McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen lapped fastest on Saturday in a wet final practice session for Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Kimi Raikkonen made a forgettable start to his world title defence when a fuel pump problem ruined his chances of securing pole position at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The Finn will start Sunday's race from the unfamiliar place of 16th on the grid after his Ferrari broke down at the end of Saturday's first qualifying session at Albert Park.
The Finn won the race for the second year in a row and kept Renault's Fernando Alonso waiting for the Formula One title.
Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will make his return to Formula One in 2012 after signing a two-year contract with Lotus Renault, the team said on Tuesday.
The final three races will decide whether Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, Williams' Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya or Raikkonen takes the F1 title.
The Formula One gossip factory is in full swing over the future of Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen. And McLaren are not doing any more to stop the rumour mills surrounding the Finnish driver's next move.
Formula One 'Iceman' Kimi Raikkonen lapped fastest for Lotus in the Bahrain desert heat on Friday after Ferrari had set the early practice pace.
He will start on the front row alongside Renault's Fernando Alonso. India's Narain Karthikeyan qualified on 17th place.
World champion Kimi Raikkonen will not be given preferential treatment over Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa this season, Ferrari's new team boss Stefano Domenicali said on Wednesday.
The McLaren driver took the fight to Michael Schumacher with the top time in the first qualifying for Sunday's European GP.
Kimi Raikkonen took pole position on an all-Ferrari front row for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Renault took second and third place with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and newly-crowned champion Fernando Alonso respectively.
The Finn made a triumphant start to his Ferrari career with a pole-to-flag victory in the season-opening Formula One race.
McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen is fully fit for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix after missing testing last week to recover from a crash at the previous race in Turkey.
The Ferrari world champions said on Thursday he had no explanation for the run of four races without a point that has wrecked his title defence.
Renault's Fernando Alonso will replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next season, the Italian team said Wednesday. Spain's Alonso, World champion in 2005 and 2006, has signed a three-year deal and will partner Felipe Massa next year.
Sebastian Vettel cocooned himself from distraction, took inspiration from Kimi Raikkonen's astonishing 2007 title comeback and then shed tears of joy on becoming Formula One's youngest champion on Sunday.
Toyota have offered Kimi Raikkonen a deal for next season but the 2007 Formula One champion's management wants more, according to the team's motorsport president John Howett. The party-loving Finn has said he wants to be in a competitive car, and Toyota have yet to win a race since they entered the sport in 2002.
Kimi Raikkonen will take a year out of Formula One after failing to reach a deal with McLaren for next season the 2007 world champion's manager was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Kimi Raikkonen returned to the top of the Formula One podium for the first time since 2009 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, leaving his Lotus team in no doubt that he knew what he was doing.
The Ferrari driver was confirmed as 2007 F1 world champion after a court rejected a McLaren appeal that could have handed Lewis Hamilton the title instead.
Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen stretched his Formula One lead to nine points with a dominant win from pole position in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix for Lotus on Sunday, beating Ferrari's Fernando Alonso into second place at Albert Park.
Germany's Nick Heidfeld was second for Williams with Australian team mate Mark Webber third for his first podium finish.
Kimi Raikkonen won the Belgian Grand Prix for Ferrari's first success of the Formula One season on Sunday after championship leader Jenson Button crashed on the opening lap.
Kimi Raikkonen says his McLaren needs to be more powerful as well as more reliable if he is to win the championship this season.
The winner of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix is just four points behind Red Bull's triple world champion Sebastian Vettel after five of the 19 races and hitting the sort of form that brought him the title as a Ferrari driver.
Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen embarks on a new career in the World Rally Championship this weekend but the Finn is under no illusions about how difficult the season-opening event in Sweden might be.
Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is unlikely to return to Formula One, he was quoted as saying on Saturday.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen turned the Formula One title battle into a three-way fight down to the wire with victory in China on Sunday after McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton skidded out.
Kimi Raikkonen gave Lotus a dream start to the Formula One season on Sunday with a winning strategy carried out to perfection in the Australian Grand Prix.
Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen has renewed his contract with Ferrari and will race for them again next season, the Formula One team said.
The 'Dream Team' so closely associated with Michael Schumacher's success is no more.
Magny-Cours marked the turning point of the Finn's season last year and he needs another French Grand Prix win on Sunday after slipping to fourth place overall.
Pre-season testing times suggest that Ferrari and McLaren, who won all the races between them last year, are still in a class of their own.
The McLaren driver was crowned driver of the year by Britain's Autosport magazine despite being beaten to the F1 title by Alonso.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances