Source: lotusf1team.com
Having just about managed to avoid the first lap fracas of today’s Japanese Grand Prix, Kimi went on to claim a hard fought P6 on a tough weekend all round for the team at Suzuka. Here the Iceman gives us his view on the day’s events…
Q: Kimi; was P6 about what you expected from today’s race or did you feel more was possible?
KR: Sixth wasn’t the result we were hoping for. We lost some time with all the incidents on the first lap and also had a problem in the second pit stop, so overall it was quite a difficult race. Unfortunately even considering those things we didn’t have the speed to do better today. Maybe we could have stayed ahead of Lewis [Hamilton] if things had gone a bit differently but there was no real chance to be higher than fifth.
Q: The start looked quite frantic for you; how did you see it from inside the car?
KR: The first corner was very tight. I got an ok start and was on the left alongside Fernando [Alonso] straight away. He kept moving further across until there was nowhere left for me to go and his wheel touched my front wing. We had dome damage and I think he got a puncture so it was not a great start to the race but there was not a lot I could do differently.
Q: What can you take away from this race heading to Korea?
KR: The good thing is we still managed to score points to stay in touch in the championship. For sure we have some work to do if we want to catch the people in front, but there are still five races left and anything can happen. Let’s see what we can do next weekend…
KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN SPACE 