Raikkonen sets his sights on improvement and the title

40

Kimi Raikkonen, the oldest driver on the F1 grid, has vowed to improve this year and fight for the title.

The Finn's relative performance in the past few seasons compared to Ferrari team mate Sebastian Vettel has been disappointing.

Despite failing to win in 2017 while Vettel brought home five victories, the 2007 world champion has retained the Scuderia's trust. But better results are expected from the Iceman this season.

Kimi keeps a lid on things...

"Obviously I want to be fighting for the championship this year," said Raikkonen.

"I think personally we started (2017) pretty badly -- we were not really happy with the setup and it took quite a long time to figure it out.

"After that it was better but then we had too many DNFs for different reasons.

"But I think as a team we came a long way, obviously not enough for what we want but I think we have all the tools.

"We just need to tidy up things and not make mistakes and not have issues on any side either as drivers or the team.

"Obviously we start from zero now so hopefully we will be up there," he added.

Raikkonen will also inherit a new race engineer for 2018 after the departure of David Greenwood, the man who had been guiding the Finn in the past three years.

Ferrari has yet to name Greenwood's successor but Toro Rosso's Marco Matassa, who oversaw Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly at the Faenza-based outfit, is seen as a top contender for the job.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.