Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya finished yesterday’s inaugural Turkish Grand Prix in first and third positions.
Both drivers had looked strong throughout the weekend’s practice sessions and Kimi claimed pole position in Saturday’s qualifying – his fifth of the season so far, Juan Pablo was slightly handicapped as he had to qualify early in the session when the track conditions were still very dusty and slippery. However the Colombian still managed to secure a fourth place starting position.
Kimi lost the lead at the first corner to Giancarlo Fisichella but managed to retake it at turn nine and completed the first lap of the race at the head of the field whilst Juan Pablo retained his fourth place.
Both drivers were on two stop strategies for the 58-lap race with Juan Pablo posting the fastest lap of the race on lap 39 with 1:24.770.
Juan Pablo looked on course to finish second when on lap 55 he was hit from behind by the twice lapped Tiago Monteiro in the Jordan. After the race it became clear that he had incurred quite some damage to his diffuser. Juan Pablo recovered quickly but lost his second place one and half laps later when he went off the track and had to settle for third with Kimi’s Championship rival Fernando Alonso taking second place.
Following the race Kimi remains second in the Drivers’ World Championship with 71 points and Juan Pablo moved to fourth with 40 points. Team McLaren Mercedes also remains second in the Constructors’ rankings with 121 points.
The coming week will see both Kimi and Juan Pablo testing at the Monza circuit in Italy in preparation for the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks time.
KIMI RAIKKONEN“I’m very happy to win the first ever Turkish Grand Prix. We arrived here with a strong basis thanks to the work put in back at base, which definitely made our weekend a lot easier. I didn’t make the best of starts as I had bit of wheel spin which allowed Fisichella to pass. However he ran wide later on the first lap which allowed me to retake the lead. I was pushing as hard as I could, but we knew our strategy would work, so really after the first pitstop I could be safe. I had a few scary moments with traffic which is always frustrating, but there is no doubt that our package is really quick. As a team we were a little bit unlucky today with what happened to Juan Pablo. At the end of the season two points can make all the difference, and all we can do is just to keep on winning. It’s been a great visit to Turkey for me, and I can’t wait for Monza.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA“I’m obviously disappointed to lose second place so close to the end of the race to Alonso. I had lapped Monteiro in the Jordan, but I think he must have locked up under braking and went into the back of me. The car felt OK for the first couple of corners after this, but when I came back to the pits after the race I could see that my entire diffuser at the back of the car had been destroyed. I then ran wide in turn eight which allowed Alonso to pass. I’m a bit disappointed as my car was very quick and the strategy was right, so second place would have been fairly easy. I had a bit of an incident in my first pitstop when the fuel nozzle got stuck, but that didn’t really cost me too much time. I’m sad for the team because a one-two would have been really good for the Championships.”
RON DENNIS“A very good race for the team and an excellent result for Kimi who drove a consistent and disciplined race. He made sure that he didn’t get involved in any incidents. Our strategy proved to be superior, and two podium places are a good reward for the team’s efforts. Regarding Juan Pablo’s incident it should be noted that somebody who has been lapped already twice should make certain that he leaves enough room. The damage caused by the accident and Juan Pablo’s off at Turn eight prevented us from achieving a one-two. We are looking forward to the rest of the season.”
NORBERT HAUG“Congratulations to Kimi on a convincing victory and an outstanding performance. We saw a super race at the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix and a good speed of our package on this technically demanding circuit. Unfortunately a twice lapped competitor who ran into the back of Juan Pablo – certainly not on purpose – prevented the team from scoring a 1-2 victory today. However we are pleased with the performance of both Kimi and Juan Pablo and the car on one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar. We are now looking forward to the rest of the season and will work hard to maintain our competitiveness.”
1 9 Kimi Räikkönen FIN McLaren Mercedes 2 5 Fernando Alonso E Renault3 10 Juan Pablo Montoya CO McLaren Mercedes 4 6 Giancarlo Fisichella I Renault5 3 Jenson Button GB BAR Honda 6 16 Jarno Trulli I Toyota 7 14 David Coulthard GB RBR Cosworth 8 15 Christian Klien A RBR Cosworth 9 4 Takuma Sato J BAR Honda 10 2 Rubens Barrichello BR Ferrari 11 11 Jacques Villeneuve CDN Sauber 12 17 Ralf Schumacher D Toyota 13 20 Robert Doornbos NL Minardi Cosworth 14 19 Narain Karthikeyan IND Jordan Toyota 15 18 Tiago Monteiro P Jordan Toyota
Not Classified 21 Christijan Albers NL Minardi Cosworth 1 Michael Schumacher D Ferrari 8 Nick Heidfeld D Williams BMW 12 Felipe Massa BR Sauber 7 Mark Webber AUS Williams BMW
Click here for the Official Kimi Raikkonen web site - designed and built by Racecar
