Brazil: Toyota take a Point, Alonso is Champion

By Nick Sparkes
September 25 2005

Panasonic Toyota Racing failed to perform on Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Ralf Schumacher came home with a single point whilst Jarno Trulli got held up after a first corner accident, he would later finish 13th. But the most important news of the day was that Fernando Alonso is our new champion.

Like in Spa, the race got underway in drying conditions after some heavy rain and light spitting hours before. At the first corner Antonio Pizzonia and David Coulthard made contact, both drivers finishing their races in the barriers. Mark Webber was also involved collecting some light rear end damage. Jarno Trulli starting eighteenth on the grid was forced to take to the tarmac run off error, rejoining last the Italians race was made that even more difficult.

Juan Pablo Montoya made a brilliant move on Fernando Alonso soon after, with Montoya racing away to a victory he wouldn’t lose. Kimi Raikkonen would overtake Alonso in the pit stops, but this didn’t matter, as all Alonso had to do was finish on the podium.

Behind Michael Schumacher showed signs of an ever improving Ferrari, out pacing Jenson Button’s BAR Honda which was struggling for straight line speed. Ralf Schumacher was also struggling in his Toyota, neither TF105’s having the speed or pace around Brazils bumpy racetrack.

At the finish Montoya took a well deserved victory, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen giving the McLaren team their first one-two of the season. But the day belonged to Fernando Alonso, crossing the line third he became the youngest World Champion Formula One has ever seen. For Toyota, a lonely eight and a single point was all they had to cheer for as Jarno Trulli stopped on the final lap, yet still classified unlucky thirteenth.

Brazil will go down in history as witnessing the youngest Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso, surely the first of many, and everybody at TotallyToyotaF1 congratulates the young Spaniard on a well driven season.

 

1. MONTOYA       McLaren   1h29m20.574s

2. RAIKKONEN     McLaren   +2.5s

3. ALONSO        Renault   +24.8s

4. M.SCHUMACHER  Ferrari   +35.6s

5. FISICHELLA    Renault   +40.2s

6. BARRICHELLO   Ferrari   +1m09.1s

7. BUTTON        BAR       +1 lap

8. R.SCHUMACHER  Toyota    +1 lap

9. KLIEN         Red Bull  +1 lap

10. SATO          BAR      +1 lap

11. MASSA         Sauber   +1 lap

12. VILLENEUVE   Sauber    +1 lap

13. TRULLI        Toyota   +2 lap

14. ALBERS        Minardi  +2 lap

15. KARTHIKEYAN  Jordan    +3 laps

R. MONTEIRO     Jordan     +16 laps

R. WEBBER        Williams  +26 laps

R. DOORNBOS     Minardi    +37 laps

R. PIZZONIA      Williams  +71 laps

R. COULTHARD     Red Bull  +71 laps