Reverend
July 8th, 2007, 16:17 PM
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen shattered Lewis Hamilton's dreams of a debut British Grand Prix victory with a copybook second victory in a row.
The Finn, who won at Magny-Cours last weekend, drove a superb race to beat Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso, with Hamilton a distant third.
Hamilton was unable to convert his pole position into a win, losing the lead at the first round of pit stops. But the Briton still holds a 12-point lead over Alonso in the standings.
Raikkonen's victory moves him into third place, one point ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa but still 18 points adrift of Hamilton.
Massa finished fifth following an impressive fightback after he stalled on the grid and was forced to start from the pit lane.
"We had a good car all weekend," said Raikkonen. "At the beginning, I tried to save some fuel and look after car and tyres.
"Once we knew had enough fuel I was able to close on Lewis and try to overtake him. But we knew he was coming in so didn't take too much of a risk.
"It was a very nice feeling to win the race. We've been close here a few times but something has happened and we haven't been able to win. Now, finally, we have done it and it's one of the nicest races and feelings.
"Hopefully, the championship is not over. It's still going to be a long season.
"We seem to have good speed now but I think it also depends on the circuit at conditions at the places we go."
Hamilton said a lack of speed had denied him the chance of victory in his home Grand Prix.
"We had an interesting race," he said. "It started off quite well. I was trying to open a gap to Kimi but obviously he was very quick, and at the end of the stint the tyres were starting to fall away.
"All weekend I was struggling to balance the car. In the last stint it was better. I was very consistent, but I just didn't have the pace."
British Grand Prix result:
1. K Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
2. F Alonso (Spn) McLaren-Mercedes
3. L Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
4. R Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
5. F Massa (Brz) Ferrari
6. N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
7. H Kovalainen (Fin) Renault
8. G Fisichella (Ita) Renault
Championship standings:
1. L Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 70 pts
2. F Alonso (Spn) McLaren-Mercedes 58
3. K Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 52
4. F Massa (Brz) Ferrari 51
5. N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 33
6. R Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 22
7. G Fisichella (Ita) Renault 17
8. H Kovalainen (Fin) Renault 14
Constructors' championship:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 128 pts
2. Ferrari 103
3. BMW Sauber 56
4. Renault 31
5. Williams-Toyota 13
:view: full race report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6282190.stm) (BBC Sport)
The Finn, who won at Magny-Cours last weekend, drove a superb race to beat Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso, with Hamilton a distant third.
Hamilton was unable to convert his pole position into a win, losing the lead at the first round of pit stops. But the Briton still holds a 12-point lead over Alonso in the standings.
Raikkonen's victory moves him into third place, one point ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa but still 18 points adrift of Hamilton.
Massa finished fifth following an impressive fightback after he stalled on the grid and was forced to start from the pit lane.
"We had a good car all weekend," said Raikkonen. "At the beginning, I tried to save some fuel and look after car and tyres.
"Once we knew had enough fuel I was able to close on Lewis and try to overtake him. But we knew he was coming in so didn't take too much of a risk.
"It was a very nice feeling to win the race. We've been close here a few times but something has happened and we haven't been able to win. Now, finally, we have done it and it's one of the nicest races and feelings.
"Hopefully, the championship is not over. It's still going to be a long season.
"We seem to have good speed now but I think it also depends on the circuit at conditions at the places we go."
Hamilton said a lack of speed had denied him the chance of victory in his home Grand Prix.
"We had an interesting race," he said. "It started off quite well. I was trying to open a gap to Kimi but obviously he was very quick, and at the end of the stint the tyres were starting to fall away.
"All weekend I was struggling to balance the car. In the last stint it was better. I was very consistent, but I just didn't have the pace."
British Grand Prix result:
1. K Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
2. F Alonso (Spn) McLaren-Mercedes
3. L Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
4. R Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
5. F Massa (Brz) Ferrari
6. N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
7. H Kovalainen (Fin) Renault
8. G Fisichella (Ita) Renault
Championship standings:
1. L Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 70 pts
2. F Alonso (Spn) McLaren-Mercedes 58
3. K Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 52
4. F Massa (Brz) Ferrari 51
5. N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 33
6. R Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 22
7. G Fisichella (Ita) Renault 17
8. H Kovalainen (Fin) Renault 14
Constructors' championship:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 128 pts
2. Ferrari 103
3. BMW Sauber 56
4. Renault 31
5. Williams-Toyota 13
:view: full race report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6282190.stm) (BBC Sport)