By Elmar Dreher, DPA
Magny-Cours, France : Ferrari ended a recent Formula One drought in style Sunday when Kimi Raikkonen won the French Grand Prix ahead of teammate Felipe Massa.
Starting from third place on the grid, Raikkonen beat championship leader Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren-Mercedes into the first corner and then got past the long-time leader Massa through a quick second pit stop.
Victory was sweet for Ferrari, who had won three of the first four races but then had to bow to McLaren in the last three – with world champion Fernando Alonso winning in Monte Carlo and the rookie sensation Hamilton in the US and Canada.
Raikkonen got his second season win and 11th overall at last after dominating the opening race in Australia. Ferrari got their first one-two finish in 2007.
Both top teams have four wins (two each for Hamilton, Alonso, Massa and Raikkonen), promising plenty of further excitement starting with the British GP next weekend in Silverstone.
Hamilton kept his perfect record of making the podium in each race and handily leads the drivers' standings with 64 points from eight of 17 events.
Alonso, who had to settle for seventh after managing only 10th on the grid due to gearbox problems, has 50. Massa is on 47 and Raikkonen on 42 points.
With six of the seven previous season races going to the pole position holder and Massa beaten into the first turn by Alonso in Malaysia, the start was likely to determine the outcome again.
Massa delivered like in his wins in Bahrain and Spain, roaring off at the green light. Hamilton never came close to mount a challenge from second place and was even ambushed by Raikkonen, who stormed from third to second into the first corner.
Raikkonen's move proved decisive for the outcome later on, in combination with Ferrari's pit order in which Massa was to refuel first.
The Finn gained the crucial seconds in a light car in the four laps he came in later than Massa to refuel a second time, and drove out of the pits with a comfortable advantage for the final 24 laps.
He won the 70-lap race over 308.586 kilometres in 1 hour 30 minutes 54.200 seconds.
Massa trailed by 2.4 seconds and Hamilton, the only top driver on three stops, was a massive 32 seconds off the pace.
Also in the points were the BMWs of Robert Kubica (back from his horror crash three weeks ago in Canada) and Nick Heidfeld, Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella, Alonso, and Jenson Button got the first point of the season for Honda.