Yeo
Zorce Jedi Master
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 1936
Location: Far Rockaway, NY
|
 Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 6:18 am Post subject: Sting in the tale for Spa winner Raikkonen |
 |
|
Kimi Raikkonen kept his head in tricky conditions at Spa Francorchamps to claim his second Belgian win in two years. But there it was a bittersweet win as Fernando Alonso scooped up second place after Juan Pablo Montoya was again hit from behind by a backmarker in the final stages of the race. Jenson Button drove strongly to carve his way up to third.
On a wet track Montoya shot off into the lead as Raikkonen struggled to get off the line. Trulli passed the Finn down the inside but Raikkonen persisted and regained the position around the outside of La Source. As the cars flew down to the end of the first sector there were plumes of spray being thrown up into the air.
The order remained the same, but the pace was frantic on a drying track until lap ten when Giancarlo Fisichella lost control of his car in the legendary Eau Rouge corner and ended his race with a smash in the tyre barrier. The safety car was deployed so marshals could remove the stricken Renault.
In the safety car period Montoya dived into the pits as Raikkonen backed up the pack giving the McLaren team time to service the Colombian. Raikkonen's clever move meant that he wouldn't be disadvantaged having to wait in line for a pit stop in the pit lane.
At the end of lap thirteen the safety car pulled off into the pit lane and the race resumed with Montoya ahead of Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher, Raikkonen and Alonso. Villeneuve ran wide at La Source and let Ralf and Raikkonen through. Meanwhile Takuma Sato hit the back of Michael Schumacher's Ferrari on the run down to La Source and sent them both out of the race. Schumacher strode over to the Japanese driver and gesticulated angrily.
Meanwhile Ralf Schumacher reeled Montoya in and on lap 19 was just half a second behind and all over the rear wing of the McLaren. The Toyota had to pit on lap 23 and switched to dry weather tyres - but it proved to be too slippery and after a spin the German pitted again for a fresh set of intermediates.
At the front Raikkonen started eating into Montoya's lead and on lap 30 was down to 1.4 seconds. Alonso was third ahead of Barrichello, Webber, Massa, Button and Monteiro. Villeneuve dropped right out of contention for points after he made his first pit stop.
With Raikkonen right behind his team mate, Montoya pitted eleven laps from the flag. Raikkonen then put in a blisteringly fast lap and pitted the next time round rejoining the race comfortably ahead of his team mate and the McLarens had swapped positions without any controversy.
Just when it all looked set for McLaren to claim the one-two, Montoya was hit from behind for the second time in three races when Williams driver Antonio Pizzonia slammed into the rear corner of the Colombian's McLaren and sent them both out of the race.
Kimi Raikkonen kept his cool to cruise to victory almost half a minute ahead of Alonso. Button fought his way up to third place with Webber prospering from a switch to dry tyres to finish fourth. Barrichello claimed fifth ahead of a great drive from Jacques Villeneuve to finish sixth. Ralf Schumacher recovered from his earlier tyre change mistake to finish seventh ahead of a valiant drive from Tiago Monteiro - the only driver to have finished every single race this season - to claim another point for Jordan.
http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=97973
_________________
  www.ttonline.org
 |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
