Formula One 2007 – Ferrari emphatically takes the first battle

The first round of the 2007 Formula One championship got underway at Albert Park in Australia today, with Kimi Raikkonen claiming an emphatic first victory for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. Ferrari F1 supremo Jean Todt said, “a new chapter in Ferrari's history has got off to a very good start,” and well he might. Raikkonen led from pole to his first pit stop, briefly handed the lead to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of talented rookie Lewis Hamilton, then was never headed again. When the pace was at its hottest, he was close to a second a lap faster than his rivals. For McLaren Mercedes, two podiums secured it the manufacturers championship lead with 14 points, but Massa’s drive from last place into sixth means Ferrari trails by just a point.

Jean Todt was understandably ecstatic. "That was an exciting Grand Prix! We started with our drivers at opposite ends of the grid, with Kimi on pole and Felipe in last place because of an electrical problem in the gearbox management that had hampered his qualifying yesterday. Both of them put on a great performance. Kimi maintained his first place after the start and then did a very good job of managing the race, while Felipe staged a great climb through the field to take him up to sixth place. A new chapter in Ferrari's history has got off to a very good start. The chassis-engine package proved to be competitive, the team worked with dedicated professionalism and the drivers were impeccable. This all means that we can look forward to the rest of the championship with prudent optimism, even if we have seen there is some very strong and well prepared opposition and some very talented young drivers. We have not yet reached the desired level of reliability and we have to do a lot of work on this as well as on improving our performance. I was very happy to get two telephone calls, the first from Michael as I was going up to the podium, which I handed to Kimi and the other from Luca di Montezemolo who was jumping for joy as if this was our first win in a decade. And indeed that is the feeling for us all!"

The normally reserved Raikkonen showed more enthusiasm than normal in his tenth career win, indicating that Ferrari’s essence is beginning to win through. "A fantastic victory! It is great to be winning again with my new team whom I want to thank for giving me a great car. The race was not as easy as it might have looked from the outside, partly because shortly after the start, the radio failed so it was almost impossible to talk to the pit wall. Fortunately we had prepared well for the race and I knew what I had to do, but there were a few difficult moments. I was not flat out all the time, adapting my pace to the way the race was going. It was nice to hear my national anthem again on the podium as it had been a while. I have to say that last year it seemed to be the Italian one I was hearing usually. This is a great way to start the championship. We know we have a very competitive package but we still have to work to make it even better and above all, reliable."

Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton finished today's Australian Grand Prix in second and third places respectively achieving an almost perfect start to the season for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. Lewis' third place was the best performance from a rookie driver since 1996 and the Englishman even led the race for a few laps.

Defending World Champion Fernando Alonso was buoyant despite the loss. "What a great way to start the season and my career as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver. Of course it's always better to win but Kimi was a little bit quicker than us today, however we scored the maximum points that were possible, and I'm really pleased. My start was a bit strange with both BMWs being very quick off the line, and I was so busy defending my line from Heidfeld on the outside that it was not possible for me to stay ahead of him. I was then behind Lewis for a while and was just focusing on keeping up with him and sometimes dropping back to allow the car to cool down. I took second after the second pitstop as I was able to stay out for an additional two laps. Originally it was meant to be one lap but because I was behind Lewis I managed to save enough fuel for one more lap. Both of the Bridgestone Potenza tyre options worked well. We will now continue to work hard to give us the best opportunity to beat Ferrari at the Malaysian Grand Prix."

Lewis Hamilton made a dream start to his career and looks set to be able to handle the pressure of beginning his career in Formula One with such a high profile team. Hamilton looks to be superstar material. He famously introduced himself to McLaren boss Ron Dennis at an awards night (Hamilton had won a national karting championship) when he was just ten years of age, telling him his ambition was to one day drive for McLaren, to which Dennis replied, “come back in a decade.”

Three years later, after noting the focus of the young man on the night and subsequently watching him take a string of national titles, Dennis called Lewis’ parents and offered Hamilton a scholarship, taking on a mentoring role and ensuring the gifted youngster got the financial backing to fast-track his way to the pinnacle of motorsport.

Hamilton appears the ideal student. He has been focussed on developing all the skills required to become an F1 driver, on and off the track, for more than a decade despite his tender years. "I'm absolutely ecstatic – today's result is more than I ever dreamed of achieving on my Grand Prix debut. A big thank you to the team who have worked so hard during the winter to make sure I was as prepared as I possible could be. I made a good start but the BMWs were quick off the line and Kubica managed to get past.”

“There was no room on the inside so I got on the left and managed to outbrake both Kubica and Fernando coming into the first corner to take third. The race was intense, and I was working very hard. I made a few mistakes but nothing major and really enjoyed myself. It was great to lead the race for a few laps, but I knew it was only a temporary thing. Fernando got past me at the second pitstop as he was able to stay out a bit longer and I lost some time behind backmarkers. We now have a lot of work ahead of us with the Malaysia test and the rest of the season, but there is no doubt that we can build from what has been achieved today."

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