Fernando Alonso became Formula One's youngest champion at 24, winning seven Grands Prix for Renault and scoring 133 points in a 19-race season. The Renault R25, with its tidy Bob Bell aerodynamic package and super-efficient Michelin tyres under a new rule package (one set of dry tyres per race, no changes except for punctures), ended a five-year Ferrari-Schumacher hegemony.

Imola, the Twelve-Lap Defence

The defining duel came at the San Marino Grand Prix, round four, where Alonso held off a charging Michael Schumacher on fresher race strategy for twelve laps, the Ferrari hovering within a second of the Renault's gearbox but unable to find a way past. Alonso won by 0.215 seconds — a result many consider the emotional turning point of the title fight. The "no tyre changes" rule meant late-stint drivers suffered, and Alonso's ability to manage his Michelins under attack was the key.

Kimi's Wasted Year

Kimi Räikkönen's McLaren-Mercedes MP4-20 was the fastest car in qualifying trim, the Finn taking 10 poles and matching Alonso's 7 wins (Alonso took 6 poles). But engine blow-ups, suspension failures and transmission issues cost him 5 probable victories. He finished 21 points behind. McLaren ended 9 points short of Renault in constructors (182 vs 191).

The Indianapolis Farce and Ferrari's Crisis

At the US Grand Prix, a Michelin tyre sidewall failure during Friday practice led all 14 Michelin-shod cars to form on the grid, complete the formation lap, and pull straight into the pits. Only the six Bridgestone runners raced, with Schumacher winning a joke Grand Prix at 1-2-3-4-5-6 intervals to Rubens, then Tiago Monteiro's Jordan completing the podium. It remains Formula One's most embarrassing weekend.

End of the V10s

2005 was the last V10 season. For 2006 the regulations forced 2.4-litre V8s, a simpler and lower-rev era. Alonso's title ended Schumacher's five-year Ferrari reign and launched Renault's two-year championship run. The R25 was a complete package; rule changes had finally caught up with the F2004 legacy.

Race Calendar

Rnd	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date	Winner
01	Australian GP Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit	Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit	6 Mar 2005	FisichellaRenault
02	Malaysian GP Sepang International Circuit	Sepang International Circuit	20 Mar 2005	AlonsoRenault
03	Bahrain GP Bahrain International Circuit	Bahrain International Circuit	3 Apr 2005	AlonsoRenault
04	San Marino GP Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari	Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari	24 Apr 2005	AlonsoRenault
05	Spanish GP Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya	8 May 2005	RäikkönenMcLaren
06	Monaco GP Circuit de Monaco	Circuit de Monaco	22 May 2005	RäikkönenMcLaren
07	European GP Nürburgring	Nürburgring	29 May 2005	AlonsoRenault
08	Canadian GP Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	12 Jun 2005	RäikkönenMcLaren
09	United States GP Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	19 Jun 2005	SchumacherFerrari
10	French GP Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	3 Jul 2005	AlonsoRenault
11	British GP Silverstone Circuit	Silverstone Circuit	10 Jul 2005	MontoyaMcLaren
12	German GP Hockenheimring	Hockenheimring	24 Jul 2005	AlonsoRenault
13	Hungarian GP Hungaroring	Hungaroring	31 Jul 2005	RäikkönenMcLaren
14	Turkish GP Istanbul Park	Istanbul Park	21 Aug 2005	RäikkönenMcLaren
15	Italian GP Autodromo Nazionale di Monza	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza	4 Sept 2005	MontoyaMcLaren
16	Belgian GP Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	11 Sept 2005	RäikkönenMcLaren
17	Brazilian GP Autódromo José Carlos Pace	Autódromo José Carlos Pace	25 Sept 2005	MontoyaMcLaren
18	Japanese GP Suzuka Circuit	Suzuka Circuit	9 Oct 2005	RäikkönenMcLaren
19	Chinese GP Shanghai International Circuit	Shanghai International Circuit	16 Oct 2005	AlonsoRenault

P	Driver	Pts	W
	Fernando Alonso	133	7
2	Kimi Räikkönen	112	7
3	Michael Schumacher	62	1
4	Juan Pablo Montoya	60	3
5	Giancarlo Fisichella	58	1
6	Ralf Schumacher	45	0
7	Jarno Trulli	43	0
8	Rubens Barrichello	38	0
9	Jenson Button	37	0
10	Mark Webber	36	0
11	Nick Heidfeld	28	0
12	David Coulthard	24	0
13	Felipe Massa	11	0
14	Jacques Villeneuve	9	0
15	Christian Klien	9	0
16	Tiago Monteiro	7	0
17	Alexander Wurz	6	0
18	Narain Karthikeyan	5	0
19	Christijan Albers	4	0
20	Pedro de la Rosa	4	0

Data via Jolpica/Ergast · Telemetry not available