Inauspicious: adjective, Definition: adverse: "adverse circumstances"; "made a place for themselves under the most untoward conditions." Synonyms: bad, baleful, baneful, black, dire, discouraging, evil, fateful, foreboding, ill-boding, ill-omened, impending, inopportune, MINARDI, sinister, threatening, unfavorable, unfortunate, unlucky, unpromising, unpropitious, untimely, untoward.

How is it possible for a team to have any more worse start than Minardi in the Spanish Grand Prix? As the lights turned to green both cars leapt forward with a cloud of smoke, then promptly rolled to a stop 5 meters from their grid position. Amazing, it was like watching a syncronized swim team with broken arms. Both eventually started but it is the second race in a row in which both drivers have retired, Friesacher after 11 laps and Albers after 19.

The other amazing sighting is seeing Toyota sitting in second place in the Constructors Chanpionship (and laughing under their breath at Honda rival BAR). Toyota kept pace with Renault after Trulli's third podium in five races, falling only one point further behind the leaders after scoring for the fourth race in a row.

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen ran away with the race to dash F1 points leader Fernando Alonso's hopes of celebrating a fourth win in a row before his home crowd. Alonso, the Renault driver who has set the championship alight and fired up a nation's dormant passion for Formula One, had to settle for a distant second place behind the Finnish 'Iceman'.

Kimi's McLaren crossed the line 27.6 seconds before Alonso after pulling away at a second a lap in the early stages.

Raikkonen's first win of the season, and third of his career, ended Renault's run of four victories in a row and made up for the disappointment of two weeks ago when he led at Imola from pole before retiring.

It also ended Michael Schumacher's hopes of a record-equalling success in Barcelona.

The seven-times world champion had a tyre nightmare, retiring for the third time in five races, while his team mate Rubens Barrichello was lapped by Raikkonen at half distance on an afternoon to forget for Ferrari.

Schumacher had won the last four Spanish Grands Prix and another win would have equalled the record of five in a row at a single venue set by the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna at Monaco from 1989-1993.

Italian Jarno Trulli was third for Toyota, his third podium finish of the season, to maintain his second place in the championship.

Toyota's Ralf Schumacher was fourth, ahead of Renault's Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and Australian Mark Webber in a Williams.

Watched by the King of Spain, and with most of the 115,000 capacity crowd willing him on, Alonso could at least take comfort in an extended overall lead and his fifth successive top three finish.

Cross posted @ Full Throttle

Spanish Grand Prix results

1. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes, 66 laps,
1 hour 27 minutes, 16.830 seconds, 138.418 mph.
2. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 66, 1:27.44.482.
3. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 66, 1:28.02.777.
4. Ralf Schumacher, Germany, Toyota, 66, 1:28.03.549.
5. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault, 66, 1:28.14.766.
6. Mark Webber, Australia, Williams-BMW, 66, 1:28.25.372.
7. Juan Pablo Montoya, Columbia, McLaren-Mercedes, 65,
1:27.17.051.
8. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull-Cosworth, 65
1:27:19.215.
9. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Ferrari, 65, 1:27.20.682.
10. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Williams-BMW, 65, 1:27.21.409.
11. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Sauber-Petronas, 63, 1:25.12.014.
12. Tiego Monteiro, Portugal, Jordan-Toyota, 63,
1:28.01.053. 13. Narain Karthikeyan, India, Jordan-Toyota, 63,
1:28.26.975.

Not classified

Jacques Villeneuve, Canada, Sauber-Petronas, 51, 1:09.22.717.
Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari, 46, 1:04.00.651.
Christijan Albers, Netherlands, Minardi-Cosworth, 19, 23:26.505.
Patrick Friesacher, Austria, Minardi-Cosworth, 11, 20:13.794.
Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italy, Red Bull-Cosworth, 9, 13:49.912.

Drivers' Standings (After five of 19 races)
1. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 44 points. 2. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 26. 3. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, McLaren, 17. 4. Ralf Schumacher, Germany, Toyota, 14. 4. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault, 14. 6. Mark Webber, Australia, Williams, 12. 7. Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombia, McLaren, 10. 7. Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari, 10. 7. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, 10. 10. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Williams, 9. 11. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Ferrari, 8. 12. Alexander Wurz, Austria, McLaren-Mercedes, 6. 13. Jacques Villeneuve, Canada, Sauber, 5. 14. Pedro de la Rosa, Spain, McLaren, 4. 15. Christian Klien, Austria, Red Bull, 3. 16. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Sauber, 2. 17. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italy, Red Bull-Racing, 1.

Constructors' Standings 1. Renault, 58 points. 2. Toyota, 40. 3. McLaren, 37. 4. Williams, 21. 5. Ferrari, 18. 6. Red Bull, 14. 7. Sauber, 7.