Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen took victory in yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix crossing the finishing line 28.3 seconds ahead of his Championship rival Fernando Alonso in the Renault. It looked like the team was heading for a one-two finish until three laps from the end when Antonio Pizzonia hit Juan Pablo whilst trying to un-lap himself on dry tyres and ended Juan Pablo’s race.

Juan Pablo started the race from pole position, whilst Kimi was in second only a few tenths behind. Both drivers came away from the start cleanly and entered the pits at the end of lap 11 when the Safety Car was deployed following an accident by Giancarlo Fisichella in the Renault.

Following Sunday’s race, the last event of the European season, Kimi remains second in the Drivers World Championship with 86 points and Juan Pablo fourth with 50 points. The team also remains second in the Constructors’ Championship with 146 points, six points behind Renault

In preparation for the last three races in Brazil, Japan and China the team will be testing at Silverstone this coming week before heading for Interlagos.

KIMI RAIKKONEN “We did what we could today and I’m thrilled to win here at Spa for the second time in a row. However Juan Pablo’s retirement was a real shame, and I feel sorry for him and the team. We could have left Spa with so much more as we really deserved one-two. Everything went well during the race with no real dramas and the car was great. When the safety car came in we changed the tyres and as Ralf was quite a bit lighter he was able to be in front of me. However I didn’t push to look after the Michelin tyres. Consequently when it dried out I was able to really push and caught up with a series of fast laps. I was able to claim the lead after the second pitstop as I could stay out longer than Juan Pablo and that was it. However mixed emotions as we should have had a one-two today.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA“It’s always tough to retire from a race but when it’s caused by matters out of your or the team’s control its even harder. As I said in the pole position press conference yesterday I drive for my team, so my disappointment is even greater because as a team we were doing a great job. I now know that Pizzonia was trying to un-lap himself on dry tyres and then hit me from behind whilst trying to do so. This was a disappointing end to what could have been the perfect weekend.”

RON DENNIS“Both drivers put in a faultless performance today which should have given the team maximum points. Kimi claimed his win in a disciplined and controlled manner in very difficult conditions. Juan Pablo was the innocent victim of other people’s mistakes but this should not distract from his race which was executed with true team spirit. We of course take some satisfaction from winning eight of the last 11 Grands Prix. As you can imagine we are looking forward to Brazil in a positive frame of mind.”

NORBERT HAUG“Congratulations to Kimi on a great win and a perfect performance in the race. This was the almost ideal weekend for the team in which we performed very well in challenging conditions. We had the right strategy and were in control of the race. Unfortunately due to a competitor’s mistake we could not take the full benefit of the team’s efforts. However Juan Pablo did a brilliant job and didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the weekend.”