F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Raikkonen hit with grid penalty after gearbox change

Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen has been handed a five-spot grid penalty for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix following the Finn's crash in qualifying which required a gearbox change.

Raikkonen went off at Parabolica at the start of Q3, hitting the outside tyre barrier and damaging the rear of his C38.

No time was set by the Finn who will therefore drop from 10th to 15th on this afternoon's starting grid, with teammate Antonio Giovinazzi inheriting his P10 spot.

A candid Raikkonen immediately admitted his mistake.

"The car is pretty badly damaged, that's the shit part of it," Raikkonen said.

"It's far from ideal. My mistake, I lost it. The car was behaving as good as it's been this weekend, there was a lot of potential.

"I was with the used tyres, and I just pushed a bit too much."

Updated:

Raikkonen will actually start his Italian GP from the pit lane as Alfa Romeo decided to fit his C38 with a new Ferrari engine.

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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.

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