How Raikkonen won the 2007 French Grand Prix from third on the grid

Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 French Grand Prix from third on the grid, after Felipe Massa had controlled most of the race from pole. Raikkonen overtook Massa during the second round of pit stops, and the result gave Ferrari a one-two. Lewis Hamilton finished third for McLaren, still leading the world championship.

What happened at the circuit the night before the race?

A helicopter crashed at the circuit on Saturday night, and three people died. Longobardi worked in public relations, Bennehard was flying the aircraft, and McGill was from New Zealand. A Bridgestone employee and his niece were injured.

Longobardi was well liked around the paddock, and his death cast a shadow over the weekend. The race went ahead on the Sunday, which the teams had to accept in the usual way.

Massa led from pole, but Raikkonen's second-stop move decided the French Grand Prix.

How did practice and testing shape the weekend?

The teams had gathered at Silverstone for a three-day test after the United States Grand Prix. Nine teams took part, while Honda and Super Aguri tested at Jerez. Toyota was fastest on the first two days, but Massa put Ferrari on top on the third at 1:20.805. Nico Rosberg was 0.469 behind, with Alonso 0.010 further back.

Ferrari had also become the subject of a criminal investigation in Modena into its own employee, Nigel Stepney. Stepney's lawyer ruled out sabotage claims, and Stepney said the affair was part of a dirty tricks campaign.

On the Friday Ferrari dominated both sessions. Raikkonen was fastest in the first, Massa in the second, and Massa beat Raikkonen by 0.035 seconds. Alonso was third in his McLaren but seven tenths behind, and Hamilton lost nearly an hour to car trouble that morning, but he recovered to fourth in the afternoon session, while Alonso was eighth in that session.

In the final Saturday session Hamilton beat Massa by 0.063 seconds, with Alonso missing most of the session after a faulty brake sensor. Kovalainen and Fisichella were fourth and fifth, both ahead of BMW.

Who was cleared to race, and who was in doubt?

Heidfeld was cleared to race after back pains in Friday practice, and Kubica returned to his BMW after the crash he had suffered at the Canadian Grand Prix. Both drivers were back in action for the French weekend.

Honda and Super Aguri chose to test at Jerez rather than Silverstone. Spyker had asked the FIA to examine Super Aguri's new Honda parts, and that question stayed in the paddock through the build-up to the race.

Who started where in qualifying?

Qualifying ran in three parts, and six cars were eliminated after each of the first two. Both Spykers and both Super Aguris were knocked out in the first phase, along with Wurz's Williams and Liuzzi's Toro Rosso. Takuma Sato's grid slot was also hit by a ten-place penalty, tied to his earlier move on Button.

The McLarens were first and fourth at the front, and Massa took pole by 0.070 seconds from Hamilton, who had topped the first two parts. Raikkonen qualified third, because he had lost time at one corner, which he called all his own fault. Kubica was fourth and Fisichella fifth, with Kovalainen sixth and Heidfeld seventh.

Alonso set no lap in the final part because of a gearbox issue, and he was classified tenth. Coulthard had failed to record a time in the second part because of a gearbox problem, and he started sixteenth.

What did the drivers say after qualifying?

Massa said that it looked like Ferrari were back and fighting, after he took pole by 0.070 seconds. Hamilton believed pole had been possible if he had not made a mistake at turn 15, a small error that cost him the front row.

Raikkonen qualified third and called the time he lost at one corner all his own fault. Alonso's gearbox problem stopped him completing a lap in the final part, and he said he would prefer a wet race. Fisichella believed there was potential for more from the Renault, and Rosberg thought a slight gearbox problem in the final part had cost him a few tenths.

How did the race unfold?

Massa got the best start and kept his lead, but Raikkonen passed Hamilton going into the first corner. Behind them, Davidson hit the back of Liuzzi's Toro Rosso, which then smashed into the side of the Super Aguri. At the Adelaide hairpin Jarno Trulli rammed the back of Heikki Kovalainen, and Trulli retired. Trulli later apologised to Kovalainen and called it a racing accident.

Alonso took seventh from Rosberg and reeled in Heidfeld, sitting behind him until he ran wide on lap five and gave the place back. The first stops came on lap 16 for Hamilton, lap 19 for Massa and lap 21 for Raikkonen.

Raikkonen took the lead on the second round of stops. He came in after Massa, and that gap in the stops gave him the lead with Massa behind. Alonso made a second pit stop on lap 35, and Heidfeld and Fisichella both got out in front of him after their later stops.

Christijan Albers left the pit lane with the fuel rig still attached. He drove to the side of the track and retired.

What was Alonso's race like?

Alonso had been eighth in the afternoon session on Friday, and his gearbox problem in qualifying left him without a lap in the final part. From there he had to rebuild, which he did by passing Rosberg for seventh and pressing Heidfeld in the early stages of the race.

A lap-five error at the same corner cost him the place to Heidfeld. He made his second stop on lap 35, and he finished seventh, which left him still confident about his title chances.

How did the race turn into a Ferrari one-two?

Massa controlled most of the race from the front, but Raikkonen cut his lead from four seconds to two as the stops approached. In the second round of stops Raikkonen pitted two laps after Massa, and those two extra laps were enough to put him ahead with Massa behind.

Alonso passed Heidfeld and Fisichella in the middle section of the race, and he made his second stop on lap 35. Heidfeld and Fisichella then pitted later and rejoined in front of him. Kubica finished a lonely fourth after the race. The pit stops had decided the order, as Raikkonen's timing at the second round made the difference.

Where did the back of the grid stand?

Both Spykers and both Super Aguris were eliminated in the first phase of qualifying. Sutil started from the pit lane, and Takuma Sato was given a ten-place grid penalty for passing Button under yellow flags at the previous race, after he retired before serving a drive-through.

Davidson's contact with Liuzzi was the first of several problems at the back of the field. Super Aguri's managing director Daniel Audetto had said earlier that rivals could protest if they wished, and that he would protest himself if he had something to complain about. Liuzzi said afterwards that the team could only wait for the next race and hope its improvements paid off.

Who won, and what did the drivers say?

Raikkonen won from Massa, with Hamilton third. It was Ferrari's first one-two of the season, and Raikkonen became the first Finn to win the French Grand Prix. Raikkonen said he was much happier with the car than he had been.

Massa said that the win had been lost because of traffic. Raikkonen's use of the second round of stops was what decided the order.

Kubica finished fourth, with Fisichella fifth, Heidfeld sixth, Alonso seventh and Button eighth. Button's points were his first of 2007, but he said he was not getting too excited about them. Alonso was still confident about his title chances, saying two points could be important at the end of the season.