see some reliablity in the Williams.
Jenson Button continues to have bad luck. This time it was his pit stops, even though, it would have been hard for him to finish on the podium.
Fisichella started 11th and finished in 8th. Not what you'd expect from the fastest car in the field.
Ralf Schumacher finished 9th on a three stop strategy after starting from 6th.
Also a dissapointing result from Barrichello who finished outside the points despite not having any of the problems Button had.
Rosberg finished 11th, we didn't really see much of him!
Villeneuve looked good for the first half of the race but then dropped back and finished 12 ahead of Heidfeld in 13th who has struggled all weekend.
Only 6 retirements and that is remarkable reliability!
Your thoughts ? You can also vote for the driver of the day at the start of this thread
Schuey and Ferarri had an excellent weekend making Renault look complacent and even ordinary strategy wise.
Jenson and Honda are now clearly exhibiting the kind of fortune that afflicts also rans. The first pit stop was farcical and the second was as dangerous and incompetent as I have ever seen.
I was surprized the whole pit lane didn't get covered in fuel and spontaneously ignite.
What was the reasoning behind filling Rubens to the brim so that he could tour around at the back of the field for an hour and a half?
Renault made a knee jerk reaction calling Alonso into pit before schuey even though he had a faster car, more fuel and was only half a click behind Schuey.
They threw away a certain race win there! 
Mclaren are persisting with a race strategy that doesn't and will never work. The car isn't as quick as the Renault but they are still exhibiting the kind of behaviour that lost them the last two championships.
Quality rises to the surface again,
Ferarri
Qaulifying: tick (on the edge)
Race strategy: tick (on the edge)
Driving: tick (on the edge)
Reaction to events: tick (on the nose)
Intent: tick (totally committed)
Everybody else should take note
Particularly of Schuey's lollypop which has a very large mirrored surface so he can see what's going on with the rear end of his car during pit stops. Why are they always one step ahead of the game?
Jenson and Honda are now clearly exhibiting the kind of fortune that afflicts also rans. The first pit stop was farcical and the second was as dangerous and incompetent as I have ever seen.
I was surprized the whole pit lane didn't get covered in fuel and spontaneously ignite. What was the reasoning behind filling Rubens to the brim so that he could tour around at the back of the field for an hour and a half?
Renault made a knee jerk reaction calling Alonso into pit before schuey even though he had a faster car, more fuel and was only half a click behind Schuey.
They threw away a certain race win there! Mclaren are persisting with a race strategy that doesn't and will never work. The car isn't as quick as the Renault but they are still exhibiting the kind of behaviour that lost them the last two championships.
Quality rises to the surface again,
Ferarri
Qaulifying: tick (on the edge)
Race strategy: tick (on the edge)
Driving: tick (on the edge)
Reaction to events: tick (on the nose)
Intent: tick (totally committed)
Everybody else should take note
Particularly of Schuey's lollypop which has a very large mirrored surface so he can see what's going on with the rear end of his car during pit stops. Why are they always one step ahead of the game?
Lewis Hamilton & Jenson Button World Champions 