Home>News Center>Sports
         
 

Raikkonen can beat Alonso to title, say McLaren
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-23 18:53

McLaren believe Monaco Grand Prix winner Kimi Raikkonen can beat Renault's Fernando Alonso to this year's Formula One title.

The Finn, championship runner-up to Ferrari's Michael Schumacher in 2003, has won the last two races from pole position and could easily have made it three but for a driveshaft failure while leading in San Marino.

"Kimi's come close before and he can win this championship," McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh said after Sunday's race.

With 13 races remaining, Spaniard Alonso has 49 points to the Finn's 27, a lead that will take time to overturn, but McLaren are within striking distance of Renault in the constructors' championship on 51 points to the leaders' 63.

"Clearly Kimi is making the strongest thrust for the championship in our team at the moment and he will, I'm sure, be determined to go on and win quite a few more races," Whitmarsh said.

"But I think (Colombian team mate) Juan Pablo (Montoya) will also win races this year and that's going to be good for the team."

Raikkonen's problem is that what is good for the team is not necessarily good for him.

If Montoya, fifth on Sunday after starting in 16th place, starts to win too then that could play into Alonso's hands. McLaren will certainly not be favouring one driver over the other.

PLUG AWAY

"Juan Pablo is an immensely competitive racer and he'll be saying I am going to beat him (Raikkonen) at the next race," Whitmarsh said.

"That's the philosophy of McLaren, we'd like to see both of our drivers trying to beat each other and drawing motivation from that competition between themselves.

"They are both really tough racers and we look forward to some really good competition between the two of them."

Montoya's season has yet to get going, the Colombian missing two races through injury and making life difficult for himself by being sent to the back of the Monaco grid for causing an avoidable accident in practice.

He was also delayed in Spain by a faulty fuelling rig and has just 14 points so far.

Otherwise, he could have been third in Spain and second in Monaco and the championship would already be looking very different.

However, it may not stay a Renault-McLaren battle for long.

Although Ferrari and Schumacher have gone seven races without a win, the defending champion set the fastest lap in Monaco and showed plenty of determination on Sunday in scrapping with team mate Rubens Barichello and brother Ralf for the tail-end points.

Once they can overcome their qualifying problems, Ferrari will be back in business even if, with just 12 points, Schumacher's eighth title looks highly unlikely.

BAR will also return from a two race suspension at the Nuerburgring for next weekend's European Grand Prix, adding another ingredient into the mix.

Renault meanwhile have questions to answer.

Alonso, fourth on Sunday after struggling with heavy tyre wear, remains the most consistent driver but he had hoped for far more from a race that Renault won last year.

"Today we deserved zero points and Fernando walked away with five. It's a good sign for the future," said team boss Flavio Briatore unconvincingly.

"But we need to really understand why we have this kind of a problem with the tyre."



China beat S.Korea in Asian Baseball Championship
WBO boxing match in Chicago
Juventus wins 28th Serie A title
 
  Today's Top News     Top Sports News
 

Vice Premier Wu Yi cancels meeting with Koizumi

 

   
 

Shares end at 6-year lows as textiles dive

 

   
 

Local textile sales will offset export curbs

 

   
 

China ready to counter US space plans

 

   
 

Poultry gets bird flu vaccine in Qinghai

 

   
 

Protesters heckle Laura Bush in Jerusalem

 

   
  Beckham may be free to play in U.S
   
  Venus Williams wins 1st tourney in a year
   
  Graf plays exhibition French Open match
   
  Pistons try to figure out how to stop Shaq
   
  Rangers win Scottish Premier League title
   
  Spurs blow past Suns in 4th to win Game 1
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Raikkonen wins Spanish Grand Prix
   
Raikkonen on pole for Spanish Grand Prix
   
Raikkonen to skip testing after crash
   
Raikkonen says will continue adapting to circuits
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲人成在线免费观看| 国产一区二区三区四| 99精产国品一二三产| 成人无码嫩草影院| 久久亚洲精品国产亚洲老地址| 欧美在线一卡二卡一卡3卡4卡5| 人妻丰满熟妇av无码区| 精品欧美一区二区三区免费观看| 国产人妖视频一区二区| 久草视频在线免费| 国产精品国色综合久久| 99久久国产宗和精品1上映| 奶交性视频欧美| 一本色道久久综合狠狠躁篇| 新梅瓶4在线观看dvd| 国产欧美日韩一区二区加勒比| Channel| 嫩草视频在线观看| 中文天堂最新版www| 日日碰狠狠添天天爽不卡| 久久精品99久久香蕉国产| 榴莲视频app色版| 亚洲免费人成视频观看| 欧美日韩一品道| 亚洲欧美日韩综合久久久| 爱妺妺国产av网站| 免费一级毛片清高播放| 精品国产v无码大片在线看| 四虎国产精品成人| 老师我好爽再深一点的视频| 国产中的精品一区的| 野花直播免费观看日本更新最新| 国产成人一区二区三区 | 欧美与黑人午夜性猛交久久久| 亚洲欧美精品日韩欧美| 波多野结衣作品大全| 亚洲综合色一区二区三区小说 | 高清国产性色视频在线| 国产成人亚洲精品无码av大片| 国产成人精品啪免费视频| 国产日韩欧美不卡在线二区|