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Monaco GP 2006 was a race that could be remembered for numerous things, but even today, the race is notorious for what Michael Schumacher, one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport, did in qualifying. Here's some context.
In 2006, Fernando Alonso was the reigning F1 champion and had been able to put together an impressive streak of wins. Michael Schumacher, who was in the last year of his career with Ferrari, was trying to mount a challenge against the dominant Renault. Ferrari had not been as consistent or as fast as Renault in the first few races of the 2006 season, with the Imola GP being the only exception.
F1, then, arrived in glamorous Monaco.
What happened in 2006 Monaco GP Qualifying?
Q1 & Q2 saw Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso continuously trading places with each other. Throughout these exchanges, there was one thing that was apparent: Renault and Alonso always seemed to have something in reserve whenever the German set a lap.
After the consistent swapping between the two, it was now time for Q3 and both Schumacher and Alonso were at it again. The Spaniard was the favorite to take pole position for the Monaco GP, as the Alonso-Renault combination just appeared to be far more efficient that year than the Ferrari-Schumacher combination.
In his first run in Q3, Michael Schumacher was somehow able to put together a lap that was quicker than the Renault driver's, but it all boiled down to the last lap of the session for both drivers. The cars got lighter and the times got faster. Both the German and the reigning champion went out on the track for their final runs, with the former being ahead on the track.
From the get-go, it was obvious that Michael Schumacher was struggling to put everything together on his final lap. While his Ferrari found it hard to improve on his last lap time, Fernando Alonso was facing no such trouble. The Spaniard was improving his time and looked destined to pick up pole position for the Monaco GP.
Ahead of him on the track, Schumacher was in the final sector of the lap and that was not going to be an improvement. As soon as he approached La Rascasse, he suffered the tiniest of lockups on his tires and stopped in the middle of the track.
With his car stuck in the middle of the track, yellow flags were out and Alonso, who looked destined for pole position, had his lap compromised.
As soon as this happened, everyone who saw the incident was enraged and called out the foul play from Michael Schumacher who had made a voluntary mistake to secure pole position.
The incident was reviewed and Michael Schumacher was found to be guilty and was disqualified from the session. He would then be forced to start the race from the pit lane.
What happened in the race?
While many only remember Michael Schumacher's qualifying shenanigans from that Monaco GP weekend, the German conducted a masterclass during the actual race.
He started the race from the pit lane and overtook one driver after the other, including great talents like Jenson Button and Nick Heidfeld, on his way to securing a P5 finish in the race.
While the 2006 Monaco GP is remembered for what Michael Schumacher did in qualifying, his drive during the race is certainly memorable as well. It is to this day, one of the best drives during a Monaco GP.
