The Ferrari struggles in the slipstream of its rivals according to Räikkönen
After a difficult race, Kimi Räikkönen reflects on the issues encountered during the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, notably the numerous laps spent in the slipstream of the Williams drivers.
After qualifying in seventh position due to a software issue, Kimi Räikkönen only managed to secure eighth place at the Singapore Grand Prix, as opposed to the fourth place achieved by his teammate Fernando Alonso.
However, their race could not have been more different: while Fernando Alonso spent most of the race alone or in the company of the Red Bull drivers at a pace similar to his, the Finn fell behind Felipe Massa during the first tire change, which conditioned his race: « I was stuck behind the Williams for most of the race, first by Massa and at the end by Bottas. » The Williams, although less competitive on this urban track, still has a high top speed which makes it almost impossible to overtake. « It’s difficult to overtake. I got close to them several times, but coming out of the corner, I lost grip. And since here, you only have two places to overtake, it’s really complicated. »
This loss of grip is the result of one of the weaknesses of the Ferrari driven by the 2007 world champion. Indeed, driving behind another car for a long period causes tire issues, which explains certain messages heard on the radio such as: “Slow down a bit and keep two seconds behind him, manage your tires.” And this is the point raised by Kimi Räikkönen, who suffered from being stuck behind the Williams: “When you get closer, you lose aerodynamic downforce, and then it destroys your tires.” This deficiency prevented Kimi Räikkönen from overtaking either Felipe Massa or Valtteri Bottas, costing him seventh place at the end of the race when Jean-Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez caught up to him and overtook him without much difficulty.
« First of all, you can’t get close enough to attempt an attack, and then you lose your tires… It’s really disappointing. » This race in traffic will have relegated Kimi Räikkönen to 45 seconds behind his teammate who benefited from a clear track for many laps: « In race conditions, it’s really important to have stints without traffic. »
