F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Raikkonen adamant soft tyres would have lasted

Kimi Raikkonen missed out on a podium finish in this evening's Singapore Grand Prix, but was uncertain if the loss was the result or not of a wrong strategy call by Ferrari.

The Finn enjoyed a consistent run in the top four in the first half of the race and then overtook Lewis Hamilton when Mercedes decided to pit the Brit for a third time only to be called in shortly after by his own pitwall.

The decision demoted Raikkonen back to fourth as the Ferrari was unable to maintain its track position in front of the Mercedes.

"We have to go through all the data from the race to see what could we have done better," Raikkonen said.

"They [Mercedes] managed to get in front of us again and we lost the place, and there wasn’t much more we could have done at that point.

"We have to go through the data, like I said, and see what we could have done better."

Raikkonen was adamant however that his Ferrari could have reached the end of the race on his Soft tyres.

"For sure we could have got to the end on those tyres. If they would have been able to catch us and pass, that I don’t know.

"Like I said, we’ll be going through all the things and see what we could have done better. I think there were a few things we could have done but afterwards it’s always very easy to say."

All in all, the Finn was relatively pleased with Ferrari's outright pace around the Marina Bay circuit although he was left asking for more.

"I think we had pretty good speed but for most of the race we were stuck behind them. Nico had more speed than any of us.

"We did our own race and we can be quite happy. Obviously we gained one place but that’s not what we are looking to achieve.

"We try to be in a position to win races, so we need to make the car go faster. Third or fourth is not exactly what we want."

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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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