F1: Ferrari's troubles not Silverstone-specific - Raikkonen

F1: Ferrari's troubles not Silverstone-specific - Raikkonen

Formula 1

F1: Ferrari's troubles not Silverstone-specific - Raikkonen

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Ferrari Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen claims the problems experienced by the team over the course of the British Grand Prix weekend were not specific to Silverstone.

It was suggested after the grand prix, and by teammate Sebastian Vettel in particular, that while the race was “weak” for the Scuderia, that performance slump was a one-off. After being handed a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change, Vettel could only manage ninth from 11th on the grid. Raikkonen started and finished fifth, meaning Ferrari equaled its worst points haul of 2016 by scoring just 12.

During testing on Wednesday at Silverstone, Raikkonen said: “We’re doing normal testing work, all kinds of different things to try and find good things.

“It’s not just specifically we had some aero problem here, and this circuit needs a lot of aero, we’re lacking overall. For the next race in Hungary our car should definitely suit that circuit better. Is it good enough to challenge for a win? We’ll see.”

Although Raikkonen is third in the drivers’ championship, eight points ahead of Vettel, the Finn has yet to stand on top of the podium since his return to Ferrari in 2014.

Raikkonen is convinced Ferrari can resolve its issues and win again this year, regardless of whether it happens on pure merit or via problems for rivals.

“We always expect more as a team; we want to win, and until we win all the time it’s not ideal,” added Raikkonen. “As Ferrari we expect to win, but this is what we have got, so we’ll keep working and improving.

“We will see what will happen in the second part of the year, and yes we believe we can still win. It doesn’t matter if every car is there or not. Who knows what will happen in the races, but we know we’ve work to be done, and for sure there will be circuits where it will be better.”

As to whether Ferrari has a chance of either title given the considerable gaps in both championships to Mercedes, Raikkonen added: “We will keep working and improving, and not give up until it’s not possible any more.

“We know where Mercedes is, ahead of everybody right now, but it doesn’t mean we should give up or we’re not working on things. We will try to catch them up.”

 

Originally on Autosport.com

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