Fernando Alonso became Formula One's youngest world champion in 2005, ending five consecutive years of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dominance.
Key Facts
- Season number
- 59th FIA Formula One season
- Grands Prix contested
- 19 (then a record)
- Drivers' Champion
- Fernando Alonso (Renault)
- Constructors' Champion
- Renault (first title as constructor)
- Races won by Alonso
- 7
- Season span
- 6 March – 16 October 2005
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
A tyre-change ban introduced for 2005 disadvantaged Bridgestone-shod Ferrari, while Michelin-supplied teams gained a competitive edge. McLaren resurged with Kimi Räikkönen driving at a high level, and Renault entered the season with a fast, reliable package built around Fernando Alonso, ending Ferrari's run of five consecutive title doubles from 2000.
The 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship ran across a record 19 Grands Prix from March to October. Alonso won seven races and clinched the Drivers' title in Brazil with two rounds remaining. Renault simultaneously secured the Constructors' Championship, their first. Räikkönen also won seven races for McLaren but suffered costly reliability failures. The season's most unusual race occurred at Indianapolis, where only six Bridgestone-shod cars started after Michelin declared their tyres unsafe.
Alonso became the youngest world champion in Formula One history at the time, a record he held until Lewis Hamilton's 2008 title. Renault secured their first Constructors' Championship. The season also marked the end of an era for several teams: Minardi, BAR, and Jordan were taken over and rebranded for 2006, while the former Jaguar team completed its first full season as Red Bull Racing.