Korean GP: Kimi Raikkonen believes fifth was best possible result
Kimi Raikkonen believes fifth place was the best possible result for him in the Korean Grand Prix

The Lotus driver, whose team has introduced a Coanda-style exhaust system, was unable to match the pace of the Red Bulls and Ferraris and finished 36 seconds behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.
The result left Raikkonen 48 points behind Vettel in the championship, and the Finn admitted his chances are now very slim.
Raikkonen said, however, that he believes Lotus will be able to find more performance once it optimises the new updates.
"I think this was about where we should have been today," said Raikkonen. "The yellow flags at the start didn't help when we were fighting with Felipe [Massa] but even so we didn't quite have the speed to match the Red Bulls and Ferraris.
"We also lost quite a bit of time behind Lewis [Hamilton] - mainly because the new exhaust system means you lose a little bit of power so it was hard to get past - but with a few more practice sessions I'm sure we'll learn a lot more to be able to improve it.
"I was pretty much on my own at the end but we had to keep pushing to maintain position and it wasn't so easy.
"The gap to Sebastian [Vettel] in the championship is quite big now so it will be very difficult to catch him, but we'll keep pushing all the way."
Team-mate Romain Grosjean finished in seventh position after a pretty much trouble-free race.
The Frenchman - under pressure following his first-lap crash in Japan - admitted he was nervous about the start.
"For sure I was a bit nervous starting the race today, but we did a lot of work this week trying to understand a few things and it's certainly helped," he said.
"It wasn't the easiest start; there was contact behind me at turn three and I took evasive action but after that it was quite straight forward.
"I struggled on the last set of tyres as I had graining straight away meaning the performance was not great during the final stint.
"Maybe we could have achieved one place better - I think I now know every detail of Force India's car after spending so much time battling with Nico [Hulkenberg] - but I'm happy to make it to the chequered flag after a good, clean race."

Previous article
Korean GP: Ferrari Sunday quotes
Next article
Korean GP: Anti-roll bar failure wrecked Hamilton's chances

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Kimi Raikkonen |
Author | Pablo Elizalde |
Korean GP: Kimi Raikkonen believes fifth was best possible result
Trending
Starting Grid for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
F1 Fast Facts: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The back-bedroom world-beater that began a new F1 era
The first in a line of world beaters was designed in a back bedroom and then constructed in a shed. STUART CODLING recalls the Tyrrell 001
The clues Hamilton’s F1 contract afterthought gives to his future
The Formula 1 world reacted with surprise when it learned Lewis Hamilton’s long-awaited new Mercedes deal guarantees his presence on the grid only until the end of 2021. Both parties claimed publicly they were happy with the arrangement but, asks MARK GALLAGHER, is there more to it than that?
How a harshly ejected Red Bull star has been hooked by racing again
Driver-turned-DJ Jaime Alguersuari lost his love for motorsport when he was booted out of Formula 1 just as he was starting to polish his rough edges. Having drifted from category to category then turned his back on racing altogether in 2015, he’s come full circle and is planning a return in karts for fun
Why Mercedes isn't confident it's really ahead of Red Bull at Imola
While Mercedes struck back against Red Bull by topping the times at Imola on Friday ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the overall picture remains incredibly close. Despite having a possible edge this weekend, the reigning Formula 1 world champion squad is not taking anything for granted...
What Mercedes must do to keep its F1 title challenge on track
Mercedes may find itself leading the drivers' and constructors' standings after Lewis Hamilton's victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, but it is well-aware that it came against the odds, with Red Bull clearly ahead on pace. Here's what the Brackley team must do to avoid its crown slipping
Why Tsunoda can become Japan’s greatest F1 talent
While Japan's fever for motor racing is well-documented, the country has yet to produce a Formula 1 superstar – but that could be about to change, says BEN EDWARDS
Why the demise of F1's hypocritical spending habit is cause for celebration
For too long, F1's richest teams have justified being able to spend as much as they want because that's the way they've always conducted their business. STUART CODLING says that's no reason not to kick a bad habit
The double whammy that is defining Vettel’s F1 fate
It's been a tough start to Sebastian Vettel's Aston Martin F1 career, with a lack of pre-season testing mileage followed by an incident-packed Bahrain GP. But two key underlying factors mean a turnaround is not guaranteed