2006 Monaco Grand Prix

2006 Monaco Grand Prix
Race 7 of 18 in the 2006 Formula One World Championship
The Monaco circuit, last modified in 2003
The Monaco circuit, last modified in 2003
Race details
Date 28 May 2006
Official name Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2006
Location Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
Course Street circuit
Course length 3.340 km (2.075 miles)
Distance 78 laps, 260.520 km (161.880 miles)
Weather Fine
Pole position
Driver Renault
Time 1:13.962
Fastest lap
Driver Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
Time 1:15.143 on lap 74
Podium
First Renault
Second McLaren-Mercedes
Third Red Bull-Ferrari
Lap leaders

The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2006)[1] was a Formula One motor race held on 28 May 2006 at the Circuit de Monaco. The 78-lap race was the seventh round of the 2006 Formula One season. Prior to the race, Renault's Fernando Alonso had finished on the podium in all of the previous six Grands Prix, winning three of those races. His main championship rival, Michael Schumacher was looking to win the race as it would equal Ayrton Senna's record at Monaco for most wins (six).

The race was remembered by many people for Michael Schumacher's actions during the closing stages of the qualifying session for the race, where he stopped his car in La Rascasse corner, thus preventing his rival Fernando Alonso from attempting to improve his time. Schumacher maintained that this was an innocent mistake; his actions were deemed deliberate by the race stewards and he was demoted to the back of the grid as punishment for his actions, promoting Alonso from second to pole position. It was also remembered for Schumacher coming back from his penalty during the race to finish fifth on a circuit that is notorious for overtaking being almost impossible.

Fernando Alonso went on to win the race, his first in Monaco. Juan Pablo Montoya came second, scoring his last podium and David Coulthard took full advantage of Jarno Trulli's late hydraulic failure to finish in third, scoring Red Bull Racing's first ever podium finish and also first ever podium for Ferrari as an engine supplier for a customer team since 2003 United States Grand Prix when Sauber was a Ferrari customer team but badged as Petronas. It was also his first podium finish since the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix.

  1. ^ "Monaco". Formula1.com. Archived from the original on 2006-10-20. Retrieved 26 December 2020.