Raikkonen Hopes Race Strategy Pays Off

Finn Kimi Raikkonen did not complete his qualifying lap today in order to start the Bahrain Grand Prix with new tyres and more fuel, his team said.

McLaren's Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher's closest title challenger last year, will start from the back of the grid after being penalised 10 places following an engine failure on Friday. The Finn did not set a time in final qualifying, returning to the pits after an installation lap.

"As we had to change my engine yesterday we knew that no matter where I qualified we would have to move 10 places down," said Raikkonen. "As a result we decided to change our tactics so I can start with a good fuel load and new tyres.

"Hopefully this strategy will pay off tomorrow, but we will have to wait and see. In motor racing anything is possible and I will do my best and hopefully we can do well."

McLaren's poor day was completed by David Coulthard, who could only set the tenth quickest time.

"Our difficult weekend continues as we have just not been able to get the package working to our advantage," said Coulthard. "The car feels OK through corners 11 and 12 but apart from that it's really difficult to find the speed.

"The plan for tomorrow's race is to get a good start and gain a couple of places and then keep out of trouble and aim for reliability. The circuit is quite challenging, and I do like it, but I believe there is only a limited amount of overtaking opportunities, but we will have to wait and see."