THROWBACK: Kimi Raikkonen Survived First Place Curse at 2005 Canadian GP

The 2005 Canadian Grand Prix was an absolutely exciting race, remind fans of an era of pure race and drama. BAR Honda’s Jenson Button started on pole position alongside Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari. But it was Kimi Raikkonen who emerged victorious in the race in Montreal.

Unfortunately, the two got bogged down at the start and the Renault duo of Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella swept past them. The Roman soon passed Alonso to take the lead of the race, and it looked like Renault had it in the bag.

But then, disaster struck as Fisichella suddenly slowed, and reported hydraulic pressure. He limped back to the pits and stomped off after throwing away an easy win. Meanwhile, teammate Fernando Alonso soldiered on to fly the flag for Renault, alone.

However, he was forced to switch it out for a white flag when he oversteered a little and his right rear hit the wall, breaking the suspension. Then then team boss, Flavio Briatore, could only hold his head in his hands in despair.

McLaren capitalised on Renault’s misfortune, with Juan Pablo Montoya leading from Kimi Raikkonen. However, when it comes to back luck, the cardinal rule is that it comes in threes. This time, the victim was Juan Pablo Montoya, who was black flagged for pitting when the pit lane lights were red.

This left his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen in the lead and he held on from the Ferrari pair to win the race.