Raikkonen banking on upgrades to revive Alfa's pace

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Kimi Raikkonen hopes new parts coming Alfa Romeo's way next week in France will allow the Swiss outfit to once again fight for points.

Raikkonen was a consistent top-ten contender at the outset with his new team, scoring points in the first four races.

But Alfa Romeo's form has declined since Azerbaijan, leaving Raikkonen and team mate Antonio Giovinazzi lingering in the third tier of the field.

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The 2007 world champion is banking on upgrades to lift Alfa out of its current slump which persisted in Montreal.

"It was sort of a tough weekend to get through, we never had enough speed and obviously it was far from a perfect race," Raikkonen commented.

"Once we were in P12 or P13 then I don’t care if I finish there or last, you don’t get anything from there.

"In some laps it felt a bit better, on other laps we were lacking a lot of grip, it was not consistent.

"Hopefully for the next race we’ll get some new stuff and move forward. The speed was never there to be in the top 10."

Raikkonen also underlined Alfa's need to strengthen its attention to detail in addition to pushing its development programme.

"I think we need to tidy up some things, do a bit of a better job here and there so we need to keep pushing, get some new parts for the car to make it faster again," added the Finn.

"We all try to work to go faster but for sure the last races haven’t been easy."

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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.