Formula 1 News

Kimi Raikkonen: “This is definitely not my year” 

Following yet another Grand Prix with no points, reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen seems to have given up on this season’s Formula 1 drivers’ championship. “It’s difficult to find the right words: racing at night or during the day, this is definitely not my year,” said the Finn. “Last week’s Singapore Grand Prix ended like at Spa, with another DNF. It seems as if the more we try to improve the situation the less we get in the end. At this point I can just hope for a weekend where everything goes in the right direction,” he added.

“Obviously I’m really sad about this situation,” said Raikkonen. “I can’t explain this dark period and there’s nothing I can do to change what happened. We have to look ahead, to the last three races. For sure we know that we’ve got what it takes to fight for victory in the last three GPs. Let’s hope that I’ll finally have a smooth weekend, from Friday to Sunday evening,” he continued.

“At the start of the race I couldn’t find my rhythm, because the tyre pressure was too low; I needed some laps to make them work properly. When they were alright I started to fly and I could easily catch up on Hamilton,” explained the disappointed Finn. “When the safety car was deployed I understood that my chances were destroyed, because when your second at a double pit stop there’s hardly anything you can do. I managed to gain position five and then, with a faster car, I was right behind Timo Glock. I was waiting for the right moment to overtake him, but then I hit a very high kerb and the car literally lifted off and I couldn’t keep it under control. I hit the wall and my race was over.”

“I’m very sorry for the Team, because they’ve done some great work to improve the F2008. It hurts loosing these points,” he concluded.