Share

Lotus wins Oz nail-biter

MELBOURNE, Australia - It was a poor start to the Australian Grand Prix as rain and crash delays forced race organisers to post pone the race. Fortunately though for Formula 1 fans, the race was a superb nail-biting jostle for first place.

Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen claimed his 20th race win and the first race victory of the 2013 F1 season. He finished ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in second and third place respectively.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished in fourth place ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

GREAT COMEBACK FOR SUTIL

Red Bull's Mark Webber finished in sixth followed by Force India pair Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta in seventh and eighth place respectively.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel had a poor start to the race, despite leading from pole position, heading to the pits on lap seven. Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg took the lead from lap 11 to 14.

Force India's Adrian Sutil made a great comeback to F1, after a year of absence following his assault conviction, leading the race from lap 15 to 22. An impressive return for Sutil who completed 20 laps before pitting.

Raikkonen took the lead ahead of the Mercedes duo on lap 25.

MALDONADO CAR 'UNDRIVEABLE'

Pastor Maldonado had a nightmare weekend claiming his Williams F1 car was "undriveable". During the race on March 17 he slipped of the track a few times before ultimately ending his Australian GP run on lap 25.

Rosberg suffered a mechanical failure on lap 27 and was forced to retire.

Rain began pouring down on the circuit on lap 29 with many fearing a repeat of the dreadful first qualifying session on March 26 2013.

Raikkonen continued to lead rivals on lap 32 as Hamilton and Alonso jostled for second place. The new Mercedes recruit was forced to give up his challenge and opted for a fresh set of tyres leaving Alonso gunning for Raikkonen.

KIMI IN COMMAND

Raikkonen relinquished the lead to Alonso following a pit stop on lap 35.

Adrian Sutil snatched the lead on lap 41 before being overtaken by Raikkonen whose Lotus performed well throughout the race. By lap 45, Raikkonen remained ahead followed by Sutil, Alonso and Vettel. Alonso managed to pass Sutil during lap 46 on turn three and set his sights on Raikkonen.

With five laps to go, Raikkonen appeared to be firmly in command ahead of Alonso and Vettel. Raikkonen was ultimately victorious with a commanding lead of 12 seconds to closet rival Alonso.

2013 Australian Grand Prix results:

1 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus  1hour30min03.225
2 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari +00min12.451
3 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull  0min22.346
4 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 0min33.577
5 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 0min45.561
6 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull  0min46.800
7 Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1min05.068
8 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India - Mercedes 1min08.449
9 Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1min21.630
10 Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus 1min22.759
11 Sergio Perez (Mexico) McLaren 1min23.367
12 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 1min23.857
13 Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Sauber - Ferrari 1 lap
14 Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams 1 lap
15 Jules Bianchi (France) Marussia  1 lap
16 Charles Pic (France) Caterham  2 laps
17 Max Chilton (Britain) Marussia  2 laps
18 Giedo van der Garde (Netherlands) Caterham  2 laps
Retired Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 19 laps
Ret Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 32 laps
Ret Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams  34 laps
Ret Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Sauber - Ferrari 58 laps
(Rank:Ret = retired, nc = not classified)

Fastest Lap: Kimi Raikkonen,1min29.274, lap 56.

Qualifying session two and three
Qualifying session one

First practice
Second practice
Third practice
 
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()