Reverend
March 18th, 2007, 18:58 PM
Kimi Raikkonen got his role as Michael Schumacher's replacement at Ferrari off to a perfect start with a dominant victory in the Australian Grand Prix.
But the Finn's drive was overshadowed by Lewis Hamilton, who made one of the most impressive Formula One debuts for years as he took third place.
The Englishman lost out to McLaren team-mate and world champion Fernando Alonso only at the final pit stops.
The McLarens raced flat out but were no match for the pace of the Ferrari.
Raikkonen led from start to finish at Melbourne's Albert Park with a drive reminiscent of the crushing superiority often shown by his predecessor, who retired at the end of last season.
The former McLaren driver, whose team-mate Felipe Massa started last after problems in qualifying, was in a race of his own as he built a 15-second lead in the first stint, and was never troubled thereafter.
The Finn's performance in a car that was clearly the class of the field underlined his position as the favourite for the world title this season.
"We didn't need to really push as hard as we could have," Raikkonen said. "My biggest problem was the radio, it stopped working just before the start.
"It is special moment with a new team, everything is new, to win in the first race. I am really happy with the team and the way things are going. It couldn't be any better than it is now."
Behind him, Hamilton marked himself out as a potential future superstar with a committed, aggressive race. The 22-year-old passed Alonso at the start and kept under control the man regarded as the finest all-round driver in F1 until the final stops.
Hamilton had a couple of scary moments when he dropped wheels off the track, but was only beaten when he was out-foxed on strategy.
Australian Grand Prix result:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
4. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault
6. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
7. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota
8. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota
9. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota
10. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Renault
Championship standings:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 10 pts
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 8
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 6
4. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 5
5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 4
6. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 3
7. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 2
8. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1
:story: Full race report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6463491.stm) (BBC Sport)
But the Finn's drive was overshadowed by Lewis Hamilton, who made one of the most impressive Formula One debuts for years as he took third place.
The Englishman lost out to McLaren team-mate and world champion Fernando Alonso only at the final pit stops.
The McLarens raced flat out but were no match for the pace of the Ferrari.
Raikkonen led from start to finish at Melbourne's Albert Park with a drive reminiscent of the crushing superiority often shown by his predecessor, who retired at the end of last season.
The former McLaren driver, whose team-mate Felipe Massa started last after problems in qualifying, was in a race of his own as he built a 15-second lead in the first stint, and was never troubled thereafter.
The Finn's performance in a car that was clearly the class of the field underlined his position as the favourite for the world title this season.
"We didn't need to really push as hard as we could have," Raikkonen said. "My biggest problem was the radio, it stopped working just before the start.
"It is special moment with a new team, everything is new, to win in the first race. I am really happy with the team and the way things are going. It couldn't be any better than it is now."
Behind him, Hamilton marked himself out as a potential future superstar with a committed, aggressive race. The 22-year-old passed Alonso at the start and kept under control the man regarded as the finest all-round driver in F1 until the final stops.
Hamilton had a couple of scary moments when he dropped wheels off the track, but was only beaten when he was out-foxed on strategy.
Australian Grand Prix result:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
4. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault
6. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
7. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota
8. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota
9. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota
10. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Renault
Championship standings:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 10 pts
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 8
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 6
4. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 5
5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 4
6. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 3
7. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 2
8. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1
:story: Full race report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6463491.stm) (BBC Sport)