Raikkonen laments 'rude and less fair' on-track battles in F1

Kimi Raikkonen believes F1's evolution has led to on-track battles between drivers becoming "less fair" and "ruder" than during his first years in the sport.

As Formula 1's senior citizen, the 41-year-old Alfa Romeo driver has raced against two generations of drivers, but the Finn admits the rules governing wheel-to-wheel racing and on-track behaviour have changed over the years, and not for the better he insists.

"I think in the past, when I started, it was probably a bit more fair games in a way between drivers," the Iceman told the media in Monaco.

"If you were overtaking, I wouldn’t say somebody let you past but it maybe wasn’t so rude, in a way, or blocking that much, or doing those things."

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As defensive moves in the field have become harsher, the FIA has felt the need to intervene more frequently to keep drivers in check.

"We didn’t need rules for this kind of thing in that time," he added. "Obviously, every sport has changed over the years and it’s a part of the thing.

"The big difference is they make a rule for everything. There are so many rules that whatever you basically do, you can find a rule for it.

"If it’s good or bad for you that depends, obviously, [on] what you have done."

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