Raikkonen increases lead after comfortable win in Spain
Kimi Raikkonen clinches his second win of the season
Sunday, 27, Apr 2008 09:03
World champion Kimi Raikkonen cruised to victory in the Spanish grand prix in Barcelona.
The Ferrari driver started from pole to take the chequered flag ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa.
Brazilian Massa held off a valiant challenge from McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who took third place.
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was fourth while Renault's double world-champion Fernando Alonso retired from fifth place with engine failure.
The race was marred by a horrendous 150 mph crash involving McLaren's Heiki Kovalainen.
The Finn was taken away on a stretcher after his car was trapped in a tyre barrier after smashing into a corner and spearing over the gravel.
But it was Raikkonen's day as he extended his lead in the drivers' championship, after his 17th career win.
The Ferrari driver built up a hefty lead over Massa in the first part of the race, eventually finishing 3.2 seconds ahead of his team-mate.
Hamilton, who started from fifth on pole, was breathing down the neck of Massa throughout and finished less than a second behind the Brazilian.
Alonso's retirement on lap 32 handed fifth place to Red Bull's Mark Webber, while Jenson Button had his best race of the season after taking sixth spot.
Red Bull's David Coulthard lasted just one lap before retiring following a collision while Anthony Davidson retired on lap 58 for the Super Aguri team.
Round five of the F1 championship takes place in Istanbul for the Turkish grand prix on May 11th.