Vettel ‘surprised’ to come out ahead of Raikkonen

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland has secured pole position.

Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari at the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix.

It marked Ferrari’s first onetwo finish since 2010, but Raikkonen cut a dejected figure during the podium presentations.

Lewis Hamilton admits he was “devastated” when getting knocked out in Q2 during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, to the extent he couldn’t get out of his vehicle immediately.

The result means Mercedes are now second in the constructors’ standings, with 179 points to Ferrari’s 196.

Kimi Raikkonen’s grim face told a story of its own on Sunday when he finished second behind Sebastian Vettel in Ferrari’s one-two triumph at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton had struggled on Saturday to warm up his tyres properly and was eliminated from qualifying before the final session, logging the 14th-fastest time. “There is a certain DNA in the auto”. He went on to claim his second Monaco win by 3.1 seconds, the winning margin narrowed by a late Safety Car. I’ve never seen a vehicle go up on its side before.

“At one point, as the barriers loomed at Massenet on the approach to Casino Square and he snapped the Mercedes back into shape, he shook a gloved hand in relief as if to say ‘That was close”. “It feels like a mystery”. Things just didn’t come right to us, the auto was in a hard place.

“I can stop the vehicle if I like [in the pits] as I am driving it, but we work as a team and if you don’t believe what you have been told or how it works it will get very complicated”. The Monaco track is known to not be favourable for overtakes and that was the case this time as well.

“There is so much going on, you never know who is going to win and it is exciting for all the fans out there”.

Raikkonen is fourth in the championship but 55 points behind Vettel.

Vettel qualified alongside the 37-year-old Finn on the front row, with Ferrari’s pace making them clear favourites for a glamour race the Italian team last won in 2001 with Michael Schumacher. “Will just try and make a good start”.

Hamilton finally advanced one place after 16 laps when German Nico Hulkenberg retired, his Renault spewing oil at Portier.

The British driver headed into the weekend six points behind Vettel and aiming to move level with Ayrton Senna’s total of 65 pole positions. With the low tire degradation, the penalty for stopping early will be minimal.

Then, in qualifying, he went backwards.

Bottas was the third fastest, while Hamilton had to settle for the fifth time nearly a second from Vettel. He was fine, and clambered free when the auto was turned back over. But Hamilton was arguably too far behind to make it into the top 10 shootout.

“It doesn’t really matter”, Hamilton said.

“That’s me out, right?” said Hamilton, deprived of a clean lap and condemned to qualify 14th, one of five men eliminated.