Räikkönen takes convincing victory in Belgian Grand Prix

Gap at the top closes, but races are running out

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After a week in which politics took precedence over sport in Formula One and the McLaren team saw all their constructors' points stripped from them over the so-called "Spygate" case, Kimi Räikkönen went ahead and won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa for the third time in a row. His previous victories came in 2004 and 2005. There was no Belgian GP in 2006.
      "Sure it’s nice", the Ferrari driver said. "This was always my favourite track - even before my Formula One career. I believe the secret to my success here is the very fact that I like the track so much."
     
In the race itself, Räikkönen remained largely unchallenged by his rivals. He started from pole, and led all the way to the chequered flag.
      "Today we had no problems. I was fast enough before the first pit stop. After that I was able to control the race without too much of effort. All in all, the race was fairly easy", Räikkönen commented on Sunday.
     
With three races remaining Räikkönen is in third position in the drivers’ championship table, 13 points behind Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and 11 points behind reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso of Spain.
      In reality Räikkönen has a remote shot at the World Championship title only if both of the McLaren drivers fail to cross the finish line in at least one of the remaining races. Or alternatively if the FIA decide to punish McLaren still further by deducting points from the drivers as well as the team.
      FIA President Max Mosley went on record at the weekend to say he would personally have tossed out both the McLaren drivers over the spying incident, but that he came up in the minority on the issue.
     
In Belgium, Räikkönen’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa of Brazil came home second for an Italian 1-2, while Alonso finished third.
      "My only concern is that I will not finish one of the remaining races", Alonso commented. "If that happens I can kiss the championship title goodbye."
      "For me it is enough that I finish in front of Hamilton in each one of the remaining races", Alonso said. If Kimi Räikkönen is described in F1 circles as "The Ice-Man", it is hard to imagine what epithet could be used to express the glacial nature of the relationship between the two McLaren pilots at present.
     
The Finnish Renault pilot Heikki Kovalainen suffered from his team’s poorly chosen one-stop tactics. After Saturday’s qualifying round Kovalainen believed he had a realistic chance of finishing fifth. In Sunday’s race he had to settle for eighth place and one point.
      ”Our choice of tactics failed me big time”, Kovalainen grumbled.
      The German Williams driver Nico Rosberg, son of the Finnish 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, produced what he called a dream performance and finished sixth.
      "Nick Heidfeld’s BMW was today beyond our reach, but we have started to beat the Renaults on a regular basis", said a delighted Rosberg.
      He has collected a creditable 15 points so far in his rookie season in F1. Without the presence of an even bigger rookie sensation in Lewis Hamilton, people would be saying a lot more about Rosberg's contributions this year.
     
The F1 gladiators will next be in action at the Japanese GP at the end of this month.
      The race comes back to the Fuji circuit after an absence of 30 years.
      Toyota are believed to have lobbied heavily on behalf of the Fuji Speedway, which they bought in 2000.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  McLaren celebrate first one-two finish in Monza; Räikkönen third (10.9.2007)

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  Fuji Speedway

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