Räikkönen still thinks about the world title
Even though a slightly clearer hierarchy seems to be emerging over the past few Grand Prix, the 2012 Formula 1 season remains very competitive and the outcome of the championship uncertain.
With 46 points behind Fernando Alonso, the current leader in the standings, Kimi Räikkönen can still hope to aim for the world title at the end of the season, and he intends to try to achieve it.
« There is no reason for me not to try. I’m not here just to drive. But I have no idea if we will still be in the running for the title at the end of the season or not. We will try to give ourselves a chance and do the best we can. We know we need to improve certain things, » explains the Finn.
Since the start of the season, Lotus has often been seen as a favorite or at least an underdog, but for one reason or another, it has not yet managed to win.
« We are not 100% satisfied with how things went every weekend, but that’s what I expected. You cannot believe that everything will be perfect. I think overall we’ve been fast everywhere. We just need to work on improving. If we do things right, we can improve as much as the others, and then we might have a chance. »
In this context, the team based in Enstone debuted a double DRS system, somewhat like the one used by Mercedes AMG. The world champion was using this new feature while Romain Grosjean was assessing more conventional improvements, particularly regarding the flat floor.
After the first day of testing, the team was able to review the data and it is unlikely that this improved DRS will still be present on the E20 for the rest of the weekend.
« We are still looking at the data but the fact is that when you build a prototype, you don’t want to have issues during the race because of a lack of reliability, » explains Eric Boullier.
Nevertheless, the drivers should be able to benefit from this advanced DRS after the summer break at the Belgian Grand Prix, which will take place on the first weekend of September.
