F1 podium in Singapore GP gave Ferrari's Raikkonen "mixed feelings"
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen said he had mixed feelings about securing only his second Formula 1 podium of the season in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix
The Finn was pleased with how his car felt during practice, but complained of a lack of grip and admitted he was struggling with braking and turn-in during Saturday's sessions.
Though he qualified third and kept that position to score the 79th podium of his career, Raikkonen remained unhappy with the Ferrari in race trim as team-mate Sebastian Vettel took victory ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
"I have mixed feelings," he said. "I am happy to be in third place after how difficult it's felt in the last two days with some issues that we had.
"But it's disappointing, in that on Friday we knew that we were faring pretty well.
"For whatever reason on Saturday morning already in the practice we had difficult handling with the car.
"And then through qualifying it was not exactly what we wanted and [I] was a bit surprised to still be third.
"In the race, I had no chance to do anything about the first two. I could follow them at the beginning but once my tyres dropped off they just went.
"It wasn't that nice to have that kind of difficulties but we still finished third and when you have a bad few days and you finish third it's pretty good."
While Vettel has scored nine podiums, including three wins, this term Raikkonen has fared less well and trails his team-mate by 96 points.
The 36-year-old has struggled in qualifying in particular, while mistakes and mechanical issues have hurt him in the races.
But the Finn has reversed his one-lap form in the last two GPs, qualifying second at Monza before his third at Singapore, and he is hopeful that trend will continue.
"We've had some other chances to be on the podium quite a few times but either I made a mistake or something else happened," said the Finn.
"It's been a bit of an up and down year but hopefully we keep building.
"Obviously the things that we are doing are definitely going in the right direction.
"We just have to have some patience to build on this."
Previous article
Mercedes F1 team must not be 'terrified' by Singapore GP - Wolff
Next article
McLaren-Honda's F1 form is starting to hurt, says Jenson Button
The forgotten F1 comeback that began Jordan’s odyssey
Before Michael Schumacher – or anyone else – had driven the 191 (or 911 as it was initially called), Eddie Jordan turned to a fellow Irishman to test his new Formula 1 car. JOHN WATSON, a grand prix winner for Penske and McLaren, recalls his role in the birth of a legend…
The squandered potential of a 70s F1 underdog
A podium finisher in its first outing but then never again, the BRM P201 was a classic case of an opportunity squandered by disorganisation and complacency, says STUART CODLING
The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from
OPINION: The headlines were dominated by the Italian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had the halo to thank for avoiding potentially serious injury. But two days earlier, Formula 1 had a lucky escape with a Monza pitlane incident that could also have had grave consequences
How Monza only added more questions to F1's sprint race conundrum
With two sprint races under its belt, Formula 1 must now consider its options for them going forward. While they've helped deliver exciting racing on Sundays, the sprints themselves have been somewhat lacking - creating yet another conundrum for F1 to solve...
Who should Alfa Romeo sign for 2022's F1 season?
OPINION: With Valtteri Bottas already signed up for 2022, all eyes are on the race for the second seat at Alfa Romeo next year. Antonio Giovinazzi is the current incumbent, but faces a tough competition from appealing short and long-term prospects
The "forced break" that was key to Ricciardo's Monza excellence
OPINION: Daniel Ricciardo has long been considered one of Formula 1’s elite drivers. But his struggles at McLaren since switching from Renault for 2021 have been painful to watch at times. Yet he’s recovered to banish those memories with a famous Monza win – built on a critically important foundation
How Verstappen is ruining his F1 title battle with Hamilton
OPINION: The Italian GP clash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen followed a running theme in the 2021 Formula 1 title fight. Their close-quarters battles have often resulted in contact - and although Hamilton has shown a willingness to back off, Verstappen must learn to temper his aggression
Italian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Two drivers produced maximum-score performances as, for the second year in a row, Monza threw up an unpredictable result that left several others ruing what might have been
