Raikkonen Still on the Outside Looking In - F1 Report
If you said McLaren-Mercedes driver Kimi Räikkönen has the fastest car in Formula 1, you'd be hard pressed for anyone to make a case against it. In
fact, Raikkonen proved it again with another convincing win in the Belgium Grand Prix. So, why you ask, is he not leading the World Championship?
Räikkönen has been let down - at least three times when leading - by his mount, and that has spelled problems for him in the championship hunt. Championship leader, Renault's Fernando Alonso, continues to amass points in each round, and with his 111 to 86 point lead, and only 30 more points up for grabs in the final three rounds, the championship will probably be decided in Interlagos, Brazil in two weeks time.
While Raikkonen has done all he can to make up ground, his teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya has done little to help his cause. Twice, in the last couple of races, Montoya has basically given points to Alonso - instead of
Raikkonen - when he has either crashed, or gone off the track with a few laps remaining.
On the podium at Spa this weekend, Raikkonen didn't seem that jovial with his win, as he knew the man standing beside him - Alonso - should have been one step lower, and thus helping his championship cause. This was a fact he pointed out in the post race conference, when he stated the obvious, but clearly pointed a finger at his teammate. "If they [Renault] keep finishing behind us, it is not possible to catch him anymore," Raikkonen said.
On a Canadian note, Sauber's Jacques Villeneuve had his best result in some time when he finished sixth in Belgium. "Overall, this was a great result that brought me a lot of satisfaction, especially on this challenging track," said Villeneuve.
If you said McLaren-Mercedes driver Kimi Räikkönen has the fastest car in Formula 1, you'd be hard pressed for anyone to make a case against it. In
 |
| Kimi Räikkönen has been let down - at least three times when leading - byhis mount, and that has spelled problems for him in the championshiphunt. (Photo: Paul Pedicelli, www.russbondagency.com) |
Räikkönen has been let down - at least three times when leading - by his mount, and that has spelled problems for him in the championship hunt. Championship leader, Renault's Fernando Alonso, continues to amass points in each round, and with his 111 to 86 point lead, and only 30 more points up for grabs in the final three rounds, the championship will probably be decided in Interlagos, Brazil in two weeks time.
While Raikkonen has done all he can to make up ground, his teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya has done little to help his cause. Twice, in the last couple of races, Montoya has basically given points to Alonso - instead of
 |
| Championship leader, Renault's Fernando Alonso, continues to amass points in each round. (Photo: Paul Pedicelli, www.russbondagency.com) |
On the podium at Spa this weekend, Raikkonen didn't seem that jovial with his win, as he knew the man standing beside him - Alonso - should have been one step lower, and thus helping his championship cause. This was a fact he pointed out in the post race conference, when he stated the obvious, but clearly pointed a finger at his teammate. "If they [Renault] keep finishing behind us, it is not possible to catch him anymore," Raikkonen said.
On a Canadian note, Sauber's Jacques Villeneuve had his best result in some time when he finished sixth in Belgium. "Overall, this was a great result that brought me a lot of satisfaction, especially on this challenging track," said Villeneuve.