Points elude Force India again

Kimi Raikkonen dashed Adrian Sutil's fairytale home race as Force India, for the umpteenth time, came agonisingly close to scoring its first Formula One points before falling to the jinx at the German Grand Prix in Nuerburgring, on Sunday.

In a repeat of last year's Monaco Grand Prix, Raikkonen bruised Sutil's VJM02 just when the German, running second, was coming out of the pit and knocked off the front wing to force a pit-stop that dashed Sutil's point hopes.

The heartbroken German finished 15th while team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, starting 18th on the grid, ran a rollercoaster race to finish 11th.

Last year too, Raikkonen had rammed his Ferrari onto Sutil's car in Monaco where the German was running fourth and was just four laps away from the team's maiden F1 points before his race came to a sorry end.

Starting seventh on the grid, his and the team's best position ever, Sutil ran a steady race and was running second when he pitted after 27 laps.

As he was coming out of the pit to rejoin the race, Sutil could only watch as Raikkonen's car brushed his VJM02 and took the front wing with it. Incidentally, Raikkonen too sustained damage and eventually had to retire.

The stewards decided to probe the incident but that was hardly a consolation for Sutil.

Australian Mark Webber outraced Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel to win his first Grand Prix, while Ferrari's Felipe Massa came third.