Flying Finn is toast of Monaco

KIMI RAIKKONEN joined the elite winners of the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday and turned up the pressure on early-season drivers’ championship leader Fernando Alonso when he secured victory on the streets of the Mediterranean principality.

Finn Raikkonen started from his third consecutive pole position, led from start to finish and established himself as the man most likely to stop the young Spaniard from becoming the youngest driver in history to seize the drivers’ crown in succession to veteran German Michael Schumacher of Ferrari.

“It was very nice,” said the shy young Nordic driver with characteristic understatement. “But of course it is a special race. A few years ago I got so close but I couldn’t get past Montoya at that time, but now finally it happened so I am very happy.

“It is just the same, you get ten points from this race, but this is a special place and everyone looks in a slightly different way when you win in Monaco. For sure, we will have a good party tonight.”

Raikkonen’s win was the first by a Finn since former world champion Mika Hakkinen won for McLaren in 1998. Previously Keke Rosberg won in 1983.

The race, run on the sinuous and challenging streets of Monte Carlo, is regarded as one of the blue riband events in world motor racing and the winners, including such illustrious figures as five-times winner Graham Hill of Britain, four-times winner Frenchman Alain Prost and six-times winner Ayrton Senna of Brazil, are legends. Schumacher, now 36, fading towards the end of his great career, but still a feisty fighter for Ferrari, has also won the race six times - which proves how much further Raikkonen has to go to join the true greats of the track.

“Actually, I was a bit worried when the Safety Car came out because I missed the pit lane as I wasn’t sure what the team was saying,” he admitted in the euphoria of his victory. “Then just after I came past the pit entry they told me to come in and I said no, its too late’, but they just told me I needed to get a 20-second or something lead before my pit stop.

“I wasn’t sure, so I pushed as hard as I could and about halfway before my pit-stop I noticed I would have easily the lead, so I didn’t need to go 100%.”

Raikkonen’s win was his second in succession this year and proved that not only he is a serious contender for the title, but that Alonso’s Renault team are now beatable after their early-season spell of ascendancy.

Raikkonen started from his third consecutive pole position, led from start to finish and, aided by a McLaren team that executed a one-stop strategy to perfection, won with some ease.

On a weekend of hyperbole and glitz, he drove with a diamond-studded helmet given by a team sponsor.

Alonso, the championship leader, struggled with tyres and dropped from second to fourth late in the race when Williams drivers Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber passed to climb onto the podium. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya raced his way to fifth place for McLaren, despite starting from 16th after being punished for causing an accident in practice, while German Ralf Schumacher managed to secure sixth for Toyota.

The Ferrari duo of Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello climbed up from their mid-grid starting positions to secure some points for the ailing Italian team in seventh and eighth.

Alonso remains in the championship lead, 22-points clear of Raikkonen, who took over second place from Italian Jarno Trulli.

Raikkonen thanked the Williams pair for stealing a potential extra three points from Alonso. But the Finn knows there is a long way to go.