* Pre-race 1: Jacques Villeneuve, who qualified 11th, is ordered to start from the pit lane after the Sauber team is found to have disconnected the Canadian’s right-side anti-roll bar link while the car was under Parc Fermé conditions. In addition, race director Charlie Whiting warns teams that drivers will be reported to the stewards if they maintain too slow a pace during any Safety Car periods.
* Pre-race 2: The track retains a few damp patches following overnight rain – and menacing skies pose a distinct threat of further downpours. Local forecasters predict that the worst of the rain will hold off until about 16:30, although they say there is a risk of light showers. All cars come to the grid on dry-weather grooved tyres.
* Pre-race 3: From 13th on the grid, Tiago Monteiro – who had a late clutch change in Parc Fermé – peels into the pits at the end of the formation lap.
* Lap 1: World championship leader Fernando Alonso streaks away from pole position – his fifth of the season – and fellow front-row starter Juan Pablo Montoya scrabbles into second from the greasier side of the track. Giancarlo Fisichella briefly holds third before Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher elbow him aside. Jenson Button lies sixth from Christian Klien, Rubens Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Felipe Massa, Takuma Sato (relegated 20 places on the grid for causing an accident at Spa and an engine switch), Narain Karthikeyan, Christijan Albers, Jarno Trulli (demoted 10 places at the start after an unscheduled engine change), Robert Doornbos (who failed to set a qualifying time after spinning off), Villeneuve and Monteiro. The Safety Car is deployed, however, after David Coulthard and Antonio Pizzonia collide on the run to the first turn – and Pizzonia’s team-mate Mark Webber takes a knock in the confusion. The first two retire on the spot. The Australian makes it to the pits.
* Lap 3: Race restarts. Fisichella retakes Michael Schumacher into Turn One and seconds later Montoya sets up a successful pass to push Alonso down to second. Further back, Trulli wrests 13th from Albers.
* Lap 4: Montoya extends his lead to 2.4s.
* Lap 7: Montoya laps in 1m 13.160s to lead by 3.2s.
* Lap 8: The Colombian ups his pace again: 1m 13.002s.
* Lap 10: Montoya leads by 4.1s. Räikkönen is 1.9s adrift of Alonso in third. Fisichella is drifting and the rest of the order remains unchanged.
* Lap 14: Trulli passes Karthikeyan at Turn One to take 12th.
* Lap 17: Massa pits and slips from 10th to 16th.
* Lap 18: Karthikeyan refuels. He drops from 13th to 17th.
* Lap 20: Montoya leads Alonso by 4.0s and Räikkönen by another 3.0s Fisichella is a further 4.4s adrift. Albers pits.
* Lap 21: Alonso sets fastest lap – 1m 12.653s – and cuts his deficit to 3.8s. Villeneuve finally passes Doornbos, at Turn One.
* Lap 22: Alonso pits and slips to sixth.
* Lap 23: Fisichella, Barrichello, Doornbos and Monteiro pit.
* Lap 24: Klien follows suit and rejoins behind Barrichello.
* Lap 26: Michael Schumacher, Button and Ralf Schumacher pit. Webber joins in again.
* Lap 28: Montoya pits.
* Lap 29: Needing to win (with Alonso outside the top three) to sustain his world title hopes, Räikkönen leads by 20.4s.
* Lap 31: Räikkönen pits and rejoins second, less than 2s behind Montoya (who locks a front right wheel), but well clear of third-placed Alonso. Michael Schumacher is fourth from Fisichella, Sato (yet to stop), Button, Trulli (yet to pit), Barrichello, Klien, Ralf Schumacher, Villeneuve (yet to pit), Massa, Albers, Karthikeyan, Doornbos and Monteiro.
* Lap 32: Trulli pits.
* Lap 34: Villeneuve comes in. Doornbos pits with a smoking engine and retires.
* Lap 35: Karthikeyan makes his second stop.
* Lap 37: Sato finally pits: he drops from sixth to 10th.
* Lap 41: Montoya leads by 1.3s but appears to be edging away from Räikkönen. Alonso is 10.1s adrift of the Colombian. Only nine cars remain on the lead lap.
* Lap 44: Barrichello passes Button for sixth at Turn One. Albers makes his second stop, Karthikeyan pits for a third time.
* Lap 45: Montoya leads by 3.0s. Alonso is cruising in third, with Michael Schumacher more than 15s adrift.
* Lap 46: Massa and Monteiro pit.
* Lap 48: Alonso refuels and rejoins fifth, just behind team-mate Fisichella.
* Lap 49: Fisichella pits.
* Lap 50: Montoya leads by 3.8s from Räikkönen. Michael Schumacher – yet to make his second stop – is a distant third, ahead of Alonso. Barrichello pits and drops from sixth to ninth.
* Lap 53: Trulli refuels.
* Lap 54: Montoya, Michael Schumacher, Klien and Villeneuve pit. Michael rejoins fourth, almost 5.0s clear of Fisichella.
* Lap 55: Räikkönen leads by 16.5s. Button refuels.
* Lap 56: Ralf Schumacher pits and gains a place, rejoining ahead of Klien..
* Lap 57: Monteiro’s 100 per cent finishing record comes to an end as he pulls off with a smoking engine.
* Lap 59: Räikkönen pits and rejoins just behind Montoya – just.
* Lap 60: Montoya leads Räikkönen by 0.9s. Alonso – almost 25s adrift – Michael Schumacher, Fisichella and Barrichello are the only other drivers unlapped. Button lies seventh from Ralf Schumacher, Klien, Sato, Massa, Villeneuve, Trulli, Albers and Karthikeyan. Webber is still circulating, too, 26 laps adrift.
* Lap 63: The McLarens ease their pace a fraction.
* Lap 71: Montoya wins the Brazilian GP for the second straight season. Räikkönen is 2.5s adrift. Alonso takes third to become the sport’s youngest world champion at the age of 24 years, 1 month and 27 days (previous record-holder Emerson Fittipaldi was 25 years, 8 months and 29 days when he clinched the 1972 crown at Monza). Michael Schumacher takes fourth – his first points since Hungary – from Fisichella, Barrichello, Button and Ralf Schumacher. Klien, Sato, Massa, Villeneuve, Trulli, Albers and Karthikeyan complete the classified finishers.