Nico Rosberg celebrates career-first podium finish in F1

Melbourne sees all Finns and semi-Finns in the points, but Kimi Räikkönen has little to smile about

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Seldom has there been as much carbon fibre debris on a Formula One track as there was yesterday in connection with the season’s opening race in Melbourne, Australia.
      Almost miraculously, no-one was hurt on the Albert Park track in the first F1 event raced without traction control since 2001.
      Only seven cars made it to the finish line, which is fewer than ever before in the history of the Australian Grand Prix.
      The race was won by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. The Briton, who started from pole position, was able to drive at his own pace and was perhaps least impeded by the chaos on the track.
      Hamilton’s teammate, Heikki Kovalainen of Finland, was not equally lucky. On lap 46, Kovalainen was in the lead, when the safety car entered the track and messed up his plans. As Kovalainen still had one more pit stop left, an almost certain second position changed to fifth place at the finish line.
      Thanks to Kovalainen’s misfortune, another Finnish citizen, Nico Rosberg, landed the first podium finish of his career in Formula One. Rosberg, the son of the Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg, did the groundwork already on the grid, where he accelerated his Williams from seventh place up into fourth.
      After the race, Rosberg, who represents his mother’s home country, Germany, appeared the happiest man in Melbourne.
      “I am exhilarated. What an incredible race, my first podium finish”, Rosberg stammered, apparently dazed with joy.
      “I could not be sure of my position at any stage during the race. It was such a chaos out there. The safety car at the wrong time would have immediately spoiled everything”, Rosberg analysed.
      On their way to the podium, Rosberg and his old carting teammate Hamilton already started to dance.
     
Otherwise, Hamilton took his victory with a certain amount of routine.
      "It's quite different to my first win in Montreal, just because that was really not expected”, Hamilton said.
      "This win perhaps feels better than any because I feel I've improved in many areas," the 23-year-old Briton added.
      "I wouldn't say it's the perfect win... but I think in terms of managing my tyres, controlling my pace and confidence and being comfortable in the car, it's the best race I've had so far."
     
The second spot on the Melbourne podium went to Nick Heidfeld, whose BMW team looks to be becoming a serious potential rival for Ferrari and McLaren.
      “Our first victory is now much closer”, Heidfeld rejoiced.
     
One who was not rejoicing much was World Champion Kimi Räikkönen, who made mistakes on the track and eventually retired late in the race with engine problems. Such was the Albert Park carnage, however, that he was officially placed 8th and took a single point with him from Australia, where he enjoyed a win last season. .


Previously in HS International Edition:
  World Champion Räikkönen and challenger Kovalainen gear up to provide excitement for Finnish fans in 2008 F1 season (12.3.2008)

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