The Japanese Grand Prix of 2005 remains legendary 20 seasons later
This weekend the Formula 1 grid returns to Suzuka International Racing Course, the site of the Japanese Grand Prix. Suzuka holds a dear place in the hearts and minds of many within F1, from fans to the drivers themselves.
The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix may be a big part of that story. Why? In part because four legends of the sport — Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, and Juan Pablo Montoya — started at the back of the field. However, when the checkered flag flew two of those legends were on the podium with another in the points, and one of those three had taken the victory.
But there is even more to this tale.
20 seasons later, it is worth revisiting that glorious Suzuka afternoon.
The Japanese Grand Prix was the penultimate race of the 2005 F1 season, and the circuit arrived in Suzuka with one of the two title races already decided. With his third-place finish at the previous race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, Alonso had secured the Drivers’ Championship ahead of the three legends already mentioned.
But the fight for the Constructors’ Championship was still on and McLaren — with Räikkönen and Montoya — arrived in Suzuka with a slim two-point lead over Renault, with Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella behind the wheels.
It was Schumacher who topped the timing sheets in the third practice session, more than two seconds ahead of Räikkönen, but in the fourth and final practice session, Fisichella led the way. The big story, however, was the weather, which played a massive role as practice gave way to qualifying. The weather that day was largely a washout, shaking up the entire field.
When the session drew to a close a Schumacher was indeed on pole, only it was Raif Schumacher who put his Toyota into P1, with Jenson Button alongside him.
Those four legends? They were at the back of the grid. Michael Schumacher qualified in P14, Alonso in P16, and Räikkönen was down in P17. Montoya was one of three drivers who did not even set a time in qualifying due to the conditions, and he started the race in P18.
While qualifying was a washout, race day in 2005 was a cloudy and dry afternoon with temperatures getting into the upper 70s (Fahrenheit).
When the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix finally began, Alonso and Räikkönen got off to incredible starts, with Alonso rocketing up into P7 by the time the first lap came to a close, while Räikkönen was running up in P12.
Sadly for Montoya, he was knocked out of the race due to an incident on the opening lap with Jacques Villeneuve, which not only ended his afternoon but put a huge dent into McLaren’s title hopes.
As the race unfolded the three remaining legends, Räikkönen, Alonso, and Schumacher, continued their respective charges through the field. Lap 19 saw one of the most daring overtakes in the history of F1 as Alonso, chasing down Schumacher in front of him, kept his foot on the throttle as the two rocketed through the left-handed turn at 130R, passing Schumacher on the outside.
You can see that overtake from Alonso’s vantage point here:
Alonso’s speed at the apex of that corner? 208 miles per hour.
The battle between Alonso and Schumacher continued until Lap 32, when Alonso made another move on the outside of the Ferrari driver, easing past him and into P5.
Ultimately, while Alonso would find himself fighting for — and winning — a fight with Mark Webber for the final spot on the podium the fight at the front was between Räikkönen and Alonso’s teammate, Fisichella. Räikkönen’s charge through the field had him in the lead by Lap 38, but when he pulled into the pits for his final pit stop with eight laps remaining, he resumed the race behind Fisichella, with a gap of several seconds to make up on the track.
But within a few laps, Räikkönen was all over the rear wing of Fisichella’s Renault, and was right behind him as the final lap began. As the two drivers rocketed through the start/finish line Räikkönen shaped his move, surging past the Renault driver on the outside into the first turn, ultimately making the overtake stick.
He finished two seconds ahead of Fisichella, despite starting down in P17.
While Räikkönen won the race, the double podium from Fisichella and Alonso saw Renault surge into the lead in the Constructors’ Championship chase. Renault led by two points heading into the final race weekend, and Alonso’s win at the season-ending Chinese Grand Prix ahead of Räikkönen — with Fisichella finishing in fourth and Montoya again finishing out of the points for McLaren — was enough to see Renault through to the title.
The victory in Suzuka marked Räikkönen’s last win until the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, his final win for McLaren, and McLaren’s last win until the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix.
His victory was also the last time that a driver would win from 17th on the grid or lower until late last season. At the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix Max Verstappen won in rainy conditions despite starting down in P17 after qualifying 12th and taking a five-place grid penalty when Red Bull installed the sixth Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) of the season on his RB20.
Ahead of Räikkönen’s final race, the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, F1 shared this long highlight video of his charge through the field that afternoon in Japan.
Ultimately, however, the race might be best known for Alonso’s daring overtake of Schumacher at 130R. Speaking about that move a few weeks after the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix with legendary F1 journalist Nigel Roebuck, Alonso had this to say:
“At times like that, I always remember that Michael has two kids.”
Suzuka holds a special place in the hearts of drivers and fans alike. Button, who started that afternoon in P2 and finished in P5, told me last year about how much he loves that circuit.
“It’s the fastest-flowing, best circuit in the world. For me.
“There’s no room for error. It’s a narrow track, most corners have grass and then gravel. There’s none of this tarmac runoff area, which I like. I’ve raced in Suzuka in F1 for many years. I raced in Super GT in Suzuka. It doesn’t matter what you drive around there,” added Button.
“There aren’t so many overtaking opportunities around Suzuka, but when it happens, it’s awesome.”
With what Alonso and Räikkönen did on that afternoon in Suzuka 20 seasons ago, it is no wonder the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix has become the stuff of F1 legend.
The stage is set for more legends to begin this weekend at Suzuka.
