quoteKimi: "I didn't have any more time to do an extra lap, so on that lap I would have come in anyway. I was playing around with the switches or something, and I got a little bit of wheelspin and touched the wall. But the car is more or less OK. It was just my mistake. I got a little bit of wheelspin, I wasn't pushing anymore, but I couldn't catch it. That didn't change the fact we had traffic on the previous lap. There was a McLaren going very slowly through Turn 5, and there were some other cars in front of us, but that's how it goes sometimes. In the wet we had the speed, it was just the traffic."
Kimi seemed to be mad :-) missed quali by a big party 😄 ....
Maybe i am hoping for rain tomorrow, seems to fit kimi... I think he will need 3 races to match alonso, hope race trim is much better, saving fuel n tyres must be a strength from kimi as he has the most smooth driving style of all
Kimi, can you describe what exactly happened during the accident please? And summarize the weekend especially since we have the impression that you're currently struggeling more than Fernando.
The Friday did not go as desired, that is true. Today, Saturday morning it was better. We are with the car not where we would have liked. But it will come. In qualifying I first went with the harder compound on the track and when I went to get the soft it began to rain. But the car felt okay. In the rain this track is always tricky, so I went off. At the exit of the curve I turned at a number of buttons, the wheels spun a little too much so I lost the car and collided into the wall. The nose is broken, but otherwise the car is okay.
Seconds before you Perez came off in the same place. Did that play a role in the accident?
No, it was completely my fault. The mad thing is that I wasn’t attacking, I would have gone to the box in this lap anyway. In the previous lap in turn 5 there was a McLaren going slowly which was the reason that my time has not been better.
But again, we have the impression that you struggle with the Ferrari more than Alonso particularly with regard to the response of the engine and its power delivery.
No, it's not like that. With the accident that has nothing to do and as for the handling, I have more trouble with the setup which I already noticed in winter testing. It 's not about the engine response. But as I said - it is slowly getting better. If you were to ask me however whether I feel comfortable in the car I would answer: no, not yet.
What role the weather will play tomorrow?
A street circuit like Melbourne is always tricky so it doesn’t matter if we drive in the wet or dry. But it 's strange, when the Formula 1 comes to Melbourne then the good weather always seems to say goodbye.
What can you do in the race ?
This first Grand Prix is for all a step into the unknown. For myself it can’t actually go worse than in practice so we should be okay for the race. At which place it will end is impossible to say.
Have you practiced many starts ?
Some. But if you're doing a practice start here from the pit lane then that is also not the same on the grid.
How satisfied are you with the car in long run?
The long runs are characterized primarily by fuel saving. We should be there in good shape. We know about what we are capable. But we don’t really know what we should think of the competition.
What is Ferrari missing to drive on the level of Mercedes?
Hard to say. Let's wait a few races to assess the balance of power properly. Whether we must adopt at the power unit or the chassis, now I can not judge. I would answer - we need to be better everywhere. But this sentence I would have said last year too.
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with brake by wire?
That's not my problem, even if I had locked wheels a few times. It actually works quite well. Again, the problems have more to do with the setup and in dealing with the tires. We know where we want to go there. But that will not happen overnight.
Raikkonen says traffic had already ruined his chances of going through to Q3, and that he was actually heading back to the pits when he spun.
"I didn't have any more time to do an extra lap, so on that lap I would have come in anyway," he said. "I was playing around with the switches or something, and I got a little bit of wheelspin and touched the wall. But the car is more or less OK. "It was just my mistake. I got a little bit of wheelspin, I wasn't pushing anymore, but I couldn't catch it. "That didn't change the fact we had traffic on the previous lap. There was a McLaren going very slowly through Turn 5, and there were some other cars in front of us, but that's how it goes sometimes. "In the wet we had the speed, it was just the traffic."
I think Kimi did have some speed, he wasn't doing badly on medium tyres in Q1, I am not saying he would have been ahead of Alonso, but I think he would have been close. Kimi was in a terrible position during Q2, he had two cars in front of him and 3 cars behind him the whole time. Vettel and Button atleast had some clear air but they just didn't make it.
It is always a lottery when it rains, and Australia is always somewhat of lottery, it will be a difficult tomorrow.
But I think things might be a bit better at the next race.