Kimi storms to Melbourne F1 victory

Start 2013 Australian F1 GP

Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen outwitted the rest of the field to win a strategic opening race of the 2013 season in Australia.

The Finn managed his tyres better than his opponents to leap frog Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel in a close race that has set tongues wagging ahead of an inevitably close season.

After dominating qualifying Red Bull’s pace disappeared in Melbourne as both Ferrari and Lotus proved they have an advantage over a race distance. Vettel finished a comfortable third, but some way behind Raikkonen and the excellent Fernando Alonso. The second Ferrari of Felipe Massa drove well to finish 4th, ahead of Mercedes Lewis Hamilton in 5th and local hero Mark Webber in 6th.

Kimi Raikkonen Lotus E21 2013 Australian Grand Prix

Lotus won the battle with their pit-stop strategy, electing to stop only twice in comparison their rivals three to take full advantage of their gentle tyre use of tyres. After running comfortably fourth after the start Raikkonen took the lead after Alonso and Vettel made their second stops and drove superbly to keep the charging Alonso at bay to claim a brilliant opening win.

At the start Vettel pulled ominously away as his team mate, Webber, fell from 2nd to 7th that ended any hopes he had of claiming a first win on home soil. Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, who had a steady race, couldn’t keep Massa, Alonso or Raikkonen behind him leaving the front four to battle for the win. Massa was in the ascendancy while running second behind Vettel before a confusing strategy, which saw him stay out two laps longer than his rivals, left him behind the Force India of Adrian Sutil who, like Kimi, was running a two stop race.

Fernando Alonso & Kimi Raikkonen

With Vettel, Alonso and Massa on the same strategy it was a case of who could outsmart the others and an early pit stop for Alonso saw him leap frog Vettel, while Massa continued to struggle behind Sutil. The Force India driver wasn’t in the race for a podium but his two stop strategy cost Felipe the chance of a top three finish. A bold attempt by Force India to switch Sutil to the faster super soft tyres late on didn’t pay off as his slumped to 7th.

Lewis Hamilton was also on a two stop strategy but unlike Raikkonen he couldn’t make his tyres last and was forced to stop three times and settle for 5th. His team mate Nico Rosberg was running in a comfortable 6th before a mechanical failure ended his afternoon early. The silver arrows are not as quick as the Red Bull, Ferrari or Lotus but they have made a great step forward and will be competitive at the front this season.

Podium 2013 Australian F1 GP: 1. Raikkonen 2. Alonso 3. Vettel

However there are problems at McLaren. Jenson Button finished 9th and Sergio Pérez 11th. The car is clearly struggling and it is unlikely things will improve before the 5th race in Spain. As today revealed it will be a tight contest between the three leading teams and so a fascinating season is in store. Next weekend the F1 circus hits Malaysia, where temperatures will soar and the rain will be heavy. For Kimi Raikkonen though, it can only be shining after an  electric start to the season. The only previous time he has won the opening race of the championship, he went on to win the championship in 2007. Is this a sign of things to come?

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