Räikkönen: The battle for the title will be close

After two Grand Prix, Kimi Räikkönen anticipates a difficult season with a tight battle for the championship win.

The Ferrari driver dominated the Malaysian Grand Prix last Sunday, while McLaren was unable to compensate for the five-place penalties given to its drivers after the qualifying sessions.

A week earlier, Lewis Hamilton had won the Australian race while Ferrari had a disastrous weekend.

« It’s going to be a very tight fight throughout the year, » wrote Räikkönen on his personal website.

« As I said before the first race, this season will be very long. We’ve just started it, and no one can say what is going to happen. »

« Obviously, we have a car made to win. We have the speed necessary to win races. We just need to perform well in qualifying. This event proves to be crucial for the race. »

He added: « Of course, it was great to win a Grand Prix again. I felt something nice. The race was conducted exactly as we had planned. »

Räikkönen acknowledged that his victory on Sunday was easy, but he claimed that he could have gone faster if necessary.

« It was an easy victory. We ensured the minimum by saving the car and its engine for the next race. I could have gone much faster, but there was no need. »

« Five years ago, I won my first Grand Prix in Malaysia. At the time, it was also easy. This simply shows that when the car works well, Sepang seems to suit me perfectly. »

Räikkönen is second in the standings, three points behind Hamilton.