Formula One Australian GP: Alonso wins, Räikkönen second

Safety car called out three times in eventful race

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Though Kimi Räikkönen clocked the fastest lap on his final lap of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, it offered little consolation to the Finn, who witnessed Fernando Alonso and the Renault team further extending their lead in the Championship points table.
      The Spaniard Alonso, who secured his second win in three races this season, has now double the points of his closest rivals, Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes) and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault), who share the runner-up position in the overall drivers' table of what already promises to be a vintage year in Formula One history. Alonso has 28 points out of a possible 30.
      "Throughout the race I never felt that my victory was threatened", Alonso noted afterwards, although he suffered more than most from the frequent arrival of the safety car on the Melbourne track.
      Germany's Ralf Schumacher (Toyota) came home third in Melbourne.
     
"With all that happened during the race, I can only be satisfied with second place", Räikkönen commented. "But for once I'd like to see what would happen if we managed to complete a race without any trouble."
      As a whole, the Melbourne Grand Prix was as uneven as it was colourful, with several crashes and retirements. The safety car was called out onto the track no less than three times.
      During one of the early laps Räikkönen locked his brakes in a corner, causing uneven wear on one of the front tyres. This in turn resulted in understeer and ever-increasing vibration of the front wing.
      During one safety car round, Räikkönen finally fetched a new nose cone from the pits. "A small mistake caused me a lot. I was no longer able to catch Alonso", the Finn fretted. At the finish line less than two seconds separated the two, but it was clear that the Spanish driver was cruising towards the end of the race.
     
Ultimately only 13 of the 22 cars on the grid finished the race.
      Both Ferrari drivers, Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa, were among those who did not make it to the chequered flag. Their fate was shared by Räikkönen's McLaren teammate Juan Pablo Montoya. Last to retire was Jenson Button (Honda), who had the misfortune of seeing his engine blow up spectacularly on the very last bend. He dutifully followed team instructions to stop the car rather than coasting over the finish line in 6th place, as to complete the race would have brought a 10-place penalty - for changing the engine - on the starting grid in the next race.
      The Williams driver Nico Rosberg, son of the Finnish 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, also retired early on in the proceedings.
      Rosberg, who races under German colours despite his Finnish father, had not quite managed to complete even his first lap when Felipe Massa and Red Bull driver Christian Klien collided behind him, sending Massa's Ferrari spinning against Rosberg's Williams and shattering his rear wing.
      "Oh no, oh no, I thought, when I saw Massa whirling towards me in my rear-view mirror, and I knew there was nothing I could do about it", Rosberg commented.
      "Fortunately we will next be racing in Europe, where I am more familiar with the tracks."
     
The Formula One circus will continue in with the San Marino GP in Imola in three weeks' time. Last year brought disappointment here for Räikkönen, as he was forced to retire early after taking pole position on the grid.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kimi Räikkönen: There is no contract with Ferrari for 2007 (7.3.2006)

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