Kimi Raikkonen drove a brilliant race to win the Australian Grand Prix for Lotus as the new Formula One season opened with an absolute thriller at Albert Park, Eurosport reports.Finland’s 2007 world champion rode to victory on a two-stop strategy and crossed the line 12.4 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Triple world champion Sebastian Vettel rounded out the podium in third place for Red Bull after struggling with tyre wear throughout the race.Alonso’s Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa finished fourth ahead of 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton in his first race for Mercedes after leaving McLaren. “I had a very good car all weekend,” said Raikkonen, the former McLaren and Ferrari driver who made his comeback last season after two years in rallying, on a podium of champions.“You just have to get through the early laps in the first race of the season. Near the end, I was still pushing because I knew Fernando was catching up a bit and I thought at some point we would need a little extra if the rain came again.
