Räikkönen rues errors in qualifying after Ferrari 1-2 in Istanbul

Some consolation in erosion of Lewis Hamilton's lead in championship standings

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Ferrari enjoyed a 1-2 victory at the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday, but the race ended just as Kimi Räikkönen feared it would: he followed his team-mate Felipe Massa across the finishing line.
      The Finn, who qualified 3rd on the grid, made short work of accelerating past Lewis Hamilton's McLaren on the opening straight, but that was as good as it got. Räikkönen lamented the mistakes he made in Saturday's qualifying, as yet again Formula One showed how difficult it is to overtake on the circuit.
     
At the French GP Räikkönen had managed to get past Massa after a pit-stop, but on this occasion he came in for new tyres and fuel just before the Brazilian.
      Massa eventually won by just over two seconds, with reigning world champion Fernando Alonso (McLaren) a further 26 seconds back in third.
      Räikkönen, who admitted it had been rather dull to follow his team-mate around the track all afternoon, never gave up, and he turned in the fastest lap of the race on his penultimate circuit of the Istanbul track.
     
If 2nd place was a personal disappointment, Räikkönen could be pleased that the Ferraris took another bite out of the lead of Hamilton and Alonso and the McLaren-Mercedes team. Hamilton had a puncture with fifteen laps to go, and dropped to finish in fifth place, behind the BMW of Nick Heidfeld. Hence Alonso, Massa, and Räikkönen all made up some ground on the current leader in the drivers' standings. Hamilton now has 84 points to Alonso's 79, while Massa leap-frogged above Räikkönen to 69 points. Räikkönen is in 4th on 68 points. There are five races left in the season.
     
The Turkish GP was a positive experience for the other Finnish interests in the race. Renault's Heikki Kovalainen took 6th place, and might even have had a chance at taking on Hamilton had the laps not run out on him.
      He was followed home in 7th by Nico Rosberg in the Williams. This was thus the second GP in succession in which all three Finnish drivers (Rosberg officially races in German colours, but he is the son of the Finnish 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg) got into the points.
      Kovalainen has 19 points to stand in 7th place, just ahead of his Renault team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, and Rosberg is 10th with 9 points.
     
The Formula One circus will next set up its tent in Italy at the famous Monza circuit on September 9th.
      The Italian Ferrari tifosi will expect nothing less than a repeat performance, with Ferrari still trailing McLaren by 11 points (148-137) in the manufacturers' standings.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Hamilton wins, Kimi Räikkönen second at Hungaroring (6.8.2007)

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