Ferrari's recent F1 engine problems 'weird' - Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari's recent run of engine problems is "a bit weird", after the team lost more ground in the Formula 1 drivers' and constructors' championship in Japan

His Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel started the race second but was forced to retire early on with a spark plug failure while F1 title rival Lewis Hamilton won the race.
The problem comes after Vettel suffered an engine failure in Malaysia that prevented him from doing a timed lap in qualifying, and Raikkonen suffered a similar issue that stopped him from starting the race.
Hamilton has increased his lead to 59 points over Vettel with just four races and 100 points remaining while in the constructors' championship, Ferrari now trails Mercedes by 145.
"It's far from ideal for any of us when we have technical issues," said Raikkonen, who recovered from starting 10th on the grid at Suzuka to finish fifth.
"It's a bit weird because on Saturdays, OK Seb had an issue before qualifying [in Malaysia], but it has been twice now the cars are running fine in qualifying and the next time we go out on Sunday we found some issues.
"Obviously, it's nothing we expect, it comes out of nothing. We have to see why it is happening and fix it.
"It's one of those things that suddenly hits and there's not an awful lot that you can do.
"It's not nice, we have pretty good speed normally but if you don't finish the race, it's no use.
"We have to fix them and find out why lately we have had these issues."

Raikkonen had a poor first lap at Suzuka, losing five positions after running wide when battling the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg before recovering to rescue fifth.
"We did a decent start with the soft tyres and then I struggled to decide which way to go," he said.
"I chose to go outside, I lost one place. I don't know where I came out compared to where we started.
"I tried to make my way through the cars in the first lap. I ran wide trying to pass the Renault, and lost some places, which I had to gain back.
"I had decent speed for overtaking but it obviously wasn't easy. We were just too far.
"The feeling in the car was a little bit tricky all the way through the race, not the nicest balance.
"Some laps were OK, some others a bit more difficult. The final result is far from being the best possible."

Mercedes F1 team urged to sort 'diva' car rather than celebrate
Force India won't back down on Ocon Perez F1 team orders

Latest news
Double F1 race winner Jean Pierre Jabouille has died
Former French Formula 1 driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille has died on Thursday at age 80, French media have reported.
IMSA champion Jarvis to contest full ELMS season with United Autosports
Reigning IMSA Sportscar Championship title-winner Oliver Jarvis will contest the European Le Mans Series with United Autosports alongside Formula 2 convert Marino Sato, in addition to the World Endurance Championship.
20 years on: Porsche’s 911 GT Daytona 24 Hours giant-killing relived
IMSA’s new GTP class for LMDh cars had a more auspicious debut last weekend than the Daytona Prototypes that arrived in 2003. Back then, they were humbled by a GT Porsche 911, which won the Floridian sportscar classic by nine laps.
Entries open for the 2023 Williams Autosport Engineer of the Future Award story
Entries have opened for the 2023 Williams Autosport Engineer of the Future Award, with budding motorsport engineers invited to apply for the revamped prize.
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
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.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.