During the first lap, Raikkonen tried to overtake Mark Webber on the outside and damaged his front wing in the process, having to visit the pits after the safety car was deployed. The worst was yet to come, however, as the Finn escaped a fire caused by fellow countryman Heikki Kovalainen. The McLaren driver drove out of the pits with the fuel hose still attached to his car and Kimi, right behind him, drove right into the fire.
In the end, Raikkonen admitted he was fine, except for sore eyes as a result of the pit lane incident.
“I am disappointed because today I'm sure we could have made it to the podium. What happened on the first lap ruined my race. First I was hit at the first corner, then when trying to pass Webber, I was hit and lost the front wing,” said Raikkonen.
“At the pitstop, I ended up with some drops of petrol in my eye, from the fuel line stuck on Kovalainen's car and then I was engulfed in flames and blinded: I was going to stop, but luckily the flames soon went out. Even now, my eyes are still burning, but I'm alright,” added the Finnish driver.
McLaren were eventually fined for the incident – with a $50,000 paycheck – while Kovalainen was also handed a 25-second penalty which demoted him from 9th at the finish line to 12th place overall. The Woking based team has vowed to investigate the incident and make sure it won't happen again.
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