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In Pictures
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In Pictures: Formula One’s season-opener
Kimi Raikkonen triumphs in the first race of the F1 season in Melbourne, Australia.
Kimi Raikkonen claimed victory in Formula One’s season-opener in Melbourne, upstaging the favourites to take victory.
Published On 17 Mar 2013
17 Mar 2013
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The Lotus driver came from seventh on the starting grid to take the race from Ferrari(***)s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull world champion Sebastian Vettel.
The win marks the 20th GP triumph for the Finn, who won the 2007 world championship with Ferrari before taking two years out to compete in rallying.
Raikkonen stopped for two tyre changes compared to three by his rivals: "We knew that if the front tyres were lasting we would be fine. I was confident, but you have to get through the start and the first lap and it(***)s the first race so you never know what(***)s going to happen."
Meanwhile, 2012 champion Sebastian Vettel, who had the fastest car from qualifying and started off the pole, said tyre degradation cost him his chance of victory.
Ferrari’s Alonso was pleased to get on the podium after difficult starts in the previous two seasons: "This year it feels very different and we feel much more optimistic and the car is responding well, we are competitive, so we have a very interesting season ahead of us."
And it wasn’t a bad start for 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, racing for the first time with Mercedes after leaving McLaren. He finished in fifth and said the result was better than expected.