2006

It was the year of the introduction of V8 engines with a capacity of 2.4 litres and the comeback of the possibility to change the tyres during the race. Ferrari made up for a weak 2005 season and again turned into one of the main protagonists, fighting against Renault for the World Title. It was a season with lots of polemics: Schumacher’s stop at the Rascasse corner in Monte Carlo during the qualifying, so his competitors couldn’t improve their lap times, or the discussion about the mass damper used by Renault and later on banned by the Federation. The seven victories by Schumacher and the three by new-entry Felipe Massa weren’t enough to stop Alonso and the Enstone team to gain their encore in the Championship. At the end of the season, with his retirement announced after the win in Monza, the Schumacher era in Maranello came to an end: in 180 GPs with Ferrari the German driver had won 72 races, gained 58 pole positions, drove 53 fastest race laps and won 5 Drivers’ and 6 Constructors’ Titles.