Räikkönen: “The strategy was perfect”
Kimi Räikkönen was able to beat a Mercedes this Sunday in Sakhir. For the Ferrari driver, it was the strategy implemented with his team that allowed him to achieve this good result.
Since his return to Ferrari last year, Kimi Räikkönen had not yet stood on a Formula 1 podium. His last podium was with the Lotus team in 2013 at the Korean Grand Prix.
A wait too long for the Finn who, despite his legendary composure, seemed rather happy to reconnect with the peaks: « After a difficult year and a rather unlucky start to the season, it’s really great to be back on the podium. I have somewhat mixed feelings; it’s nice to be back, but we want to be on top. »
The 2007 world champion looks back on his race and particularly on his offset strategy in terms of tires compared to the Mercedes: « The start was really good, I managed to pass Nico but eventually lost the position and quite a bit of time afterward. The strategy was perfect, we pitted at the right time with the right tire choices. I was quite happy with the car and we maintained good speed throughout the entire race. »
It was a close call for Räikkönen to also catch up with Lewis Hamilton: In the last laps, I was getting closer and closer to Hamilton, I could see him, but the race was over, and we would have needed a few more laps to try something.
According to the Finn, the Mercedes drivers are still well ahead of the competition, but Ferrari could snatch a few victories depending on the circumstances: « I think we are still a bit behind the Mercedes. But on certain circuits and under certain conditions, we can be competitive, especially in races. »
