On today: Raikkonen’s Suzuka masterclass

They are saying Suzuka is a drivers' monitor, and if that's the case, then Kimi Raikkonen definitely proved his price on 9 October 2005.

Coming into the Japanese Grand Prix, 25-year-old Raikkonen had already misplaced the drivers' title, together with his deficit on new world champion Fernando Alonso having reached 23 factors with two races remaining.

One-lap qualifying meant some frontrunners needed to take care of late-session rain, and Raikkonen lapped in 2m02.309s, some 16 seconds off the tempo; he was going to drop 10 locations on the grid anyway, resulting from an engine penalty.

With Alonso, Raikkonen and his team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya ranging from sixteenth to 18th, it was going to be a race by the pack for the primary frontrunners – besides second Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella, who had a major benefit, beginning third behind Toyota's Ralf Schumacher and BAR-Honda's Jenson Button.

Alonso had the most effective opening lap, leaping from sixteenth to eighth, whereas Raikkonen gained 5 locations to seize twelfth and Montoya crashed out as he discovered himself on the grass when battling Jacques Villeneuve.

Alonso nevertheless discovered himself caught behind Michael Schumacher's Ferrari for 20 laps, whereas Raikkonen overtook Felipe Massa, Antonio Pizzonia and Villeneuve in fast succession, subsequently passing Christian Klien to seek out himself seventh, proper behind Alonso, on lap 14.

Though automobiles adopted each other extra simply in these days, overtaking was not precisely simple within the pre-DRS period, so Raikkonen overtaking three automobiles in three laps was nothing strange.

Six excursions later, Alonso carried out a now-famous, sensational transfer across the outdoors of Schumacher in 130R, however went on to pit 4 laps earlier than the Ferrari driver and Raikkonen, who pushed on low gas and emerged forward of the Renault.

After Schumacher locked up within the chicane, Raikkonen overtook the seven-time world champion across the outdoors of the primary nook, then cleared Button and Mark Webber within the second spherical of pitstops.

The Finn was the final driver to pit, on lap 45 out of 53, rising 5.5s away from race chief Fisichella. Inside 4 laps, Raikkonen introduced the hole right down to half a second.

Feeling the stress, Fisichella was a lot too defensive into the final chicane on the penultimate lap, leaving himself weak on the run right down to Flip 1. Raikkonen ruthlessly pounced, snatching a last-gasp triumph which stays extensively seen as his best F1 drive.

“I believe that was one in all my finest races ever, with plenty of onerous work, and I actually loved myself,” Raikkonen stated after the race. “Contemplating all the issues we've got had right here, to return away with a win is simply improbable.

“I used to be pushing as onerous as I might and the automotive simply obtained higher and higher. After the second cease I had gained sufficient on Fisichella to go for it, and I did. I obtained previous him on the final lap coming into the primary nook, and it was a kind of alternatives you must take.”

Fisichella added: “The workforce advised me Kimi was shut after the final cease, and he caught me up fairly rapidly – particularly once I obtained chopped by a backmarker into 130R, which price me plenty of time. He was very quick within the closing a part of the lap, and I did my finest to carry him off, however he held the road into the primary nook, and that was that.”

Regardless of Raikkonen's victory, Renault's double podium with Fisichella and Alonso turned the scenario round within the constructors' championship, with the Enstone-based squad now two factors forward as an alternative of behind, with the title decider gained by Alonso in China. McLaren would finally have to attend till 2024 for one more constructors' title.

We need to hear from you!

– The Autosport.com Group