Spanish Grand Prix 2005 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Kimi Raikkonen ended Fernando Alonso's winning streak with a dominant victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, leading from pole position to beat the championship leader at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Finnish driver's Barcelona triumph announced McLaren's arrival as a genuine threat to Renault's dominance and marked the beginning of a remarkable run of wins that would see Raikkonen emerge as the fastest driver of 2005, despite chronic reliability issues that would ultimately cost him any realistic championship shot.

Starting from pole with a blistering lap of 1:16.602, Raikkonen controlled the race from start to finish, managing his Michelin tires perfectly and demonstrating the raw speed that made him one of F1's most exciting talents. The McLaren MP4-20, designed by Adrian Newey, showed devastating pace when it held together, and Raikkonen exploited every ounce of performance from the silver car. His victory was never in doubt as he built a comfortable gap to Alonso's chasing Renault. Giancarlo Fisichella set the fastest lap, showing that Renault still had excellent pace, but on this day, Raikkonen and McLaren were simply too quick.

Alonso drove a mature race to secure second place, limiting the championship damage and demonstrating the consistency that would define his title campaign. His runner-up finish kept him comfortably ahead in the points standings despite the defeat. Jarno Trulli claimed his third consecutive podium for Toyota in third place, confirming the Japanese team's status as a solid midfield runner capable of challenging the top teams on their day. The race marked a shift in the championship battle - while Alonso remained the favorite with his points lead and Renault's overall consistency, Raikkonen's raw speed posed a genuine threat if McLaren could solve their reliability problems. The Finnish driver's victory sent a warning to Renault that they wouldn't have it all their own way in 2005.