Kimi Raikkonen (left) of Finland, Fernando Alonso (middle) of Spain and Sebastian Vettel of Germany spray champagne after the Australian F-1 Grand Prix in Melbourne. Raikkonen won the race — the first of the season — with Alonso finishing in second and Vettel in third. (REUTERS)
Two things made Kimi Raikkonen a winner in Sunday’s season opening Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix: Tire management and a two-stop race strategy by the Lotus Renault team.
Raikkonen, making his second visit to the top step of the podium since his return to F-1 last season, dominated the final stint at Albert Park finishing 12.451 seconds in front of Fernando Alonso, whose Ferrari team opted to pit three times for fresh tires.
Three-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel finished third after his Red Bull team also pitted three times.
