Kimi Raikkonen claims he should have been P3 on tomorrow’s grid but for a costly error the Ferrari driver made in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.
The Finn will line up in fifth, one place behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel who beats Raikkonen’s mark by a mere 0.33s. Although both Ferraris finished some 1.4s adrift of Lewis Hamilton’s pole-setting time, Raikkonen is adamant that this does not represent the actual gap to Mercedes and also feels that the team’s strong pace over long runs bodes well for tomorrow’s race.
“I had a big mistake, I lost three tenths in corner three and then just messed up the next two corners,” Raikkonen said. “The rest of the lap was pretty good, so we should have been in P3 but that is how it is. We should have been P3 and not been one second behind Mercedes, but we knew that we can’t fight with them in qualifying.
“Yesterday we had a pretty good long run so tomorrow, whatever the weather is, I think we have improved a lot overall. It is a bit disappointing to make a mistake and start in P5 but I think we can still do a good race, have a clean start and do the best we can. I think we should have a good chance to fight for that position.”
Raikkonen’s error also comes in the wake of some self-criticism from the Finn about his own driving in Melbourne. Despite noticing an improvement in today’s qualifying, the Ferrari driver, a two-time winner in Australia, is still not 100% happy with his performance.
“I don’t think I have been driving very well on the one lap this weekend. Qualifying was good and then I made a mistake, so it is a bit disappointing, but that is how it goes.
“At least we have a pretty good package and overall we are happy as a team, we are working well together, so we know we have the speed but we have to improve in all areas.
“As for me, do a better job on driving, but it is not a very typical circuit. I was better in qualifying than in the morning or yesterday but it is not ideal.”
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