Fourth went to Fisichella, while the decision to run a one-stop strategy allowed Massa to take fifth as the final runner to end the race on the lead lap. Trulli was sixth – securing his first points of the season in the process – while Heidfeld took seventh for
BMW Sauber after a solid display.
The battle for the final point was one that would go down to the wire – and would be a real ‘Battle of Britain’ between
Jenson Button and
David Coulthard. Button had inherited the place when Villeneuve retired but the resulting safety car meant he had both Coulthard and
Scott Speed in the Toro Rosso not far behind.
Button did what he could, but Coulthard was able to get a better run out of the chicane on the penultimate lap to make the pass and take the final point – capping a fine drive from the Red Bull man after an engine change on race day had demoted him to the back of the grid.
It meant
Honda again missed out on the points after
Rubens Barrichello retired early on, with Button ninth and Speed rounding out the top ten.
Christian Klien was eleventh in the second
Red Bull, while
Mark Webber never featured in the fight for points as he trailed in twelfth. Tonio Liuzzi was 13th after an altercation with Webber saw him forced to pit for a new nose, with Monteiro 14th after his altercation with team-mate Albers on the opening lap.
Sato was the final driver classified in 16th place, despite the fact he went into the wall on the final racing lap, while fighting to try and stay ahead of Monteiro.
