Ferrari veteran Kimi Raikkonen rolled back the years and upstaged his championship-leading team mate Sebastian Vettel to take pole position at the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday.
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.
The pole ended a nine-year drought for Raikkonen whose last was at the June 2008 French Grand Prix, 129 races ago when he was the reigning world champion and German Vettel had yet to stand on top of a Formula One podium.
“I’m really happy for Kimi because he deserves it. The champion is coming out,” said Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene after Raikkonen put in the fastest lap ever around Monaco of one minute 12.178 seconds.
“Sebastian made a mistake in Turn Five but having two cars up there means I’m happy.”
Britain’s triple champion Lewis Hamilton, six points behind Vettel in the standings after five races, suffered a major blow when he failed to muscle his Mercedes into the top 10 and qualified only 14th.
The triple champion will move up to 13th after compatriot Jenson Button’s 15-place grid penalty is applied, however.
Button, standing in for Fernando Alonso at McLaren while the Spaniard competes in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, qualified an impressive ninth.
