Rosberg tenth in 2006 Japanese GP

Under sunny skies Massa would lead the cars away on the parade lap for the start of the 20006 Japanese Grand Prix. Nico would start the race from tenth and Mark fourteenth. The red lights would go out and the race would get underway. Into turn one and Massa would lead from Michael and Ralf. Alonso was now in fourth having passed Trulli. Button was in sixth. Barrichello had dropped
to ninth. Nico was in twelfth and Mark fourteenth. At the end of lap one Massa was leading Michael by 0.7. Alonso was just 0.5 behind third placed Ralf. Barrichello would have a broken front wing. Lap two and a fastest lap from Michael,1m:33.383, while Rubens would pit for a new nose.

Michael was right behind Massa with Ralf 1.1 seconds behind Michael. Michael would pass his team-mate going into Turn one and would start to pull away. Alonso was 2.9 seconds behind Michael. Nico and Mark were running in eleventh and twelfth. At the start Nico would lose places to both Raikkonen and Kubica. Trulli was still in fifth followed by Button, Fisichella, and Heidfeld. Liuzzi would spin coming onto the main straight and drop to eighteenth. Lap five and Michael's lead over Massa was 1.2 seconds. Fisichella would pass Button for sixth.

Alonso was now 3.6 seconds behind Michael at the end of lap seven. But the Renault driver was now looking seriously to get past third placed Ralf. Nico was 2.0 seconds behind tenth placed Kubica. Fisichella was closing in onto fifth placed Trulli. But Michael had extended his lead over Alonso, now been 5.3 seconds after lap nine. Alonso was to run wide at Degner 2 costing him time. Trulli was now just 0.7 behind Alonso. Lap ten and Alonso was now 1.0
seconds behind Ralf but at the front Michael continued to lead from Massa.

Lap eleven and Alonso would set a personal best time, 1m:33.659, matching the Ferrari's in front. Ralf was costing Alonso time but Alonso could not find a way past the Toyota. Trulli would pit on lap thirteen. At the same time Alonso would pass Ralf going into Turn one. Alonso would set a new fastest first sector. Lap fourteen and both Massa and Ralf would pit. Trulli was now in ninth and Ralf would come out behind the Italian. Lap fourteen and Alonso would set a new fastest lap, 1m:32.676, to be just 4.6 seconds behind Michael. Fisichella
would pit from third.

Massa was down in sixth behind Heidfeld. Lap sixteen and Alonso would pit from second. Nico would pit from eleventh on the same lap. Alonso would come back out in front of Massa, with Heidfeld leading Massa. Lap seventeen and Button would pit from second. He would come back out in tenth. Alonso was now in second 28.3 seconds behind Michael, but the Ferrari had yet to make his first stop. Heidfeld was third followed by Massa, Raikkonen, Trulli, Ralf and Fisichella. Lap nineteen and Michael would pit from the lead. Heidfeld would also pit from fifth. Coulthard would pit from seventeenth.

Michael's lead was now 5.4 seconds over Alonso with Massa in third 3.0 seconds behind Alonso. Raikkonen was in fourth, but yet to pit. Could Alonso close the gap to Michael? Lap twenty one and Kubica would pit, joined by Mark. De la Rosa would also come in. Nico was running in thirteenth. Lap twenty one and Michael's lead was now 5.6 seconds over Alonso. Massa was dropping away from Alonso. Albers would suffer a right rear wheel failure that would see his rear wing taken off. He was able to continue to the pit lane. Lap twenty three and Raikkonen would pit from fifth.

Nico and Mark were running in eleventh and twelfth. Lap twenty five and Michael's lead was now 4.9 seconds. Massa was now 5.8 seconds behind Alonso. In fourth was Trulli followed by Ralf, Fisichella, Button, and Raikkonen. The next lap and Alonso had pulled in a few tenths to now be 4.5 seconds behind Michael. Nico and mark were running very much by themselves as Alonso continued to close in onto Michael. Lap twenty eight and it was 4.2 seconds. Both drivers were having to deal with traffic. Trulli would make his second stop on lap thirty, pitting from fourth. At the end of lap thirty and Michael's lead had grown to now be 5.5 seconds. Ralf would pit on lap thirty one. He would come ack out behind Trulli. Nico and Mark were still running in eleventh and twelfth.

At the front Michael appeared to be maintaining his lead over Alonso. Kubica would have an off at Degner one taking to the gravel but he would return to the track. Lap thirty four and Fisichella would pit from fourth. Nico would set his personal best time, 1m:34.802, but he was 3.6 seconds behind Kubica. Nico would pit on lap thirty five and both Alonso and Massa would pit the next lap. Michael would make his second stop the following lap. Alonso was in
second followed by Button and Massa. Raikkonen was in fifth. Heidfeld would pit from ninth. Button would make his second stop.

But the big news was Michael's retirement with a engine failure on lap thirty eight. Alonso was now in the lead by 8.7 seconds from Massa. Raikkonen was in third followed by Fisichella, Button, Trulli, Ralf, and Heidfeld. Mark would pit from tenth on lap thirty nine. Replays showed smoke coming from the rear of Michael's car and he pulled off to the side of the track. Despite his disappointment Michael would wave to the crowd as he walked back to the pits. Massa was now 10.1 seconds behind Alonso after lap forty.

Mark would end his race crashing into the wall at the start of the main straight. Mark would get out of the car and walk away. Kimi would pit on lap forty two. Mark would run wide and got onto the grass and into the wall. Raikkonen would come back out in front of the Toyota's. Lap forty two and Alonso was 10.2 seconds in front of Massa followed by Fisichella, Button, Raikkonen, Trulli, Ralf, and Heidfeld in eighth. As the laps counted won Alonso's lead over Massa would grow, 13.2 seconds on lap forty six. Michael would be seen thanking all his mechanics in the Ferrari garage. Lap fifty and the gaps between the top
eight would make it unlikely that there would be any place changes.

With three laps remaining Alonso's lead was out to 15.3 seconds over Massa. Nico was running in tenth in another disappointing race for the WilliamsF1 team. Alonso would start his last lap 15.7 seconds ahead of Massa. He would cross the line and take victory in the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. Even if Michael wins in Brazil all Alonso has to do now is score a single point to become the 2006 Drivers Champion. Fisichella's third would see Renault take a nine point lead in the Constructors championship. Button would finish in fourth from Raikkonen, Trulli, Ralf, and the last point going to Heidfeld.