F1: We Have to Sort Qualifying, Raikkonen Says

Formula 1

F1: We Have to Sort Qualifying, Raikkonen Says

Kimi Raikkonen is confident that he can still win the World Championship if he can get on top of his recent qualifying woes.

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted August 05, 2008 Budapest, Hungary

Raikkonen reckons his Ferrari's true race potential has been masked by qualifying miscues. (LAT photo)

Kimi Raikkonen is confident that he can still win the World Championship if he can get on top of his recent qualifying woes.

Despite his erratic form of late a second, fourth, sixth and third have ensured that he is still only five points shy of leader Lewis Hamilton. In Hungary, his qualifying problem was exacerbated by a mistake that left him sixth, and then a bad start saw him lose a place to Fernando Alonso and get stuck behind the Spaniard.

“It was quite boring I would say,” said Raikkonen of the Hungarian race. “I was stuck behind Alonso, and then once he came in, we could use the speed. We had the speed, but when you are stuck behind, when you start in a bad place, you cannot use it. It’s a disappointing weekend, but we got most of the points of the first three guys.

“I’m still in a good position, but we need to sort out the qualifying, and then once we start at the front, we definitely have the speed in the races. We need to be able to use it straight away in the first laps.

“That’s the only thing that is hurting us. (Saturday) I went off the circuit – it was my own mistake, we just need to get the car like we want for qualifying. After that, if we can start at the front to win the race, but when you start behind the people, you cannot use the speed.”

Kimi said he was not unduly concerned about Felipe Massa’s engine failure: “It was an unfortunate thing for the team and for him, but it’s part of racing really.”