Neither
Renault was a podium prospect, with Fisichella and Alonso running most of the afternoon in fifth and sixth, although the Spaniard threatened to drop out of the top eight altogether at one point. Once the final round of pit-stops had shaken out, however, the world champion emerged ahead of his team-mate - a shrewd tactical move if, indeed, that was the case - but almost threw it away with a wild grassy moment entering the stadium section that threatened to allow not only Fisichella, but also the closely-following
Jarno Trulli through.
The Toyota driver had made great gains after his enforced back row start, reprising his USGP run but having to settle for seventh as Alonso grasstracked his way back onto the tarmac and team-mate Fisichella played the perfect rear-gunner role to keep his fellow countryman at bay. Webber's untimely exit, meanwhile, allowed the under-fire Christian Klien to inherit the final points spot, having seen off
Ralf Schumacher,
Red Bull team-mate Coulthard and
STR's Tonio Liuzzi along the way.
Such was the gap between second and third,
Ferrari was able to relax its pace in the closing stages, allowing Schumacher Jr to unlap himself and become the last runner on the same lap as his brother, who cruised imperiously towards a fourth German GP victory. Behind the
Toyota, Liuzzi put Red Bull loyalties behind him as he slammed past a slowing Coulthard into the Mercedes complex for tenth, while STR team-mate
Scott Speed claimed sandwiched the veteran in twelfth, despite a bumpy entrance to the stadium section on lap 45.
That off, to add to his qualifying shunt on Saturday, appeared to have set Speed behind Christijan Albers, but the Midland team didn't have the pace to keep the V10-powered STRs at bay, leaving Albers to head team-mate Monteiro home in 13th and 14th as the final classified finishers.
