Raikkonen storms to win in Sakuka - Sun 09th Oct 2005
Kimi Raikkonen produced a barnstorming display to snatch victory on the final lap of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
The McLaren-Mercedes driver, who started 17th on the grid after a weather-affected qualifying session, passed Renault driver and long-time race leader Giancarlo Fisichella on the 53rd lap, the Finn executing a bold manoeuvre around the outside at turn one.
And in a race that proved that, when it gets the bit between its teeth, Formula One still remains unsurpassed in terms of overtaking, spectacle and sheer drama, Raikkonen was not the only driver to display bravery by the bucketload.
Finishing third behind Fisichella was his team-mate Fernando Alonso, the new world champion pulling off three breathtaking moves of his own as, like Raikkonen, he scythed his way to the front after qualifying a lowly 16th in the Saturday's wet conditions.
By lap 17, with Alonso and Raikkonen already up to sixth and seventh places respectively, the pair found themselves caught behind Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. With their San Marino GP roles reversed, it was now the turn of the seven-times world champion to defend his position against the youngster now wearing his crown.
After three laps of mounting frustration for the Spaniard, the pair approached the daunting 130R, a left-hand turn taken at some 180mph. And, this time, Schumacher could simply not stop Alonso as the 24-year-old passed the Ferrari on the outside in a superbly executed move.
Alonso was then faced with the task of passing Schumacher again after the first round of pit stops, which he proceeded to do on lap 33, at exactly the same spot and in exactly the same manner as Raikkonen would eventually pass Fisichella.
Then, running fourth behind Williams driver Mark Webber on lap 49, Alonso passed at exactly the same spot. Although this time preferring a more typical lunge up the inside of the Australian, Alonso still managed to take to the grass in his efforts to close the gap on the leading pair.
The leading pair being Fisichella and Raikkonen. The former had started third on the grid and, having passed Jenson Button's BAR-Honda at the first corner, Fisichella taking the lead on lap 13 after polesitter and early leader Ralf Schumacher made a stop in his Toyota.
Raikkonen, running with more fuel, had moved ahead of Alonso at the first round of pit stops, with the Finn finally getting ahead of Schumacher's Ferrari on lap 29.
Raikkonen was now pursuing the top three of Fisichella, Button and Webber. The former was leading by a comfortable 18 seconds by the time he made his second stop on lap 38 and, with Button and Webber also stopping - excellent pit work from the Williams team putting Webber ahead of his not-quite team-mate - by lap 41 Raikkonen found himself in the lead.
Except that the Finn had yet to make his final stop. And yet, by increasing his already feverish pace each side of his final appointment with his pit crew, Raikkonen found himself only three seconds behind Fisichella by lap 49.
And, with Renault frantically telling Fisichella to up his pace, what had gone before left the clear suspicion that, as Raikkonen swiftly closed the gap, one more daring move was to come.
Yet in spite of Raikkonen's heroics, the result actually sees his team fall two points behind Renault in the constructors' championship, with team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya failing to score after an opening-lap crash - which lead to the safety car being introduced for seven laps - while trying to pass Jacques Villeneuve's Sauber.
And the safety car's withdrawal led indirectly to a curious moment that could have denied Alonso an even better finish. With the cars back up to racing speed, Alonso passed Christian Klien at the end of lap eight - but ran wide at the chicane. Knowing the move was therefore illegal, Alonso let the Red Bull past before blasting by once again at turn one.
Perhaps not spotting Alonso's display of correctness, the race stewards made the world champion - by now some seven seconds ahead of Klien and bearing down on Michael Schumacher - slow down two laps later and let the young Austrian by once again.
Alonso immediately repassed Klien on his way to the podium, ahead of a strong performance from Webber, with Button surely disappointed with his fifth after starting on the front row at Honda's home track.
The fast-starting Coulthard drove a fine race - even leading during the first round of stops - to take sixth ahead of Michael Schumacher, with younger brother Ralf taking the final championship point.
But for Schumacher's Toyota team-mate Jarno Trulli, the race proved apposite of a weekend which had seen the Italian - already struggling with the team's upgraded car - spin off on his qualifying lap.
Starting from the pitlane, Trulli was collected by the BAR-Honda of Takuma Sato at the chicane on lap 10, the damage to the right side of his car proving terminal. Sato, whose impending departure from BAR had left him hoping for a strong performance in front of his devoted home crowd, subsequently limped home in 13th place, a result which was later stripped from him by race stewards.
Japanese Grand Prix, result:
1. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes-Benz 53 laps 01:29:02.212
2. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault-Renault +1.633
3. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +17.456
4. Mark Webber Australia Williams-BMW +22.274
5. Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda +29.507
6. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull Racing-Cosworth +31.601
7. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari-Ferrari +33.879
8. Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota-Toyota +49.548
9. Christian Klien Austria Red Bull Racing-Cosworth +51.925
10. Felipe Massa Brazil Sauber-Petronas +57.509
11. Jacques Villeneuve Canada Sauber-Petronas +58.221
12. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +61.633
13. Takuma Sato Japan BAR-Honda +1 lap
14. Tiago Monteiro Portugal Jordan-Toyota +1 lap
15. Robert Doornbos Holland Minardi-Cosworth +2 laps
16. Narain Karthikeyan India Jordan-Toyota +2 laps
17. Christijan Albers Holland Minardi-Cosworth +4 laps
Rtd Antonio Pizzonia Brazil Williams-BMW 9 laps completed
Rtd Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota 9 laps completed
Rtd Juan Pablo Montoya Colombia McLaren-Mercedes-Benz 0 laps completed
