The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix is rightly remembered as one of the all-time classics. We revisit it to find out why…
A wet qualifying led to a topsy-turvy grid with Ralf Schumacher taking the final pole of his career. Jenson Button was second for BAR, with Fisichella and Klien on the second row. Home favourite Takuma Sato lined up fifth, whilst the big boys were quite far down. Barrichello was eighth for Ferrari, with Michael Schumacher fourteenth. Already crowned drivers’ champion, Fernando Alonso was down in 16th with Kimi Raikkonen behind him. It was a ninth row lockout for McLaren. Juan Pablo Montoya failed to set a lap in qualifying and started seventeenth.
Schumacher led the pack away, with Barrichello and Sato going through the gravel at turn one and coming together. The Ferrari driver limped back to the pits with a puncture, whilst the pack streamed away. Button and Fisi meant the top three were still in grid order, but David Coulthard passed his Red Bull teammate Christian Klien for fourth. Michael Schumacher had worked his way up to eighth, with Alonso tenth and putting the Jordan ahead of him under pressure.
The safety car was deployed on the opening lap after Montoya was pushed into the barriers by Jacques Villeneuve, who picked up a 25-second post-race time penalty for his troubles.
Ralf Schumacher pulled out a half a second lead at the restart, with his brother Michael passing Klien for sixth before they reached the first corner. Alonso, trying to follow the seven-time champion through the field, closed right up to the Austrian’s Red Bull but couldn’t find a passing opportunity until they came back around to the Casio triangle.
Alonso tried to go around the outside of the Red Bull, but locked up and cut the corner. Wise to the rules, the Spaniard gave the place back – only to repass the Red Bull down the straight after picking up a tow. The Renault was unleashed and soon closed up on Michael Schumacher, but a radio call from the FIA told the newly crowned champion to back off and allow Klien to repass him.
He duly did so, but it didn’t take long for Alonso to make a clean pass on the Austrian.
Now in sixth place, the hunt for Schumacher could begin again. On lap 19, after closing up lap after lap, Alonso pulled off one of the best passes in Formula One history. Around the outside of 130R, Schumacher was stunned and almost fell victim to the poaching Kimi Raikkonen.
Schumacher and Raikkonen pitted for fuel on lap 25, following each other in and back out of the pit lane. The Fin passed the German around the outside of turn one a few laps later. Alonso, who pitted earlier, was once again on the tail of the Ferrari.
With 21 laps to go, the Ferrari once again was passed around the outside by Alonso. After getting a great run from Spoon corner, the Spaniard lined up the move perfectly through the Casio triangle. After Schumacher ran wide, he pounced down the start finish straight and into the infamous first corner.
Raikkonen had pulled out a four-second gap to Alonso, but was closing up to the slow running third and fourth placed cars of Button and Webber. Renault used this as an opportunity to allow Alonso to make his final pit stop, with Fisichella coming in a little later. The Italian dropped behind Raikkonen, despite having previously led the race.
The Fin was promoted to the race lead as Webber and Button followed each other in. A slick stop by the Williams team saw Webber out drab Button down the pit lane exit, gaining him the place.
In the closing stages of the race, McLaren called Raikkonen in to make a splash and dash final pit stop. The sub five second stop allowed Fisichella to retake the lead, but it would be an eight-lap sprint to the finish as the McLaren was not far behind.
Alonso’s early stop put him behind Webber and Button. The Brit was easily passed, but Webber put up a tougher fight. A brave move down the pit lane exit – and on the grass – was required before the Australian relinquished the final podium place.
With three laps to go, Raikkonen had obliterated Fisichella’s lead. The Renault driver defended into the Casio triangle, allowing Kimi to get a great run down the start-finish straight. The Italian survived to fight another day, but the McLaren was getting ever larger in his mirrors.
It was a replay of the previous lap that allowed Raikkonen to finally get the lead. Closing through the Triangle, the Fin used the slipstream to maximum effect and pulled off a brilliant move around the outside of turn one on the final lap of the race. There were just inches between the McLaren and Renault’s wheels.
His fighting drive from seventeenth was too late in championship terms, but it produced a great spectacle for the Formula One world. Renault reclaimed the constructors’ title lead with a race to go thanks to their double podium and Montoya’s DNF, which they would of course go on to win.
