Reverend
April 27th, 2008, 19:19 PM
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen extended his championship lead with a comfortable win at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Finn is nine points clear of Lewis Hamilton, whose McLaren was third behind Felipe Massa's Ferrari.
Raikkonen controlled the race, while Massa held off a late challenge from Hamilton, who himself had race-long pressure from Robert Kubica's BMW.
Fernando Alonso's Renault, which had qualified second to Raikkonen, retired from fifth place with engine failure.
The race was disrupted by two interventions by the safety car, the first on the first lap and the second following a nasty accident involving McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.
The Finn lost control of his car following a breakage somewhere in the left front wheel area heading into the 150mph Campsa corner. The McLaren speared straight over the gravel trap and was embedded in the tyre barrier.
It took the medical team 10 minutes to extract Kovalainen from his damaged car, but he was conscious as he was taken away on a stretcher and could be seen giving a thumbs up to the crowd.
It is believed he has no injuries, but he was taken to hospital in Barcelona for medical checks
McLaren believe a stone became lodged between the tyre and the wheel rim, causing a sudden tyre deflation.
Raikkonen was in a league of his own at the front, as the Finn built a lead in the first stint and then paced himself to Massa for the rest of the race.
"I didn't make the perfect start but did enough to stay in front," said Raikkonen, who collected his 17th Grand Prix victory in Barcelona.
"After that it was closer than we expected but at least we had the speed all weekend.
"If we wanted, we could have gone a bit faster but there was no point in pushing more than we need to."
Massa added: " We did our homework and we brought home two Ferraris first and second which is a great position for the championships."
Spanish Grand Prix result:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
4. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
5. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
6. Jenson Button (GB) Honda
7. Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota
8. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota
Championship standings:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 29 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 20
3. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 19
4. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 18
5. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 16
6. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 14
7. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 9
8. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 8
Constructors' championship:
1. Ferrari 47 pts
2. BMW Sauber 35
3. McLaren-Mercedes 34
4. Williams-Toyota 12
5. Toyota 9
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7369796.stm)
The Finn is nine points clear of Lewis Hamilton, whose McLaren was third behind Felipe Massa's Ferrari.
Raikkonen controlled the race, while Massa held off a late challenge from Hamilton, who himself had race-long pressure from Robert Kubica's BMW.
Fernando Alonso's Renault, which had qualified second to Raikkonen, retired from fifth place with engine failure.
The race was disrupted by two interventions by the safety car, the first on the first lap and the second following a nasty accident involving McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.
The Finn lost control of his car following a breakage somewhere in the left front wheel area heading into the 150mph Campsa corner. The McLaren speared straight over the gravel trap and was embedded in the tyre barrier.
It took the medical team 10 minutes to extract Kovalainen from his damaged car, but he was conscious as he was taken away on a stretcher and could be seen giving a thumbs up to the crowd.
It is believed he has no injuries, but he was taken to hospital in Barcelona for medical checks
McLaren believe a stone became lodged between the tyre and the wheel rim, causing a sudden tyre deflation.
Raikkonen was in a league of his own at the front, as the Finn built a lead in the first stint and then paced himself to Massa for the rest of the race.
"I didn't make the perfect start but did enough to stay in front," said Raikkonen, who collected his 17th Grand Prix victory in Barcelona.
"After that it was closer than we expected but at least we had the speed all weekend.
"If we wanted, we could have gone a bit faster but there was no point in pushing more than we need to."
Massa added: " We did our homework and we brought home two Ferraris first and second which is a great position for the championships."
Spanish Grand Prix result:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
4. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
5. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
6. Jenson Button (GB) Honda
7. Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota
8. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota
Championship standings:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 29 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 20
3. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 19
4. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 18
5. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 16
6. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 14
7. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 9
8. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 8
Constructors' championship:
1. Ferrari 47 pts
2. BMW Sauber 35
3. McLaren-Mercedes 34
4. Williams-Toyota 12
5. Toyota 9
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7369796.stm)