The red cars dominated in the Kingdom today as Felippe Massa got his first win of the season and reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen came in second. The one-two finish was a fitting way to celebrate the 100th victory for Ferrari under its president, Luca di Montezemolo, and momentarily diverted attention from the controversy surrounding FIA president Max Mosley, whose suddenly very public private life has overshadowed the F1 racing world.
Massa remarked about the win, “Finally, after a start to the championship under dark clouds, I can see sunshine again. We kept our concentration all weekend and this is the result.” Massa’s teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, was able to grab the points lead after placing second on a day that he described as “not the best.” Raikkonen went on, “I never found the ideal balance. I am convinced that in Barcelona, the situation will be different.”
BMW-Sauber had another strong showing in Sunday’s race. Even though pole-sitter Robert Kubica had a rough start and slid in some oil, he managed to finish just a few seconds behind Raikkonen. The Anglo-German team finished third and fourth and also surprisingly leads the Constructors championship. Kubica outpaced McLaren and ran tight with Ferrari. “We had some problems on the formation lap at the start with a lot of wheel spin,” Kubica said, “and in fact, also at the race start I had a lot of wheel spin. But anyway it was a good result.”
Mosley was not in attendance for Sunday’s race, at the request of Bahrain’s Royal Family. Also this week, former Minardi team owner Paul Stoddart joined the chorus of those demanding that Mosley step down “for the good of the sport.” Stoddart also asked the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, to ban him from the next Grand Prix, to be held in Barcelona later this month. His Highness has yet to announce whether he will shun Mosley. There seems to be an overwhelming call for Mosely to “reconsider his role,” although some, including Kimi Raikkonen, think he has a right to whatever private life he desires. How long will the scandal continue to mire the F1 circuit? Can Mosley rightly rule from his compromised position? These are the questions that remain for FIA to answer in the days ahead.
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