When the favorite Kimi Räikkönen left the test in turn 9, everything towards supposition that the victory of Fernando Alonso was going to be simplest of the season, and therefore, the great more boring prize of the year, but nothing of this happened.
Edition 2005 of the Great Prize of San Marino, surely will be remembered like one of the disputed races more of the last times, with a epic fight hand by hand between the leader of the championship, Fernando Alonso, and the champion of the world Michael Schumacher.

Michael and Fernando celebrate in podio of Imola. Both delighted to the fans in the final returns of the Great Prize

“Happy on the one hand and I am moved after similar race, but on the other I am disappointed by to have committed an error this morning, when I restrained on a pocket with fuel full load and blocked a wheel. If it had not been for that reason, this one would have been a perfect day for us. But I finished in the second place and that was due to the impressive effort that all did, the engineers, the probadores of the equipment Luca Badoer and Marc Gené, and all that worked thoroughly from the last race. And a great one, the great gratefulness to Bridgestone, whose yield today is only the first step, and it still more has to come. Both Williams helped me to happen to Jenson, since they put earth in the track and Jenson slid a little. I could see that Fernando was not so fast, but never had one chance real to pass it. Basically, it had a good race and it did not commit errors. It is why he gained and I not”, commented the Schumacher champion.
Kimi Räikkönen took the commando from the race after a perfect starting, followed of Alonso and Button. Only Alonso was able to follow the rate to him Kimi, until its McLaren underwent transmission problems 9 turns just by completed, when already it accumulated more than 3 seconds of advantage on the Renault de Alonso.

Schumi never did a scaling before seen, discounting almost 30 seconds to him to Fernando Alonso. The F2005 is more and more competitive

On the other hand the Schumacher champion, took from 13º position of the grill and in the first sections of the test braking by its brother Ralf Schumacher was seen, who rolling in 11º position exerted of cork for the pilot of Ferrari.
The attention of the first returns concentrated in the squad whom it persecuted to Fernando Alonso, made up of Button, Trulli, Webber, Heidfeld and Wurz. In this squad also was the ex- champion of the world, Jacques Villeneuve, who in the year felt for the first time comfortable in his Sauber Petronas, staying to the expectation than their rivals did.
Meanwhile his coequiper Massa, that released from the bottom after to change its motor, he had serious problems to gain positions, especially with the Red Bull de David Coulthard that in several occasions closed the door to him.
The first resupplies began from return 17, with Rubens Barrichello being first in entering with their Ferrari.

Barrichello demanded its Ferrari, but as little it served to him. An electrical failure just by left without chances 18 returns it of race

While all the pilots paused, the “brains” of Ferrari ordered it Michael Schumacher to have left in track by a pair of turns more. This action of Ferrari was crucial for the later development of the race, since Michael, with free route, threaded a series of fast returns that have been worth to him to reclaim great part of the lost land and to return to the track after that first shutdown in boxes in 3º position, only behind the Alonso leader and of the BAR Honda of Jenson Button. In synthesis the German gained 8 positions in as soon as a pair of turns.
From this resupply, the masterpiece of the champion of the world began. The German reduced the 20 seconds separated that it of Jenson Button in little amount of returns. The rate of the pilot of Ferrari was of almost 2 second quicker than the one of Alonso, and around 3 on the English of BAR.
Schumacher did not have inconvenient majors to surpass to Button. In the entrance to the baffle plate, the German sent itself to the amble, when the BAR pilot was entangled in a dispute between the pilots of Williams, both with a turn less than the leader.

He completes return and last curve in the track of Imola. Alonso breathes after to contain to Schumacher during 12 demanding returns

After exceeding to Button, Michael it remained a pair of turns in track to more try to trim the difference, still important, that it conserved Alonso. Later the champion made his last and effective resupply.
Schumacher was reincorporated to the right track behind Alonso, and with many options to snatch the triumph to him to the Spanish, who followed a rate rather slower than the one of the German with still 12 returns ahead.
But Alonso did not do the easy life to him to the champion of the world. It attacked it to Schumacher in a pair of occasions, but it could not fold the Spanish of Renault. Although the Ferrari of the champion restrained much more inside of the curves, the French car traccionaba and accelerated just as the Ferrari, preventing that the champion of the world risked in some breaking.
The last returns were exciting. Schumacher did not take off nor a centimeter to him of Alonso. Finally the Spanish crossed the goal hardly 2 tenth over the Ferrari car.

Fisichella confused and it did not add points by third consecutive time. The good image offered in Melbourne this disappearing…

“I believe that this one has been my better victory until now in Formula 1 because she has been very different from the previous ones: I have not had an advantage that to more conservative in race allowed me to be something, and knew that Michael came behind reducing distances, so I have had to force at any moment to the maximum. In the end, everything has worked perfectly and although the things been very have fought in the last returns, was convinced to 99% that it would not be able to advance me in a circuit like Imola”, expressed a exultante Fernando Alonso.
Although the attention of the race concentrated in the dispute by the victory, it is not necessary to forget some excellent activities other pilots, like the one of Jenson Button, whom podio reached its first, and therefore his first points of the year.
After a dissapointing starting, the equipment BAR seems to have found the way in the previous tests to the race, besides counting on a much more reliable Honda motor. Sato also added points after to cross the goal 5º.

The BAR mechanics salute to their pilot after obtaining first podio of the year. BAR recovered of a disastrous beginning of season

“He is fantastic to return to podio after a so huge weekend for the equipment. It seems that we have reclaimed the good form. Last the three races have been complicated for all in BAR Honda and is wonderful to have surpassed that stage in today. The race has been extraordinary and exists a wonderful sensation by the power that we have demonstrated in first stage. We lost force towards the end, when I did not roll well in the ascent to Aqua Minerale and Michael was able to put side when entering the High Variant. To fight with him could have removed to me from the race, reason why I decided to go to the safe thing and to strengthen our position in podio and ours first points of the season”, thought Jenson Button.
Also he has been excellent the activities of Alex Wurz, and the ex- champion of the world Jacques Villeneuve. The Austrian in his return to it tracks like reemplazante of Montoya, did not go off key, maintaining the rate of the leaders and adding his first points from Italy 2000.

Villeneuve like at its better times. With a car inferior to the one of his rivals, Jacques presented/displayed battle and culminated 6º. Well fact!

The pilotage of the Canadian Villeneuve has been superlative. The Sauber of the Canadian responded as it were expected, and Jacques advanced until 6º put final, maintaining a great duel with the Australian Mark Webber. For the ex- Villeneuve champion, this it is the best result from his return to the tracks with Renault, in 2004.
“We did not know that there would be so many improvements in the car when we began this weekend, and that really he helped us. I enjoyed much my race. I had a good fight with Webber and could advance it when one went away wide and it tried to return. If there were been 10 cm. advanced more would have taken the risk with Wurz in that same maneuver, but it was the principle of the race and we could get to touch to us. I did a great one released and my shutdowns in boxes could not have been better, so in my name I am thankful to him behind schedule to the equipment by its efforts this”, ended up saying Jacques.
Toyota and Williams, great equipment protagonists in Bahrein, were not around the circumstances, but at least, in the case of Toyota, a pair of points with 7º put of Trulli took.

If between companions they are fought… The Williams did not work in race, and the fight between both the delay still more…

In the case of Williams, both cars lost remarkable rate in race until falling of the filing cabinet. The rispido duel did not help either that maintained both teammates in the last section of the competition.
Jordan returned to see the flag pictures with both cars, with Narain Karthikeyan once again in front of Tiago Monteiro, whereas neither the Minardi de Patrick Friesacher nor the one of Christijan Albers was able to arrive at the picture flag with new car PS05.
With his 3º consecutive victory, Fernando Alonso now leads the contest with on 36 units, and a considerable advantage of 18 points on its follower Jarno Trulli, and with 26 Fisichella and Michael Schumacher, something as well as 3 races of advantage.
Meanwhile escudería French Renault follows unconquered, with 4 victories of 4 disputed races. But the Gallic equipment cannot take any breathing, the red shade is made visible more and more in the rear-view mirrors of the French cars.

*Anexo 23/04/05: The pilot of the equipment Panasonic Toyota Racing, the German Ralf Schumacher, has been penalized with a surcharge of 25 seconds reason why place of the Great Prize of San Marino is lost 8º. The Director of Race penalized to Ralf by an incident happened with the Williams de Nick Heidfeld after his second shutdown in boxes and in which he determined that Ralf committed a dangerous maneuver.

*Anexo 05/05/05: The equipment BAR Honda (Jenson Button and Takuma Sato) has been excluded from the GP of San Marino, to present/display technical irregularities in both single-seaters.