F1 Legend Sim/Seasons/2006

2006 F1 Season

18 races · Renault R26

The 2006 season delivered Michael Schumacher's last great duel before his first retirement, a thrilling head-to-head with Fernando Alonso that ran to the end of the year. Both won exactly seven races in a fight of the very highest level.

The Kaiser, with an ever-improving Ferrari, produced a memorable comeback in the second half of the season and drew level in the battle. The turning point was Japan: while leading the race, with the championship seemingly tilting his way, his engine (bulletproof for years) expired unexpectedly.

Alonso seized the gift and sealed his second consecutive world title in Brazil, confirming himself as the great heir. Soon after, Schumacher retired for the first time, closing an unrepeatable chapter of the sport.

Drivers' Champion

Fernando Alonso

Renault R26

Constructors' Champion

Renault

18 races

See the 2006 simulation Ver en español

Key moment

"Schumacher's engine explodes in Japan, the turning point that cost him an eighth title."

The 2006 grid, car by car

The 11 teams that raced in 2006, ordered by how good we rate the car. It is our own judgement, not an official figure: what it is worth is that the same yardstick is applied to every season since 1988, so you can compare eras.

#TeamOur ratingDrivers
1Ferrari
97
Michael Schumacher · Felipe Massa
2Renault
96
Fernando Alonso · Giancarlo Fisichella
3McLaren
91
Kimi Räikkönen · Juan Pablo Montoya
4Honda
86
Jenson Button · Rubens Barrichello
5Toyota
83
Jarno Trulli · Ralf Schumacher
6Williams
83
Mark Webber · Nico Rosberg
7BMW Sauber
82
Jacques Villeneuve · Nick Heidfeld
8Red Bull
81
David Coulthard · Christian Klien
9Toro Rosso
75
Vitantonio Liuzzi · Scott Speed
10Super Aguri
70
Takuma Sato · Sakon Yamamoto
11Midland
69
Tiago Monteiro · Christijan Albers

How 2006 actually ended

The official final standings, from Bahrain Grand Prix to Brazilian Grand Prix. This is the real result, not the simulation above.

DriverPointsWinsPodiumsPoles
1Fernando AlonsoRenault1347146
2Michael SchumacherFerrari1217124
3Felipe MassaFerrari80273
4Giancarlo FisichellaRenault72151
5Kimi RäikkönenMcLaren65063
6Jenson ButtonHonda56131
7Rubens BarrichelloHonda30000
8Juan Pablo MontoyaMcLaren26020

It came down to 13 points: Alonso and Schumacher finished closer than a fourth place is worth. 5 different drivers won that year, and the final Grand Prix went to Felipe Massa.

Official FIA standings via Jolpica (formerly Ergast).

What if 2006 had been raced 100 times?

We took the real 2006 grid (every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating) and re-ran the full 17-race championship 100 times.

DriverAvg. finishTitles
Michael SchumacherFerrariP1.552%
Fernando Alonsoreal championRenaultP1.547%
Felipe MassaFerrariP31%
Giancarlo FisichellaRenaultP4.30%
Kimi RäikkönenMcLarenP4.60%
Jenson ButtonHondaP6.50%

The engine disagrees with history: its favourite was Michael Schumacher (52%), and Fernando Alonso only wins 47% of the time. That title was won with something a table cannot hold.

Tags

#alonso#schumacher#renault#ferrari#2006#R26

Year

2006

Races

18

Winning car

Renault R26

Navigation

← 2005: Fernando Alonso2007: Kimi Räikkönen →

What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 2006 championship-winning car?

Build your own hypothesis

Hypotheses from 2006

Schumacher vs Alonso 2006: the Kaiser's last dance

Duel

▶ Simulate now

Drivers of 2006

Fernando Alonso

★ 2

Michael Schumacher

★ 7

Keep reading

What we have measured about 2006 and about what decided it, with our own numbers.

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