Fading Tyres Cost Raikkonen Win in Monza

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen looked set to break his 2018 win jinx in Monza. The veteran Finn led from the start and for majority of the race. Sadly, things were not meant to be as fading tyres compromised him, leaving him at Hamilton’s mercy. To his credit, he managed to keep Hamilton at bay for a long time.

Granted, Ferrari’s day got off to a less-than-stellar start when Sebastian Vettel tangled with Hamilton. So, any chance of Vettel acting as a buffer against Hamilton was out of question. Vettel was stuck, fighting his way up the order while Hamilton continued to harry Raikkonen.

In the pitstop phase, Ferrari blinked first and Kimi dived into the pits for soft tyres. He emerged behind the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas but was unable to overtake. When Hamilton finally pitted, although he emerged behind Raikkonen, the older Finn wasn’t going anywhere.

Finally, when Bottas went into the pit box, Hamilton was within striking distance. Fortunately for Kimi, the occasional backmarker gave him the DRS to stay ahead of Lewis. But then, his luck would soon run out as Hamilton attacked a helpless Raikkonen.

As it turned out, Raikkonen’s rear tyres were blistering heavily compared to Hamilton’s. So, the 2007 World champion was stuck in nursing mode as Hamilton continued the assault. Finally, Lewis got the job done and rocketed away to victory. The good news was that Kimi was far enough ahead of the squabbling pair of Bottas and Max Verstappen.

It may not have been a well-deserved win, but 2nd place and Driver of the Day are consolation enough. Hopefully, this fantastic drive is enough to convince Ferrari to extend his contract by another year. Raikkonen truly is an exceptional driver and deserves to stay in Ferrari for another season