2005 Formula One World Championship
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The2005 FIA Formula One World Championshipwas the 59th season ofFIAFormula Onemotor racing. It featured the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship, contested over a then-record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on 6 March 2005 and ended 16 October.
Fernando Alonsoand theRenaultteam won the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships, ending five years of dominance byMichael SchumacherandFerrarisince 2000 and also ending nine years ofFerrari,McLarenandWilliamsdominance triopoly since 1996. Alonso's success made him the youngest champion in the history of the sport, a title he held untilLewis Hamilton's 2008 title success. Renault's win was their first as a constructor. Alonso started the season off strongly, winning three of the first four races and his title success was in little doubt. He sealed the title inBrazilwith two races left after a controlled third-place finish. Alonso's championship was also the first for aRenault-powered driver sinceJacques Villeneuve's championship in1997.
Alonso and Renault had to contend with the pace of the resurgentMcLarenteam with lead driverKimi Räikkönenoutshining teammateJuan Pablo Montoya,who came highly regarded from his time atWilliams.Räikkönen won seven races like Alonso but would have won more if not for a series of reliability issues, resulting in qualifying engine change penalties and retirements from the lead on three occasions. Nevertheless, Räikkönen grabbed the headlines winning from near the back of the grid inJapan,passing Alonso's Renault teammateGiancarlo Fisichellaon the final lap. Reigning champions Michael Schumacher and Ferrari had a poor season by their standards, withBridgestoneunable to compete withMichelinafter the tyre-change ban that only affected the 2005 season. Their only win came when Michelin deemed their own tyres unsafe after several incidents in the oval turn atIndianapolis.As a result, only the six Bridgestone cars took part. Schumacher just held on for third in the Drivers' Championship, in spite of the superior pace of McLaren, underlining the disappointing season Montoya had. The Colombian missed two races early on due to a tennis injury. He then won three races, showing glimpses of pace, but was well beaten by his teammate Räikkönen in the championship.
The 2005 season was the last before theMinardi,BARandJordanteams were taken over by new owners and changed names toToro Rosso,Honda,andMidlandrespectively in the2006season. The formerJaguarteam was sold fromFordtoRed Bull GmbHand made its debut asRed Bull Racingduring the 2005 season.
Teams and drivers[edit]
The followingteamsanddriverswere competitors in the 2005FIAFormula OneWorld Championship.
- †All engines were 3.0-litre,V10configuration. 2005 was the final year of this engine formula.
- No Michelin-shod cars participated in theUnited States Grand Prixfor safety reasons, leaving just six cars on the grid at the start of the race.
Free practice drivers[edit]
Five constructors entered free practice only drivers over the course of the season. Sauber Petronas were also eligible to enter a free practice driver, but elected not to do so.
| Constructor | Practice drivers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Driver name | Rounds | ||
| McLaren–Mercedes | 35 |  Pedro de la Rosa Alexander Wurz
|
1–2, 4–5, 8–11, 14–15, 18–19 3, 6–7, 12–13, 16–17 | |
| Red Bull–Cosworth | 37 |  Vitantonio LiuzziChristian Klien Scott Speed
|
1–3, 10–19 4–7 8–9 | |
| Toyota | 38 |  Ricardo Zonta Olivier Panis
|
1–9, 11–19 10 | |
| Jordan–Toyota | 39 |  Robert DoornbosFranck Montagny Nicolas Kiesa Sakon Yamamoto
|
1–6, 9–11 7 12–17, 19 18 | |
| Minardi–Cosworth | 40 |  Chanoch NissanyEnrico Toccacelo
|
13 14–16 | |
Team changes[edit]
- Red Bull Racing,which took over theJaguarteam, ran withCosworthengines. Red Bull's lead driver was veteranScotsmanDavid Coulthard,paired withChristian Klien,the 2004 Jaguar driver.
- Toyota-poweredJordan Grand Prixwas purchased byMidland Group,although the team continued as Jordan until 2006.
- Sauber switched fromBridgestonetoMichelintyres over the winter, further severing their ties with theFerrariteam.
- TheBARteam was banned from the Grands Prix inSpainandMonaco,after both their cars were found to be underweight at theSan Marino Grand Prix.
- At theHungarian Grand Prix,WestMcLarenMercedesbecame Team McLaren Mercedes.
- Shortly after theUnited States Grand Prix,Peter Sauberannounced thatCredit Suissehad soldBMWtheir majority share in hisSauberteam, which announced its intention to run as BMW's factory team in 2006.
Driver changes[edit]
- RenaultpartneredFernando Alonsowith the 2004SauberdriverGiancarlo Fisichella,in a straight swap withJacques Villeneuve(who had taken over fromJarno Trulliat Renault for the last three races of the season).
- Williamsemployed an all-new driver line-up in 2005, having signedJaguar'sMark WebberandJordan'sNick Heidfeldto replaceJuan Pablo MontoyaandRalf Schumacher.Montoya moved toMcLaren,in place of theRed Bull-boundDavid Coulthard(who took Webber's vacated seat), while Ralf Schumacher signed forToyota.This meant thatRicardo Zonta,who had raced for Toyota in five of the final six races of 2004, returned to a third driver role in 2005.Olivier Panis,who had driven in seventeen out of eighteen races for Toyota in 2004, was retained by the team in the dual capacity of advisor and test driver.Cristiano da Matta,who had started the 2004 season with Toyota, returned toChamp Carin 2005.Jarno Trullijoined as Toyota's second driver.
- Jordan's other driver from the end of 2004,Timo Glock,also switched to Champ Car for 2005, leaving Jordan with two vacant seats. They were taken byTiago Monteiro(a test driver forMinardiin 2004) andNarain Karthikeyan,both Formula One debutants, who had both competed inthe previous year's World Series by Nissan season.Giorgio Pantano,who raced for Jordan for the majority of 2004, left Formula One altogether, joining theSuper Nova Racingteam for theinaugural GP2 Series season.
- Minardi also ran an all-new line-up in 2005, with their 2004 drivers—Gianmaria Bruni(who switched to GP2 in 2005) andZsolt Baumgartner—being replaced by a pair of debutants:Patrick FriesacherandChristijan Albers,who had competed inInternational Formula 3000andDTM,respectively, during the previous season.
- Mid-season changes
- BARtest driverAnthony Davidsonraced inMalaysiain place of an illTakuma Sato.Sato returned to the seat for the next race.
- Following a shoulder injury to Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren reserve driverPedro de la Rosaraced for the team inBahrain,withAlexander Wurztaking on third driver duties in place of de la Rosa. For theSan Marino Grand Prix,de la Rosa and Wurz swapped roles. Montoya returned for the following race.
- Vitantonio LiuzziandChristian Klienwere both contracted to Red Bull Racing to participate in at least three races, and agreed to share their race seat for the season. While Klien, who had raced for the team's forerunners Jaguar in 2004, drove in the first three races, Liuzzi replaced him for the San Marino,Spanish,Monaco,andEuropeanGrands Prix. Klien returned for theCanadian Grand Prix,and completed the remainder of the season.
- Robert Doornboswas Jordan's third driver for nine of the first eleven races of the season.Franck Montagnyreplaced him at the European Grand Prix, while Jordan were banned from using a third car at the Canadian Grand Prix after using too many tyres at the previous race.Nicolas Kiesareplaced Doornbos for theGerman Grand Prixonwards, when the Dutchman replaced Patrick Friesacher at Minardi due to sponsorship issues.
- Chanoch Nissanybecame Minardi's third driver for theHungarian Grand Prix.He was replaced byEnrico Toccacelofor theTurkish Grand PrixandItalian Grand Prix.Nissany was the first Israeli to participate in a Formula One weekend.
- Antônio Pizzoniareplaced Nick Heidfeld at Williams for the Italian Grand Prix, when Heidfeld decided to withdraw after complaining of a severe headache. Earlier in the week, he had crashed heavily during a test session at Monza. Heidfeld had been due to return for theBrazilian Grand Prix,but after having a motorcycle accident he was forced to sit out the remainder of the season, with Pizzonia continuing to race for Williams in Heidfeld's absence.
Season calendar[edit]
The 2005 Formula One calendar featured one new event, theTurkish Grand Prix.
Calendar changes[edit]
- With the Brazilian Grand Prix being run in late September, the Chinese Grand Prix became the final race of the season.
- The Turkish Grand Prix was added to the calendar after the Hungarian Grand Prix on 21 August.
Regulation changes[edit]
For a time there existed a distinct possibility that some teams would be running three race cars per Grand Prix: fewer than 10 teams, or 20 cars, starting on the grid would have resulted in some teams running three cars, under a term in theConcorde Agreement.By the first round of the season, there were ten teams, as Red Bull completed their takeover of Jaguar and were ready to race inAustralia.Minardi, which initially received aninjunctionallowing them to compete despite their cars' non-conformity to new2005 technical regulations,later modified their cars to adhere to 2005 regulations.
Technical regulations[edit]
- A major change in 2005 was the outlawing of tyre changes during pit stops. Now a driver had to use one set of tyres during qualifying and the race itself. The reason for this rule change was to motivate the teams to select harder tyre compounds with less grip, reducing cornering speeds, which was intended to improve safety.[7]Tyre changes were allowed for punctures and for wet weather, under the direction of the FIA. The FIA had to post a "change in climatic conditions" notice in order for tyre changes to occur normally as a force majeure. After Kimi Räikkönen's disastrous accident at the Nurburgring when his suspension collapsed after a flat-spotted tyre ripped the carbon fibre suspension apart, team principals and the FIA agreed that a single tyre change per car could be made without penalty, provided it was to change a tyre that had become dangerously worn like Räikkönen's had. Preserving a single set of tyres for the entire race became a new challenge for drivers; the challenge for tyre manufactures was to produce more durable, long-lasting compounds.Michelin-shod runners had a distinct advantage over theirBridgestonecounterparts.
- Formula One engines had to last two race weekends, double that demanded by 2004 regulations. A driver who needed to change an engine was subject to a 10-place grid penalty for the race. Designed to limit revs and power outputs demanded by greater reliability, this regulation was also a cost-cutting measure for engine manufacturers. After the initial race of the season, the FIA acted to close a loophole in this new regulation exposed by BAR, who deliberately pitted their cars rather than finish the race.
- The technical aerodynamics regulations were modified to improve competition, especially for cars travelling in another car's air flow wake in order to overtake. By changing the size and placement of both front and rear wings, as well as requiring higher noses, the new rules attempted to reduce downforce by roughly one-quarter, but teams developed other chassis innovations to reclaim much of that "lost" downforce, which made following another car even harder than the previous season. Front wings have been lifted by 5 cm (50 mm), to reduce downforce, while the rear wings have been brought forward 15 cm (150 mm) relative to the centre line between the rear wheels.[8][9]
- This was the final season in which the 3.0-litreV10engine configuration was used by all teams. New changes in the technical regulations saw a 2.4-litreV8engine configuration being introduced by theFIAfor the2006 Formula One season;however, the FIA granted an exemption for teams who were unable to re-engineer or could not afford a V8 engine in time for 2006. Budget or resource-limited teams were allowed to run a rev-limited 3.0-litre V10. Ten of the eleven teams ran with a conventional 2.4L V8 for 2006, with the exception ofScuderia Toro Rosso,who continued and were permitted by the FIA to use a rev-limitedCosworthTJ20063.0L V10 powerplant.
Sporting regulations[edit]
- The first six races of the 2005 season used a new qualifying format, marking the third year in five with sharply revised qualifying rules. Grid position was determined by aggregate times from two single-lap flying runs, one Saturday afternoon and one Sunday morning. Refueling was allowed after the first qualifying run Saturday; however, the car must have been fuelled for the race for Sunday's qualifying. (Although some rules changes are brought about to even the playing field or to reduce costs, this rule change was prompted by thetyphoonwhich rescheduled qualifying for the2004 Japanese Grand Prix). Adverse weather conditions affecting either qualifying session impacted the final, aggregate time. On 24 May, the ten team bosses met withMax Mosleyand recommended a return to a single, one-lap qualifying run on Saturday on race fuel and race tyres, which, having been approved by theFIAWorld Motor Sport Council,took effect at theEuropean Grand Prixon 29 May.
- If a driver stalled his car while entering the final grid, the other cars were sent instantly to a new warm-up lap, instead of all drivers stopping their cars and waiting a couple of minutes for a new start. The stalled car is pushed to the pit lane and the grid is clear when the drivers return.
- When the race was red-flagged, the timekeeping system would not stop. The drivers would stop on the start/finish straight, and the restart would take place behind the safety car instead of a standing start which was used earlier. Although this rule came in effect in 2005, it was first used at the2007 European Grand Prix.
- Also in safety car situations, the rules were changed to allow the safety car to use the pit lane if necessary. This rule change was made following Ralf Schumacher's accident in2004 United States Grand Prix.
Season report[edit]
The most-noted aspect of the season wasFerrari's lack of pace caused mainly by a new rule prohibiting tyre changes during the course of a race. TheBridgestonetyres used by Ferrari could not find the right balance between performance and reliability, leaving theMichelinrunners to battle for race victories.[10]Further rule changes emphasised the new focus on reliability, with engines required to last two Grands Prix without being changed.
Renaultappeared the fastest team in pre-season testing and it was no surprise they dominated the early fly-away rounds.Giancarlo Fisichellawon the season opener inAustraliabefore teammate Alonso demonstrated his title credentials with a series of victories inMalaysia,BahrainandSan Marino.As the season progressed theMcLarensofKimi RäikkönenandJuan Pablo Montoyabecame increasingly competitive and by the latter stages of the season the McLaren was generally considered the faster package. However, constant technical failures meant neither the team nor Räikkönen were able to translate their speed into championship success.
Alonso secured hisDrivers' Championshipwith a third-place finish in theBrazilian Grand Prix.Despite both him and Räikkönen having six victories to their name at this point in the season, Alonso's greater consistency meant he was able to claim the championship with two rounds to spare. The Constructors' Championship was secured by Renault at the finalrace,with Alonso's seventh victory of the year. This gave Renault their first championship as a constructor (after only previously triumphing as an engine supplier) despite winning two fewer races than McLaren.
Ferrari finished third in the Constructors' Championship with only one win, at theUnited States Grand Prix,a race that was only contested by the six Bridgestone cars after Michelin declared their tyres unsafe to run in theIndianapolis Motor Speedway's unique banked corner.[11]
After a high-flying 2004 season the most conspicuous drop in performance after Ferrari was BAR-Honda, who were banned from two races after scrutineers inSan Marinodiscovered a hidden fuel compartment that allowed their cars to run underweight. They were beaten in the championship by Williams, whose engine partner BMW had announced they were leaving to joinSauberin June, and Toyota, who achieved 5 podium finishes and were only beaten to third in the championship because of Ferrari's 1–2 in Indianapolis.
All the teams scored world championship points over the course of the season, Minardi scoring rare points in their final season courtesy of being able to run in the US race. The 2005 season also saw nine different drivers score a pole position - setting a new record for the number of different polesitters in a season eclipsing the previous record of eight different polesitters set in the1968season. This tally of different polesitters remains a record as of the end of the2022championship.[12]
Results and standings[edit]
The 2005 Formula One calendar featured a new event inTurkey,just miles from theEurope–Asia dividing line. The newly built circuit inIstanbuljoined the 2004 newcomersBahrainandChina.The 2005 season witnessed two of the hottest Grands Prix ever: the track temperature at the beginning of the Malaysian event was 51 °C (124 °F), while in Bahrain the mercury soared past 56 °C (133 °F).
Grands Prix[edit]
Scoring system[edit]
Points were awarded to the top eight classified finishers.[14]
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
World Drivers' Championship standings[edit]
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Notes:
- † – Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.
- ‡ – Teams supplied with Michelin tyres elected to withdraw from theUnited States Grand Prixbefore the race started due to safety concerns.
World Constructors' Championship standings[edit]
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Notes:
- † – Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.
- ‡ – Teams supplied with Michelin tyres elected to withdraw from theUnited States Grand Prixbefore the race started due to safety concerns.
Notes[edit]
- ^Takuma Satowas entered into theMalaysian Grand Prix,but later withdrew due to illness.
- ^Nick Heidfeldwas entered into theItalian Grand Prix,but later withdrew due to illness.
- ^McLaren entered first twelve Grands Prix as "WestMcLaren Mercedes ".
- ^Red Bull competed under a British licence.[1]
- ^Ralf Schumacherwas entered into theUnited States Grand Prix,but later withdrew after he was injured during free practice.
- ^Minardi used the CK2004 (CR-3L) engine during the first 3 races.
- ^Despite being Dutch, Doornbos raced under the flag of Monaco for the 2005 season.[2]
- ^Jarno Trulliset the fastest time in qualifying, but did not start the race along with the other cars running Michelin tyres. Pole position was left vacant on the grid.Michael Schumacher,in the fifth slot, was the first driver on the grid. Trulli is still considered to have held pole position.
References[edit]
- ^"Red Bull still British".2 June 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 3 October 2011.Retrieved1 July2024.
- ^"2005 Formula One season entry list".5 January 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2006.
- ^"2005 Formula One season entry list".Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2005.Retrieved19 June2017.
- ^"2005 Formula One season entry list".Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2006.Retrieved19 June2017.
- ^"Formula One Calendar 2005".Motorsport Stats.Retrieved4 April2022.
- ^"2005".ChicaneF1.Retrieved4 April2022.
- ^"Formula One rule changes for 2005".Rediff India Abroad.Reuters.Retrieved20 April2021.
Tyres must last for qualifying and the race. The reason being that harder, and therefore more durable, tyres will reduce cornering speeds.
- ^"2004 Formula One Technical Regulations"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 7 March 2017.Retrieved5 August2019.
- ^"2005 Formula One Technical Regulations"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 6 May 2016.Retrieved5 August2019.
- ^Andrew Benson."Andrew Benson: Alonso's straight fight with Schumacher, Bahrain 2006".BBC.Retrieved8 November2012.
- ^"Seven teams boycott US Grand Prix".BBC News.19 June 2005.Retrieved3 October2006.
- ^"Stats F1- Pole Positions-Different driver over a year".www.statsf1.com.Stats F1.Retrieved13 January2023.
- ^"Formula One Results 2005".Motorsport Stats.Retrieved4 April2022.
- ^abcJones, Bruce (2006)."Final Results 2005".Grand Prix 2006.London, England:Carlton Books.pp. 116–117.ISBN978-1-84442-341-5– via Internet Archive.
- ^ab"2005 FIA Formula One World Championship Classifications".Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2006.Retrieved19 June2017.
External links[edit]
- formula1.com – 2005 official driver standings(archived)
- formula1.com – 2005 official team standings(archived)
- 2005 Formula One season imagesRetrieved from www.motorsport.com on 5 December 2008
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