Kimi Raikkonen: I've proved I'm still fast enough for top F1 seat
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen says he has proved he still has the speed to compete at the highest level in Formula 1 with his performances this season
Raikkonen took his first pole position since 2008 in the Monaco Grand Prix and has combined with team-mate Sebastian Vettel to put Ferrari in the hunt for the constructors' championship - where it is 39 points adrift of Mercedes.
Though his points tally is only two higher than at the same point in 2016, he believes circumstances and misfortune mean his score does not reflect how fast he has been.
"Personally, I'm not happy with the results," said Raikkonen when asked by Autosport for his appraisal of his driving so far this season.
"I want to win races, I want to be up there all the time and that hasn't been the case this year too often.
"I know when things are correct, and there are quite a few things that happened and you pay the price for it.
"Driving-wise, I have the speed, so I'm not worried about that. It's about putting things in the correct places."
Ferrari is leaning towards keeping Raikkonen and Vettel, who have been team-mates since the start of the 2015 season, for next year.
Raikkonen has been coy about his future, but said he has told the team what he would like to do.
"I'm not very happy where we have been finishing, considering all the races so far, but this is what we've got so far - we cannot change it," he said.
"Is that enough whatever happens in the future? I don't know. We'll see at some point.
"The team knows what I want. In the end, it's up to them to choose whatever is best for them."
Raikkonen, whose last victory came in the 2013 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, says he is only interested in staying in F1 if he can compete at the top.
"My only aim is to do well, that's the only reason I'm here, not anything else," he said.
"It's not because I want to be just part of it - that's the complete other end of the story.
"It's not always fun when it's not going well, but that's how it is.
"It depends on many things. Speed-wise, we have it, but it's not enough if you have the speed if the rest doesn't go as you had hoped."
Share Or Save This Story
F1 testing: Max Verstappen feels 'big difference' in 2018 Red Bull
Williams F1's Oliver Rowland to test Super Formula car at Suzuka
Why F1's under-fire rookie is already causing surprises
What F1 history tells us about three-way title deciders
On this day: Raikkonen’s Suzuka masterclass
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
Is Red Bull better or worse off one year after Horner's sacking? Our writers have their say
Vinales: 'KTM sent me a contract, I signed it, and two weeks later they cancelled it'
One year on: How Red Bull changed post-Horner
How technical issues have cost Bagnaia 40 points in the MotoGP title fight
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments