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Raikkonen predicts Suzuka struggle

Kimi Raikkonen is not expecting his Ferrari team to do much better in next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix after a difficult race in Singapore on Sunday

The Finn qualified in 13th position on Saturday and finished the race in 10th, having struggled for grip for most of the weekend with th F60 car.

Raikkonen admitted the result was the best he could have hoped for given Ferrari's problems, and the former world champion is not expecting things to change much in the Suzuka race.

"I couldn't do any better," said the Finn. "The car was sliding everywhere and I had no grip. In the final part, with the softer tyres, the situation improved a bit, but by then it was too late.

"I closed up to Nakajima and, a few times, I tried to risk a passing move, but here it's really difficult to overtake unless the guy in front makes a mistake.

"I don't expect the situation to be much different next week in Suzuka: it is a very demanding track for the car, from an aerodynamic point of view and we are lacking in this area. Having said that, I will be trying my hardest."

Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella also had a difficult day on his way to 13th position, the Italian also claiming the car simply did not generated enough grip.

"It was a very tough race, both physically and mentally," Fisichella said. "The pace was not up to Ferrari's standard and we have to take that on board. I was struggling to keep the car on track because of a lack of grip. At the end, on the softer tyre, the car's handling improved and I managed to do some good lap times.

"We brought my first pitstop forward to try and get me out of traffic, given that I was stuck behind Sutil, but then with the safety car the move didn't give the result we'd hoped for. Here, KERS was less of a factor than at Monza: at the start I managed to pass a car and then it was mainly useful to defend my position.

"Now we go to Suzuka, a real track: given how things have gone this year, with cars being strong in one race and weak the next, it's difficult to make any predictions."

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