Ferrari hit by winless streak - Raikkonen

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Ferrari's inability to challenge for the championship in 2016 only led to more weakness according to Scuderia stalwart Kimi Raikkonen.

On the back of a 2015 campaign which saw Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel clinch three race wins, the House of Maranello was hoping to give Mercedes a serious run for its money this season. To no avail unfortunately.

"You suffer and we keep working hard and trying the best we can, but unfortunately the results weren't what we wanted," explained Raikkonen.

"Thanks to all the guys, we keep trying things and improving and learning. That's why I feel that we're in a stronger position even than the results really showed but as a team we've been working very well.

"If you purely take that, hopefully then next year when we bring the new car it's more competitive and I'm sure we're going to have a good fight."

On a personal level, the Finn appeared to be on an equal level to that of team mate Sebastian Vettel, even outracing the four-time world champion at times.

A relative performance which pleased Raikkonen although he admitted his results overall were nowhere near where he wanted to be.

"If I just compare it to the last two years, yes it has been better on my side but then you cannot be very happy because it's far from what we want.

"There were good things, and they did good stuff, but obviously the end result is nowhere near what we want.

"It's happy sometimes, but you have to take it as one chunk - the year - and when we finished where we finished we cannot be happy."

Silbermann says ... Merry Christmas

2016 driver ratings: 12-1

2016 driver ratings: 24-13

2016 team-by-team review: Part one

2016 team-by-team review: Part two

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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.