Pre-race: Light rain begins to fall about 45 minutes before the start. Shortly before the pit lane opens, the FIA declares a change in climatic conditions. Most drivers complete their installation laps on intermediate tyres. Gianmaria Bruni is still in his garage when the pit exit closes. Fernando Alonso (8th), David Coulthard (12th) and Jacques Villeneuve (13th) are the only drivers to start on dry tyres.
*Lap 1: Local hero Rubens Barrichello leads away from pole position but Kimi Räikkönen passes him at Turn 3. Felipe Massa lies third initially but Jenson Button overhauls him before the end of the lap. Juan Pablo Montoya, Takuma Sato, Ralf Schumacher, Jarno Trulli, Christian Klien, Michael Schumacher (up from 18th after his 10-position grid penalty), Ricardo Zonta, Nick Heidfeld, Mark Webber, Timo Glock, Alonso, Villeneuve, Coulthard, Giancarlo Fisichella, Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner – who pitted at the end of the formation lap – complete the order.
*Lap 2: Villeneuve runs wide at Turn One but rejoins. Montoya passes Massa, who in turn passes Button.
*Lap 3: Michael Schumacher spins at Turn 2 and drops to 13th. Button slips down the order to ninth.
*Lap 4: Barrichello repasses Räikkönen for the lead at Turn 1. Button stops amid a trail of engine smoke. Ralf Schumacher pits for dry tyres. The dry-shod Alonso – running 15th – sets the fastest lap so far.
*Lap 5: Barrichello and Massa press on in first and second as Räikkönen, Montoya, Sato, Trulli and Michael Schumacher come in for dries. Räikkönen and Montoya exit the pits almost side by side, but the Finn stays ahead… until Turn 4, where his future team-mate slices ahead.
*Lap 6: Barrichello pits and Massa leads. Klien and Webber come in together, to give Jaguar a double dose of work. Zonta pits.
*Lap 7: Massa is the last of the wet-shod front-runners to stop. All the pit activity promotes Alonso into the lead from Montoya, Räikkönen, Heidfeld (yet to come in), Ralf Schumacher, Fisichella (yet to stop), Sato, Barrichello, Villeneuve, Trulli, Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, Zonta, Klien, Bruni, Webber, Glock, Baumgartner and Bruni.
*Lap 8: Heidfeld and Fisichella stop.
*Lap 9: The order finally settles down, with Alonso leading Montoya, Räikkönen, Ralf Schumacher, Sato, Barrichello, Villeneuve, Massa, Coulthard and Michael Schumacher.
*Lap 10: Coulthard and Michael Schumacher pass Massa.
*Lap 14: Michael Schumacher moves up another place as Coulthard makes a scheduled stop.
*Lap 16: Heidfeld goes off the track and retires.
*Lap 18: Alonso makes his first scheduled stop and Montoya takes the lead. The Spaniard rejoins in sixth place.
*Lap 20: Montoya, Räikkönen, Ralf Schumacher, Sato, Barrichello and Alonso hold station at the front. The out-of-synch Villeneuve pits from seventh. Michael Schumacher is next up.
*Lap 24: Battling for 10th place in Jaguar’s final F1 race, Klien and Webber collide at Turn 1 when the Australian dives inside – and most of the way past – his team-mate. Webber retires; Klien pits for repairs at the end of the lap.
*Lap 26: Ralf Schumacher makes his second stop, from third place, and slips to seventh.
*Lap 27: Sato and Barrichello pit from third and fourth.
*Lap 28: Montoya pits to cede the lead to Räikkönen. Michael Schumacher (fifth) and Trulli (ninth) also stop.
*Lap 29: Räikkönen pits. Montoya retakes the lead. The Finn rejoins second ahead of Alonso, Ralf Schumacher. Sato, Barrichello, Massa, Fisichella, Michael Schumacher and Villeneuve.
*Lap 30: Montoya sets the fastest lap so far – 1m 11.644s.
*Lap 33: Sato runs onto the grass at Turn 1 and drops from fourth to sixth.
*Lap 35: Approaching half-distance, Montoya leads by 5.3s and is controlling the gap to Räikkönen.
*Lap 41: Coulthard ends a rare quiet period by pitting from 11th place.
*Lap 45: Trulli (11th) pits.
*Lap 46: Villeneuve comes in from eighth and drops to 10th.
*Lap 47: Third-placed Alonso pits.
*Lap 48: Ralf Schumacher comes in from fourth.
*Lap 49: Barrichello pits – and vaults both Alonso and the younger Schumacher.
*Lap 50: Montoya comes in, as does Michael Schumacher – temporarily fourth. Räikkönen leads once again.
*Lap 52: Räikkönen laps in 1m 11.562s – a personal best.
*Lap 53: Massa stops from eighth.
*Lap 54: Sato pits – and rejoins ahead of Ralf Schumacher, a place gained.
*Lap 55: Räikkönen pits, but a short stop can’t quite get him out ahead of Montoya. The gap is slender, though. Barrichello runs third and Alonso heads a tight queue comprising Sato and the two Schumachers, Ralf leading Michael. The distant Massa lies eighth.
*Lap 56: Montoya leads by 1.4s.
*Lap 57: Räikkönen cuts his deficit to 1.1s…
*Lap 59: …and 0.5s.
*Lap 60: Montoya starts to edge away again. Only 1.8s cover Alonso to Michael Schumacher, fourth to seventh. The top 10 cars are still on the lead lap.
*Lap 62: Montoya leads by 1.1s.
*Lap 63: After a period of respite, Räikkönen attacks again and cuts his arrears to 0.9s.
*Lap 64: Michael Schumacher has a pop at Ralf approaching Turn 4, but there’s no way through.
*Lap 65: Montoya retains a 1.0s cushion. Barrichello – aiming for only his second helping of Brazilian GP points in 12 attempts (he was fourth for Jordan in 1994) – is a lonely third.
*Lap 68: Räikkönen launches another offensive: the gap is down to 0.6s.
*Lap 70: Ralf Schumacher passes Sato for fifth.
*Lap 71: Montoya wins his final race for Williams – the fourth F1 victory of his career – by 1.0s from Räikkönen. Barrichello takes third, his best result on home soil, from Alonso, Ralf Schumacher, Sato and Michael Schumacher and Massa. Fisichella is the last unlapped runner, in ninth. The result secures B·A·R’s second place in the world championship for constructors, ahead of Renault.