F1 Japanese GP: Kimi Raikkonen wins from 17th on the Grid

October 10, 2005 Having won nine of the previous 12 Grands Prix the team contested, a McLaren Mercedes victory was predictable at the Japanese Grand Prix held yesterday, but in the end the team’s sixth consecutive victory was a complete surprise. Having finished the last Grand Prix in first and second positions, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen were the last drivers in the qualifying order and when torrential rain hit during the last part of qualifying, their qualifying times were so handicapped by the flooded track they began the race in 17th and 18th positions respectively. In a sport where passing is extremely difficult, that gave the team almost no chance of a victory but such is the competitiveness of the McLaren, Raikkonen drove through the field to 12th on the first lap and picked off those in front of him one by one, passing Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault part way through the last of 53 laps to take the win. McLaren must be ruing its early season fragility as this championship is surely one that got away.

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