Despair for Raikkonen as Alonso moves further ahead

KIMI Raikkonen’s title dreams were shattered yesterday when hydraulic failures on his McLaren stole victory from his grasp and handed championship leader Fernando Alonso his sixth win of the year.

The Finn had dominated all weekend and looked a safe bet for victory halfway through the race until bad luck struck once again to leave him stranded as his Renault rival flew by.

Raikkonen could only watch in dismay as Alonso gained another vital ten points advantage in the title race.

“There is still a mathematical chance that I can win the drivers’ championship but it is getting difficult,” admitted Raikkonen.

“It’s always terrible to retire from a race but to retire while in the lead with a good gap to the number two car is even worse. This is the worst thing that could have happened as it looked like the race was in the bag.

“I’ve had my fair share of bad luck this season but we now need to overcome today’s disappointment and focus on the Hungarian race and the rest of the season. We will keep fighting.”

The omens were there before the race as Raikkonen had never finished a race at Hockenheim, but the Finn was left shocked after yet another mechanical failure cost him dear.

Engine failure in practice for the last two races in France and Britain cost him potential victories and the sight of the McLaren shuddering to a halt brought shivers to the team on the pit wall.

But there was joy in the opposing camp as Alonso was there in the shadows to steal the win, ease home to his seventh career victory, and push himself 36 points clear of Raikkonen in the championship race.

Alonso refused to get carried away, insisting that it could all turn around with 70 points still on offer from the remaining seven races, but he admitted the result put him in a very comfortable position for the title.

“It was obviously a fantastic day, perfect for me,” said Alonso.

“I did my perfect race, the car’s balance was almost perfect from the beginning to the end, I felt really good and competitive.

“After the retirement from Kimi the race was a bit boring being in first place with such a gap. McLaren were so dominant all weekend but the race is 70 laps, not 30, and we finish the races.

“I approach the championship race by race and so far it has been a good way to approach because I have a nice gap, so it is good for me. Hopefully if we keep finishing the races it will be difficult for him to recover this.”

It was little satisfaction for McLaren that Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya raced through from 20th on the grid to secure them second place, thanks to a different strategy and the teams clear race-winning pace.

It was Montoya’s second podium of the season, following on from his victory at Silverstone two weeks previously, but even he was left admitting his own mistake had cost him the chance of handing McLaren victory.

He started from the back after a crash in qualifying. “It is a bit frustrating because on the pace we had I should have won the race but I made a mistake yesterday,” he said.

A podium finish was more of a delight for Briton Jenson Button as it was his team’s first top-three finish of the season and proved they are back on the pace after a tough year so far.

World champion Michael Schumacher looked set to secure fourth but the Ferrari driver buckled under pressure from Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella in the closing stages and dropped to fifth on the penultimate lap.

The German was followed home by his brother Ralf, of Toyota, in sixth with David Coulthard claiming his sixth points finish for Red Bull and Felipe Massa securing the final point for Sauber.

Raikkonen made the perfect getaway from pole to lead cleanly into the first corner but his fellow front-row starter Button, starting on the dirty side of the track, was not so lucky.

Button was easily passed by Alonso for second off the line then dropped down to fourth when world champion Schumacher got past in an aggressive manoeuvre on the outside of turn one.

Alonso and Schumacher had made their first stops one lap previously then Raikkonen set the fastest lap on lap 24 before peeling into the pits at the end of the 25th lap to make his stop.

He came out with the entire length of the pit straight between him and second-placed Alonso with Schumacher third, Button fourth and Montoya, who stopped on lap 27, climbing to fifth having fuelled up after his qualifying mistake.

But it all went disastrously wrong for Raikkonen on lap 36 when his car came to a sudden shuddering halt at turn five and he walked away despondently as his car was pushed away - and with it probably his championship hopes.