McLaren star enjoyed his battle from the backKimi Raikkonen said today that his victory in the Japanese Grand Prix will go down as one of his best ever races after he snatched the win in a nail-biting finish.
The Finn raced through from 17th to first, picking off former
world champion
Michael Schumacher in one of several passing moves in a thrilling race, and passing
Giancarlo Fisichella for the win on the final lap.
"That is one of the best for sure, maybe the best one, because I really had to fight for it and after all the problems we had this weekend it was very nice," he said. "There was quite a lot happening during the race all the time there was traffic and I was not really able to run my own speed, in the clean air, only at the end. It was exciting with some nice overtaking."
"It is always nice when you can fight like this. I am very happy, of course, for the win, and maybe it makes me more happy than normal because it's nicer than driving a whole race on your own in front."
Raikkonen's face was in stark contrast to two weeks ago in the Brazilian Grand Prix, when he lost any chance of battling back in the world championship fight with
Fernando Alonso after finishing second to team-mate
Juan Pablo Montoya.
The race left observers claiming it one of the best ever, packed with wheel-to-wheel overtaking moves and ending with the fairytale seventh victory of the year for Raikkonen in a McLaren.
But after a season where overtaking has proved difficult on many tracks the fact that there was far more battles this weekend was, Raikkonen claimed, down to a change in the Japanese circuit.
"I think the nature of the circuit seems to somehow suit this year better than other years," he said. "There was quite a big speed difference with some cars and the change to the circuit has definitely made it easier to overtake here."
"I think the quick left-hander is now easier so you can follow (another car) through, going flat behind people and it makes it easier to try and overtake into the chicane and onto the main straight."
That is where the lead changed hands, when Raikkonen sped past Fisichella after almost touching wheels with the Renault driver along the main straight as they completed the penultimate lap.
"I wanted to get past him and I was thinking which way I should go. Of course the inside is more easy to overtake, but Fisichella went on the inside so I didn't have much choice but to go around the outside," Raikkonen said.
A despondent Fisichella conceded: "He was catching me on the straight and going on the left side. I did my best but unfortunately I always try to keep my position but I could see there was the possibility of a collision."
The win was crucial for McLaren Mercedes in their battle with Renault for the constructors' title because, with Alonso third and
Juan Pablo Montoya failing to finish, it kept them within two points of their rivals heading to China.
E.A. Source AFP
