Kimi wins in France

MAGNY-COURS – Kimi Raikkonen led Ferrari to a one-two finish and back into the battle for this year’s Formula One world championship yesterday when he won the French Grand Prix in emphatic style.

The 27-year-old Finn came home ahead of his team-mate Brazilian Felipe Massa, 25, as the Italian team delivered their first one-two of the season and the first in 14 races since last year’s German Grand Prix. The result prompted Raikkonen to predict a Ferrari revival after a period in the doldrums and he said they would now be a force in the championship.But 22-year-old British rookie Lewis Hamilton extended his lead in the drivers’ championship from 10 points to 14 by coming home third for McLaren Mercedes-Benz.And afterwards, Hamilton, like Raikkonen, predicted that he could win the next race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next yesterday.”I am sure we can bounce back and win again,” he said.”The gap today was not what it looked.”To the delight of Italian fans, who feared that Ferrari were falling away this season and that Raikkonen, signed from McLaren last winter, could not deliver his best form for Ferrari, the Finn was back to his fastest as he claimed his second win of the season.”That felt much better,” he said.”We have had some tough times but we have to go through that sometimes.It’s been hard, but we have worked hard and the car was much better for us here today.Nampa-AFPThe result prompted Raikkonen to predict a Ferrari revival after a period in the doldrums and he said they would now be a force in the championship.But 22-year-old British rookie Lewis Hamilton extended his lead in the drivers’ championship from 10 points to 14 by coming home third for McLaren Mercedes-Benz.And afterwards, Hamilton, like Raikkonen, predicted that he could win the next race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next yesterday.”I am sure we can bounce back and win again,” he said.”The gap today was not what it looked.”To the delight of Italian fans, who feared that Ferrari were falling away this season and that Raikkonen, signed from McLaren last winter, could not deliver his best form for Ferrari, the Finn was back to his fastest as he claimed his second win of the season.”That felt much better,” he said.”We have had some tough times but we have to go through that sometimes.It’s been hard, but we have worked hard and the car was much better for us here today.Nampa-AFP