Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland gestures as he takes a victory lap after winning the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 17, 2013. PHOTO: AFP
The taciturn Finn roared off from seventh on the starting grid to take a forward position, and employed a strategy of only two stops to take the race from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull world champion Sebastian Vettel.
For Raikkonen, 33, who won the 2007 world championship with Ferrari before taking two years out to drive in rallying, it was his 20th GP triumph.
Raikkonen had the luxury of an easy run in the closing laps to the finish line and beat Alonso by 12.4secs, with Vettel a further 9.8secs away in third.
Alonso’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa of Brazil was fourth, with Britain’s Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes fifth and Australian Mark Webber in a Red Bull sixth.
“I believe my car is quite good and when we did the longer run it felt good,” said Raikkonen.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2013.
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