Raikkonenen Strategic in Victory
Back-to-Back Victories for the Finn
In what became a high speed chess match, Kimi Raikkonen took the victory as he spawned the best strategy.
In a race where the top two teams were practically evenly match throughout the weekend, the victor was going to be determined by the one with the best strategy along with the blistering race pace. Kimi Raikkonen proved to be the driver who had the whole package. In the days leading up to the race, the Finn was the fastest during the practice sessions which already hinted somewhat that he was the one to beat come race day.
Although McLaren looked to have responded with Lewis Hamilton taking pole position in his debut home GP and Alonso qualifying third with a heavier fuel load, both drivers of the English team had compromised themselves during the race.
Hamilton’s pole position meant that he was the lightest among the top four drivers and thus had to pit in early. He tried to make his strategy work for him by trying to open a gap before his first pit stop. Unfortunately for the Brit, Raikkonen was seemingly glued to the back of the McLaren. By the time Hamilton entered the pits, Raikkonen stayed on the track going even faster. The chances of Hamilton winning in his home grand prix became even bleaker when he made a slight error in the pits. Hamilton jolted his car slightly forward thinking that he was already being signaled to exit the pits when he was only being told to shift into first gear.
The error was costly. By the time Kimi made his pit stop, the Finn gained track position on Hamilton. In addition, the Ferrari driver put on the softer option for the second stint and pulled away on Lewis who chose the harder option tire.
The balance of power however looked to have shifted in favor of Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard had the longest first stint and the shortest pit-stop time that allowed him to exit pit-lane in first place. The reigning champion also put in the softer option tire which allowed him to open up a gap over four seconds. Unfortunately, the short pit-stop also meant that Alonso was short-fueled and thus had to pit in earlier than the Ferrari trailing him.
Kimi Raikkonen stayed on the track setting up lap times almost averaging a second quicker than Alonso who had just completed a second stop. By the time Riakkonen made his second stop, he was more than 26 seconds clear of Alonso. The Finn inevitably took the lead in the last and most crucial stint.
Though a spectacular win for Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari, the day wasn’t perfect for the Italian based team. Felipe Massa’s Ferrari stalled just before the start of the race. Yellow flags were waved and all the drivers were made to take another warm-up lap. The whole ordeal meant that the Brazilian was going to start from pit-lane dead last. Massa however was able to put up a stunning performance that saw him finish fifth and limit the damage of his misfortune.
