If you wanted a race that encapsulated the 2005 Formula One championship, then in many ways the Italian Grand Prix was it. Kimi Raikkonen's bad luck, which had been such a feature of the season, reared its ugly head yet again at Monza, as his team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya gave McLaren some consolation with the teams first Italian Grand Prix victory since David Coulthard took the chequered flag in 1997.
Raikkonen's bad luck story began when he was forced to change his fragile Mercedes engine prior to qualifying, meaning another engine penalty that would push the Finn back 10 places on the grid for the third time in the season, following similar angst in France and Britain.
However despite this, Raikkonen put in surely one of his best every qualifying laps by claiming pole, nearly two tenths clear of team-mate Montoya despite carrying five laps more fuel onboard - an impressive effort. The McLaren may have been the fastest thing out there, but nevertheless his qualifying effort was epic.
Trying desperately to reduce Alonso's 24 point championship lead further, Raikkonen was well in the points and on for a podium if not a shout at 2nd place when his left rear Michelin tyre began to delaminate. A big chunk of rubber flew off the tyre and Raikkonen, who had already made his one and only pit stop, was forced to come in again pushing him well out of the points.
Despite all this, and a spin in the closing stages, Raikkonen managed to finish 4th, just off the podium places. But even with all this drama going on behind him, Fernando Alonso - who battled briefly with Raikkonen as the drivers strategies unfolded - as ever maintained his consistency to finish 2nd behind race winner Montoya, who himself suffered tyre delamination dramas in the closing laps.
Giancarlo Fisichella finally got back onto the podium finishing 3rd, a full 14 races after his last visit onto the podium, which was onto the top step in Melbourne at the beginning of the year. The Toyotas of Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher held up well in 5th and 6th, while Antonio Pizzonia, in for the apparently 'injured' Nick Heidfeld, worked his way up the field to an impressive 7th for Williams, having started 16th on the grid.
Behind him in 8th was Jenson Button, whose qualifying pace did not hold up. A second row grid slot only produced one point, but at least he was ahead of the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello who gave the tifosi little joy, a rare pointless Italian grand prix for the might of Ferrari in an increasingly desperate 2005 campaign.
Alonso's championship lead was back up to 27 points with just four more races to go. The championship was looking like a question of when and not if for the young Spaniard.
One final point, the director for this Grand Prix was at times embarassingly awful. For example we were frustratingly forced to watch Montoya onboard while Raikkonen struggled to make it back to the pits as his tyre delaminated. Lets hope this years director can distinguish between the two McLarens!
