Juan Pablo Montoya has given his Williams-BMW team the perfect farewell present with victory in an intriguing Brazilian Grand Prix.
BRAZILIAN GP RESULT
1 JP Montoya (Williams)
2 K Raikkonen (McLaren)
3 R Barrichello (Ferrari)
4 F Alonso (Renault)
5 R Schumacher (Williams)
6 T Sato (BAR)
7 M Schumacher (Ferrari)
8 F Massa (Sauber)
The Colombian, who is joining McLaren next season, beat future team-mate Kimi Raikkonen into second place in a topsy-turvy, wet-dry race in Sao Paulo.
Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello finished third at his home race ahead of Renault's Fernando Alonso.
David Coulthard could finish only 11th in his last race for McLaren.
The Scot has yet to find a drive for 2005 following McLaren's decision to let him go after a record 150 Grands Prix for the team.
Jenson Button retired with an engine failure after just two laps, but his BAR team clinched second place in the constructors' championship ahead of Renault.
The shape of the race was formed by a pre-start shower, which left teams with a difficult choice about which tyres to use.
Most chose intermediate or wet-weather tyres, but Alonso's decision to go for dry-weather rubber left him in the lead after the other drivers had made their early stops to remove rain tyres.
Montoya and Raikkonen pitted at the same time on lap six, and while the McLaren-Mercedes sneaked out of the pits ahead, the Williams crucially re-passed him into the next corner.
They circulated behind Alonso until the Renault driver made his first pit stop for fuel and fresh dry tyres on lap 18.
At that point, Montoya and Raikkonen assumed the positions they would maintain until the end of the race.
They fought an intense battle for the rest of the race, but Montoya just managed to hold on to the lead after their final pit stops, despite a brilliant penultimate stint by Raikkonen.
The McLaren pushed Montoya hard in the closing laps, but the extra power of the BMW engine in the Williams meant Raikkonen was never quite close enough to make a passing move.
It was Williams' first win since Montoya dominated the German Grand Prix in August 2003.
Montoya said: "It was a really hard race - I made one mistake and Kimi came right behind me.
Barrichello leads Raikkonen, Massa and Montoya at the start
"I thought: 'Don't do anything stupid. Keep it all together to the finish.' And I did.
"It's been a fantastic four seasons with Williams and to close it all off with a win is unbelievable."
Raikkonen added: "I got close but not close enough to try to do anything."
Barrichello started from pole, but lost the lead at the start to Raikkonen.
The Brazilian grabbed it back after four laps, but he delayed his pit stop for dry tyres longer than Montoya and Raikkonen and that cost him.
"I think the conditions were not favourable," said
Barrichello. "In damp conditions we are still not fantastic. Had
it stayed dry we'd have had a completely different pace."
Alonso, who plumped for a two-stop strategy while his main rivals when for three, faded as the race went on.
He was left to fend off a train compromising Takuma Sato's BAR, Ralf Schumacher's Williams and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari in the closing laps.
The Spaniard just managed to hold on, while Ralf Schumacher stole fifth from Sato with two laps to go.
Michael Schumacher did not make the progress expected of him after starting 18th following a penalty for changing engines.
Sauber's Felipe Massa secured the final point.
And Jaguar's final race ended in disappointment when Christian Klien took out team leader Mark Webber.
Afterwards both Kimi Raikkonen and Jordan's Nick Heidfeld were fined £5,465 for dangerous driving in the pit lane.
Raikkonen was penalised after he and Juan Pablo Montoya exited the pits almost side by side on lap five as they jostled for position.
Germany's Heidfeld also nearly had a collision when he
exited after a stop on lap eight.