Kimi Raikkonen Back on Track with Malaysian Win

Defending drivers’ world champion Kimi Raikkonen bounced back to form and back into the scrap for this year’s title when he won the Malaysian Grand Prix for Ferrari on Sunday.

Starting second on the grid, the Finn assumed control of the race following the first set of pit stops and eventually took the checkered flag some 20 seconds ahead of BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica.

But the Italian team’s hopes of a dream one-two finish just a week after their embarrassing failure at Melbourne, where both cars failed to complete the race, were wrecked by Brazilian Felipe Massa spinning off on lap 30 while running second.

The error by Massa gave Robert Kubica a perfect opportunity to finish second and he did so with a calm and solid performance to come ahead of steadily improving Finn Heikki Kovalainen for McLaren Mercedes-Benz.

It was Kubica’s career best result in Formula One.

Kovalainen’s McLaren teammate Briton Lewis Hamilton, who won in Australia, endured a troubled race which was compromised by a problematic opening pit stop, to finish fifth behind Jarno Trulli in a Toyota.

Raikkonen’s win was the 16th of his career and proved he is carrying no “negative baggage” after his dismal outing at Albert Park where he spun twice, but still managed to collect a point for being classified eighth.

It was also Raikkonen’s seventh win for Ferrari and his second win in Malaysia.

His win increased his total of points for the season to 11 after two races. This cut Hamilton’s lead at the top to just three points, the Englishman collecting four points.

German Nick Heidfeld finished sixth behind Hamilton in the second BMW after being caught up in a dramatic sequence of events at turn one on the opening lap.

Australian Mark Webber made up for his bad luck in his home race in Australia last Sunday by finishing seventh, ahead of double champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso who was eighth for Renault.

Cross Posted @ Asian Motor Sports

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