Raikkonen: “I finally have good sensations from the car”

Kimi Raikkonen was in good spirits at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix. The good mood of the Scuderia Ferrari driver was due to the fact that he had made significant progress in getting the F14 T to behave as he wanted. “In Singapore we had the speed we needed to put together a fast lap in qualifying, because the car was how I wanted it” – said the Finn – “It was a shame not to have been able to maximize the car's performance on the second lap launched, due to a small technical problem.

Unfortunately this meant that there was little for me to do in the race, as I found myself in traffic, unable to show my true potential. For me, however, the positive aspect of the weekend was that I finally got the good sensations from the car that I have been looking for for a long time this season."

After the streets of Singapore, the Formula 1 Circus stops on a classic track and it is easy to imagine that Suzuka is one of those tracks that someone like Kimi Raikkonen might like: "It's a circuit where power counts but also technically it's very challenging” – stated the Scuderia Ferrari driver – “We will see on the track how our car will behave compared to that of the other top teams. I really like Suzuka, it's an old-fashioned type of circuit, like the ones that usually give me the best emotions. I must admit that my favorite track remains Spa-Francorchamps but Suzuka is very close to it in my personal ranking."
The Finn has mainly positive memories of his nine appearances at Suzuka (the Japanese Grand Prix took place in 2007 and 2008 at Fuji, while in 2010 and 2011 Kimi was not involved in Formula 1): “Apart from my debut race here (in 2001), when I was driving for Sauber and was forced to retire after an accident with Jean Alesi, I have always finished races in Japan and achieved several good results.
I believe that the 2005 victory remains one of the best performances of my entire career."

Raikkonen also has a strong fan base in Japan, of which the Finn is very proud: “Driving on the Suzuka track is one of the most exhilarating moments of the season. I also enjoy meeting the fans here because they are very passionate and always support you, regardless of how the season has gone up to that point." Aside from the hope of obtaining a good result for himself, Raikkonen knows how important the last races of the season are also for the Scuderia: “We need to do well to gain third position in the Constructors' championship. We hope to have a smooth weekend because it would help us maintain the good feelings we have and that we want to maximize here in Suzuka."