Welcome back to the latest post in Omakase Formula’s series on previous F1 races. Although reading my previous posts in this series isn’t required in order to understand what I’ll be talking about in this post, I still recommend you give them a read!
This week’s race? The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix.
Context:
Like its Australian and Chinese counterparts, the Japanese Grand Prix also started life as one of the season-ending races. It’s spot on the calendar—towards the end, but not the season finale—meant the grand prix often served as the de facto climax of the season. In fact, 13 world champions have been crowned at the Japanese Grand Prix.
That number won’t rise anytime soon, as F1’s regionalization efforts—which reduce logistical burdens on teams and help lessen the sport’s carbon footprint—mean Japan has been moved up to the front of the calendar. But even without any significant championship implications, the Japanese Grand Prix is guaranteed to maintain its position as a driver and fan favorite. Much of that has to do with one factor: the Suzuka Circuit (pictured below).
Suzuka’s unique “figure-eight” layout, featuring a variety of corner types and significant elevation changes, makes it one of the ultimate tests of a driver’s skill on the F1 calendar. Unlike with some other tracks, mistakes at Suzuka never go unpunished: if you fail to nail the “S” curves at the start of a lap, you’ll carry that extra time with you the rest of the way.
The combination of the track’s brilliance lending itself to high-quality racing and the historical significance of the race means that a Japanese Grand Prix almost always delivers. But while I could choose from one of the many instances where Suzuka has decided a championship, there was never a doubt in my mind that the first Japanese Grand Prix I’d revisit in this series would be the 2005 race: one that—ironically, had no impact on the Drivers’ Championship.
McLaren were largely viewed as having the best car in 2005. Yet horrendous reliability meant that it was Fernando Alonso (Renault) who secured the Drivers’ Championship at the previous grand prix in Brazil. However, the fight for the Constructors’ Championship was still on, with McLaren leading Renault by two points heading into Suzuka.
The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix ended up being so special in part because of how qualifying used to be set up. From 2003-2005, F1 used variations of a single-lap qualifying format. This meant that drivers only had one opportunity on race-level fuel to set a qualifying time. Modifications to the system during this period meant that in Suzuka that year, the order in which the drivers set out to do their flying lap was determined by reversing the results of the previous grand prix. This meant that the driver who finished last at the previous race would go out first for qualifying, while the previous race’s winner would set a time last. The format was seen as benefitting the best teams: since drivers on top teams tend to finish in the top positions during races, they were almost guaranteed a later spot in qualifying, when track conditions normally improved as more rubber was laid down on the track by previous drivers. Teams that went later also had the benefit of observing other cars to gauge track conditions before their own drivers had to set their lap.
The only thing that could disrupt the status quo was weather. And that’s exactly what happened in 2005. Heavy rain meant track conditions deteriorated as qualifying progressed, resulting in Ralf Schumacher (younger brother of seven-time world champion Michael) taking pole position for Toyota. Jenson Button—who would go on to be world champion in 2009—was second for BAR, while Alonso’s teammate Giancarlo Fisichella was third. Michael Schumacher, who was having a down year and had just relinquished his grasp on the Drivers’ Championship to Alonso, started 14th for Ferrari. Alonso himself started 16th, while Kimi Räikkönen—the 2005 championship runner-up and eventual champion in 2007—started 17th for McLaren. The “script,” then, looked completely flipped on its head heading into Sunday’s race.
Race:
Ralf Schumacher led from the start until he pitted on Lap 12, handing the lead over to Fisichella. The combination of Fisichella leading the race and Alonso having a great start meant that it looked like Renault were on their way to taking a commanding lead in the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren, meanwhile, saw their hopes of maintaining their slim lead in the team championship blow up early on, as Räikkönen’s teammate Juan Pablo Montoya was forced to retire after crashing out on Lap 18 when he was squeezed onto the gravel at the Casio Triangle chicane by 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve (Sauber). Räikkönen had moved up to 12th by that point, but he was out of the points and, crucially, behind both Renaults.
On Lap 19, Alonso pulled off one of F1’s most legendary overtakes, as he swept by Michael Schumacher on the outside at the notorious 130R (Turn 15 in the circuit diagram above)—one of the fastest corners on the F1 calendar:
Despite Alonso’s the incredible start and the gutsy maneuver at 130R, the race was still very much in the hands of his teammate. As he headed into the pits on Lap 38, Fisichella was over 19 seconds clear of the rest of the field. Alonso had already taken his final pit stop, but was about 44 seconds seconds behind in 8th place. Räikkönen, Fisichella’s nearest rival for the race victory, was around 20 seconds back in 4th place, but he was stuck behind the slower cars of Button and Mark Webber (Williams) and still needed to pit again.
That’s when Räikkönen began his legendary charge.
Räikkönen put together a series of laps that saw him go two seconds faster per lap than Fisichella. Although Räikkönen’s final pit stop on Lap 45 handed the lead back to Fisichella, the gap was now just 10.7 seconds with eight laps to go. Räikkönen was able to keep his pace advantage after the pit stop, and with just three laps to go, he found himself within striking distance. On the penultimate lap, Fisichella—in a move of sheer desperation—made a preemptive move to cover Räikkönen at the Casio Triangle. It was a mistake, as it gave Räikkönen the racing line and allowed him to close right up to Fisichella as both cars made their way down the main straight to start the final lap.
Despite his previous defensive maneuver failing, Fisichella once again moved to cover the inside at Turn 1. And that’s when Räikkönen struck: he passed Fisichella on the outside for the race lead and hung on to win by 1.633 seconds:
It was a stunning victory for the history books: Räikkönen’s win from 17th place was tied for the third-lowest starting position for an F1 race winner. It would be another 19 years before another driver would win from that low on the grid.
As Räikkönen himself might say: “Bwoah!”
Aftermath:
Räikkönen’s victory ultimately didn’t matter for the Constructors’ Championship. Renault’s P2-P3 finish meant they overtook McLaren by two points in the team standings, and they held on to the lead in the following week’s season finale in China to win the championship.
But the Constructors’ Championship hardly mattered on that day. Räikkönen’s improbable victory was the only thing anyone could talk about after the race, and 20 years on it continues to be rightfully revered as one of the all-time great race victories. In an era where it sometimes feels like Räikkönen is remembered more for his hilarious, blunt honesty, the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix offers a perfect distillation of just how good he was as a driver. Räikkönen’s career would go on to reach greater heights, but there’s no question it was at Suzuka in 2005 where he painted his masterpiece.
I do, however, want to end this post by quickly circling back to my point about Räikkönen being hilariously blunt in interviews. He deserves to be forever remembered as being both one of F1’s great drivers and one of the sport’s greatest personalities: