BARCELONA, Spain, 9 May 2005 — Kimi Raikkonen won yesterday’s Spanish Grand Prix, wrecking home hopes of another victory for Fernando Alonso and ending his and the Renault team’s triumphant start to the 2005 season at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Finn Raikkonen, in his McLaren-Mercedes-Benz, blitzed the field with a demonstration of near-perfect pace and flawless driving as he took the lead from the fifth pole position of his career and pulled away virtually unchallenged to claim his first win this year and third of his career. Raikkonen’s success ruined Spanish hopes of seeing the early-season leader of the world drivers’ championship Alonso, 23, extend his winning streak to four races.
Alonso, after a tough race, held on to second place for Renault. Italian Jarno Trulli, in a Toyota, finished third to consolidate his hold on second place behind Alonso in the title race.
Ralf Schumacher was fourth in the second Toyota, less than a second behind his teammate, with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella fifth for Renault, after clocking the fastest lap on the final lap of the race.
Australian Mark Webber finished sixth for Williams ahead of McLaren driver Colombian Juan-Pablo Montoya and Briton David Coulthard, who maintained his good points-collection record, by finishing with one for eighth for the Red Bull team.
It was another disastrous day for Ferrari with defending and seven-times world champion German Michael Schumacher being forced to retire after suffering two punctures and his teammate Brazilian Rubens Barrichello among the cars lapped by the flying Finn on his way to a pointless ninth place.
The 66-laps race began with the grandstands as blue as the skies, an estimated 15,000 fans, clad in blue T-shirts and wrapped in similar flags, from Alonso’s home region of the Asturias in northern Spain having made the trip across the Iberian peninsula to Catalonia.
