F1 - Canadian GP: Raikkonen & McLaren again

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June 12, 2005 McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen won today's Canadian Grand Prix to gain ten important Championship points and move back into contention for the World Championship with 37 points as points leader (63) Fernando Alonso failed to finish. Raikkonen’s win brought McLaren to 63 points in the Constructors' ranking just 13 points behind Renault. It was also a day of the resurgent Ferrari team, with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello scoring strong second and third places and bringing Ferrari into a five way fight for the Constructors championship.

It was a bitter sweet day for the West McLaren Mercedes team as Kimi Raikkonen scored a superb third win of the season in the Canadian Grand Prix. But what should have been a one-two finish for the team ended when Juan Pablo Montoya was black-flagged for driving through the red light at the end of the pit lane. Surrounding Kimi’s silver overalls on the podium was the red of second placed Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. With both Renaults retiring, today’s result sees Kimi and his team close the gap to the leaders in both championships.

The Ile Notre Dame was sweltering in 32 sticky degrees as the cars lined up for the eighth round of the world championship here in Montreal. One car was not on the grid, as Ferrari decided to start Rubens Barrichello from pit lane, after he failed to set a time in Qualifying.

An absolutely astonishing start from the two Renaults on the second row, as Fisichella and Alonso dived either side of M Schumacher before overtaking pole man Button to go first and second. The two West McLaren Mercedes of Montoya and Raikkonen also got past the Ferrari to lie fourth and fifth at the end of the first of 70 laps.

Seventh was Trulli, followed by Sato, Massa, Heidfeld, R Schumacher just passing Coulthard, then Villeneuve down to 13th before pitting on lap 2 for a new nose cone. Then came Webber, Klien, Albers, Karthikeyan, Barrichello, Freisacher and Monteiro.

Lap 4 and Fisichella led his team mate by 1.0 with Button trailing 3.1 behind. There was a good all-German scrap for 10th place as R Schumacher tried to pass Heidfeld. Barrichello was gradually working his way through the tail enders, moving up to 15th on lap 10.

M Schumacher was the first to pit on lap 12, dropping him to 12th. Button pitted from third on lap 15, proving that both front row men had qualified with a relatively light fuel load. R Schumacher also came in on this lap. Sato refuelled on lap 16.

Lap 18 and leader Fisichella was almost eight seconds ahead of third placed Montoya, with Kimi a further second down on his team-mate, as David Coulthard visited the pits. At this point in the race, the two West McLaren Mercedes drivers were trading fastest lap times.

Massa and Heidfeld refuelled at the end of lap 21, closely followed by Klien. Alonso found himself behind the Red Bull man who came out of the pits ahead of him and the Spaniard shook his fist in frustration as he went past. Sato retired his BAR in the pits on lap 22 as Trulli refuelled from fifth place.

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