Raikkonen Happy to Emulate Hakkinen

McLaren-Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen emulated the feat of compatriot Mika Hakkinen in securing his first-ever pole position at the Nurburgring following his stunning drive in qualifying for the European Grand Prix.

Raikkonen scored the first pole of his career after keeping his cool in the final run of the session to finish 0.032 seconds ahead of world champion and title rival Michael Schumacher, of Ferrari.

Hakkinen took his first pole at the German circuit in 1997 - his seventh season in Formula One - while 'Iceman' Raikkonen, as he has been dubbed, has taken just two-and-a-half campaigns to match the achievement.

"For sure it's a nice feeling and it's nice to hear that some other Finnish bloke has also got the first time here," said Raikkonen, who lost time in the second sector before recovering to set the pace.

"But it's a big thanks to the team and the Mercedes people who are pushing really hard. It's one of the home races for the team and of course it's nice to get my first pole because one of these two guys is always taking it by a little margin and when you get it, it's better than nothing."

The qualifying display signalled a massive turnaround in fortunes for Raikkonen, who started from the back of the grid at the last race in Canada, and the Finn said he never felt under pressure during his run.

"It's better to start from pole that second or third place but especially after the last race," he admitted. "It's a slightly better result! I knew that if we could get everything completely right we could be on the top and it was close but it's good to happen."