18/03/2007
NEWS STORY
Kimi Raikkonen won the ING Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. Raikkonen led the race for 52 of the 58 lap race which was run under blue skies at Albert Park.
Second placed Fernando Alonso and third placed Lewis Hamilton both had spells at the head of the field in the race which saw seventeen classified finishers. It was Hamilton's F1 race debut and the reigning GP2 Series champion overtook and led his two-time Formula One world champion team-mate in the early part of the race.
Nick Heidfeld finished fourth for BMW Sauber, ahead of Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella. Felipe Massa started from the back of the grid after an engine and gearbox change and employed a one pitstop strategy to work through the field to finish in sixth position. Nico Rosberg finished in seventh with Ralf Schumacher taking the final championship point. The weekend's fastest lap was set by Raikkonen on lap 41 of the race.
Kees van de Grint, Bridgestone Motorsport Head of Track Engineering Operation: "I am very satisfied with the outcome we have seen in this first race of the season. Both specifications of tyres performed as our simulations predicted; the medium compound was very consistent and the soft compound was more of a challenge for the teams. Despite the large quantity of tyres used this weekend, we did not experience any tyre problems. Scott Speed (Toro Rosso) did suffer from falling pressure in his front tyres. From our and the team's investigations we found these to be from air leakage which was not related to the tyres. For Bridgestone Motorsport there was the new dimension this weekend of supplying tyres to all of the grid. We fitted more than 1800 tyres this weekend for which we had to increase our staff. Everybody worked very hard, but in good Japanese tradition there is always room to improve. We have an even better idea what to do for the future and I look forward to the next tough challenge in Sepang."
To check out our Melbourne race day gallery, click here