F1 News
Date: 4/November/2012
Kimi Raikkonen took his first F1 Grand Prix victory since 2009 at Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening, during a dramatic race that also saw Sebastian Vettel retain the title lead with a last-to-third charge.
Raikkonen, who returned to F1 from a two-year sabbatical at the start of this year, took the lead when pole sitter Lewis Hamilton retired with mechanical problems on lap 20 of 55.
The Finn, 33, was never headed thereafter, living up to his ‘Iceman’ nickname through two safety car periods and a late attack from title contender Fernando Alonso.
The Ferrari driver finished less than one-second from Raikkonen to cut Vettel’s championship advantage to ten points with just two rounds remaining, but must surely have hoped for greater gains.
Vettel started from the pitlane after being excluded from qualifying due to insufficient fuel for the required FIA checks - then needed a new front wing during the race.
The reigning double champion suffered light damage during contact with another driver, but Red Bull were unsure whether it was worth losing the time needed to change the wing.
The decision was eventually taken for them when Vettel struck a DRS marker while swerving to avoid the sister Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo, which slowed down unexpectedly during a safety car period.
Vettel rose above the adversity to seize the final podium place from the remaining McLaren of Jenson Button late in the race and was clearly delighted with his performance.
“Usually it’s hard enough to fight your way once through the field, but we did it twice!” said Vettel. “We damaged the front wing early, which didn’t seem to be a big problem and then I had a moment with the Toro Rosso behind the safety car.
“He was braking his car and I was surprised, caught out. Maybe I should have paid more attention, but I went to the right and I wasn’t very lucky, there was the DRS board, which I took head on and I thought ‘well, now the wing is [finished] at least, so we’ve got to change it,’
“We were dead last and from then we went through the field. It was a lot of fun. The most important thing was that the pace was there and we were in a very strong position.
“A great fight with Jenson in the end, who was the most difficult to pass. I enjoyed the fight a lot, tried a couple of times and finally made it. He was very, very fair. You can’t do that kind of move with all the drivers on the grid.
“And after that not enough laps left to catch up with Kimi and Fernando but the pace was there. It was a great result in the end. It was a big chance to lose out a lot today, but we didn’t lose anything, so I’m very happy.”
An intense Alonso looked fired-up after taking points back from Vettel for the first time in five starts and preferred to reflect on their progress from qualifying.
“Our [pre-race] simulations gave us the possibility to finish fifth or sixth, despite what Sebastian was doing, so we were not very optimistic,” he said.
“We didn’t have the pace and then today we were fighting for victory - surprising again. This is thanks to a perfect Sunday for us, maximising what we have in hands.
“If we finish in front of Sebastian in the next two races then maybe we have a chance [of the Championship]. So that’s our concentration now… I'm confident. We will fight until the end”.
But the night belonged to 2007 World Champion Raikkonen, who remained typically relaxed after taking his 19th Grand Prix win and the first for Lotus since its rebranding from Renault.
“I’m very happy for the team - and myself - but mainly for the team,” he said. “It’s really a hard season for the team and not an easy time. Hopefully this gives them more belief, not just for the guys making all the work but also for the guys who run the team. I hope this can turn around the tables and give us many more good races and wins. If not this year then next year.”
Raikkonen, who told his engineer to stop bothering him several times over the radio during the course of the race, added: “For sure, they are just trying to help, but if you keep saying the same things two times a minute over the radio… I'm not so stupid that I cannot remember what I'm doing!”
The only downside for Raikkonen on Sunday was that his 2012 title hopes officially came to an end, although he holds a sizeable 31 point advantage over Mark Webber for third in the standings.
“We got the win, we might have lost the championship on the same day but I don't really care. We didn't really expect to be fighting with them anyhow,” he shrugged.
Raikkonen is the eighth different winner this season.
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