quote#Kimi7 #BritishGP: “Obviously, we expected to be behind the Mercedes but, today, we ended up behind the Williams with a small difference between us and them. I don't see it as sliding back, but we maybe didn't get exactly what we wanted today. This kind of layout and in windy conditions, we know that it's not very good for us, but it's not like a disaster, it's just that we are not happy to be fifth and sixth. There is no point to start talking about sliding back - I'm sure we are improving, but maybe the times didn't show today. I think it's down to the conditions, circuit layout and which tyres are at which race. There wasn't the second difference in the last race, so you see how quickly things change. It wasn't an ideal day for us, but I don't expect this to be suddenly the true story. It's one of the places where we seem to have a bit of struggle [and] we are not being worried about this going on all year. I think we could have done it better in the way we ran the whole thing, but the main thing is that we went through in Q2 after we got a bit close. It's been quite tricky to get the laps together and I think it's the windy conditions that seems to affect us quite a lot. One lap is fine and the next lap is a bit different, so it's hard to get it right. On the last two new tyres in Q3, if I could have managed to put the sectors together, we probably could have been third or something, but we did our best. Obviously it's a bit disappointing to be where we are, in fifth, and it doesn't make me any more happy [to be ahead of Vettel] when we are fifth and sixth. I don't care if he is in front of me when we are in this position. It makes a difference when we are going for P1 and P2, but it doesn't make me happy to be in front of him when we are in the position we are in. Maybe other people look differently, but for me it is just a number.” [via crash.net]
Ferrari is losing ground, Raikkonen said: “I don’t think so – I don’t see that we are sliding back. Every race is different. We didn’t get exactly what we wanted today, but in these windy conditions we know it’s not easy for us. But it’s not like a disaster. There’s no point to talk about if we are sliding back.”
From ferrarif1.com – Kimi: “It was not an easy qualifying, with the strong wind the handling was not ideal and it was very tricky for everybody, because the conditions kept changing from run to run and from corner to corner. We know that when is windy it’s not very easy for us, we improved our car on that side but here it was still difficult to get the lap right, putting all the sectors together. Obviously we can’t be happy for fifth and sixth position, it’s a bit disappointing, but we tried our best and hopefully tomorrow we’ll do better. I don’t think we’re slipping back, it’s just the different conditions we had today. In the race we’ll see what is going to happen, we’ll push to gain some positions”.
Q+A from f1.com – Q: Kimi, would you say that it was good weekend so far? At least from the outside it has looked pretty smooth…
Kimi Raikkonen: No, not really. There were many things that we were running through and today, for example, there was one lap that was super and then the next lap was cr*p. So we had to get our game together at some point. In Q3 finally I was able to put all the sectors together – and it was okay. We did our best.
Q: Were there higher expectations after Q1 when you were quickest?
KR: No, because we ended up on the grid pretty much where we thought that we are. We keep our expectations realistic. And Q1 is never decisive, as we are all know, so to think that this could be the grid position would have been pretty blue eyed. And we are very down to earth with our expectations.
Q: You got one lap in Q2 deleted. Was there a misunderstanding on your side as to what was allowed in terms of track limits?
KR: No, not at all. We have to analyse what happened and see that we do not run into the same issues again. But it was no big drama.
Q: From what we’ve seen lately – including today – would you say that Ferrari are moving backwards in terms of relative performance?
KR: No, I definitely don’t think so. But every track produces different racing conditions – it is nothing more than that. Our car likes certain conditions and if these conditions are not there – just like the relatively windy conditions here – then we are struggling probably a bit more. Maybe you could say that we haven’t been too happy today, but tomorrow is the race and things can change pretty rapidly.
Q: What do you expect in terms of race pace compared to the Williams? They’ve shown that they will be a factor to consider this weekend…
KR: I have not looked at what they’ve done in qualifying. I was basically focusing on myself. But from my position I think it should be possible to gain some positions. But that is something that will – if at all – happen tomorrow! (laughs)
Q: It is the first time that you have outperformed Sebastian Vettel in qualifying in a situation where he didn’t have a problem. Are you dealing better with the fast corners – or what do you put it down to?
KR: Well, starting one position better than Seb doesn’t make my any happier. I don’t care whether it is fifth or sixth, this doesn’t have any impact on me. Yes, if it were first or second – that is something different. But fifth or sixth – no. That just shows that we have to work on the gap!
Q: The gap to the Mercedes is still somewhat significant for a team that wants to fight for wins. Are there any updates in the pipeline that will help you get closer?
KR: There are always bits and pieces that are new on the car at every race. Other than that I will not go into detail. We know that we have things to improve – and Ferrari was never a team that ‘forgets’ to develop. We have a clear goal and that is to fight for the championship. We know that it will not be this year, but everything that we learn and do this season will help us be more competitive in 2016. I have no worries that we will get there and improve to the point where we can challenge them.
Do what they want. I'm sick and tired and I don't want to listen them anymore. Journalists, team managers, all boring. Luck is blind but the bad luck sees very well, we say.
The only good thing: the race was very exciting! But I don´t want to read and hear anything at the moment too. I´m tired to read all this criticism. Can´t stand it anymore.
On the bright side, the points difference to Williams could have been much, much worst. If it weren't for Williams' slow stops and bad calls in the race.
Kimi lost 5th (maybe even a 3rd place) but Williams lost a 1-2 finnish today.
All in all it was a big gamble today, it work for some and it didn't for others.
At the beginning I liked Arrivabene. Now I have more and more the feeling he is double-faced. Yesterday he told in German TV the people are unfair to Kimi. They should stop to speak against Kimi, there are 11 races to go. But he is the first who blames Kimi.... And now this: Seb get P3 with the good strategy from the team. Kimi made his decision to stop alone. That´s not what I understand as "We stand behind our drivers as team."
quoteBritish GP - A big Thanks to Seb and race strategy A great podium finish-but Maurizio concedes car not so strong here
Maurizio Arrivabene: “Overall I can’t be happy with this weekend: on an all-dry race, the result would have been much different. I feel happy because once again Seb made the perfect call to come into the pits, and then drove superbly to open the gap to the Williams cars. Also, I am pleased with a very good race strategy. We need to stay humble and not brag ourselves, because today third place came courtesy of a great drive by Seb and a great strategy-but we also need a great car. The strategy guys do a wonderful job, but when it rains, it’s the driver who has the final call to the pits. In the case of Kimi, whose strategy was identical to Seb’s, he thought it better to come in. If it had rained harder, maybe he could have won the race. But we must be honest and acknowledge that Williams was stronger than us today”.
Even J Villeneuve said it: Kimi actually wasn't bad, he drove fine but then they made a mistake in that strategy call. Yes, the driver is the one who tells if it's raining or how slippery the track is becoming but the team also has to tell the driver: no, it seems it's not raining more for now, you should stay out for now.
Plus, there's always the gamble factor that it doesen't always pay off. After all the weather, even with all that technology, is still unpredictable.
Yes, I am frustrated because it was not the outcome we all expected after the good enough weekend Kimi was having. But the team's usual lack of support for Kimi doesen't help.
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Sun Jul 05, 2015 5:15 am (Last edited: Sun Jul 05, 2015 5:19 am)
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He was much stronger the whole weekend and Seb is on the podium. Life is not fair 
