Raikkonen to race on despite back pains

2013 Singapore Grand Prix

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Kimi Raikkonen says he intend to compete in tomorrow’s race despite his qualifying effort being hampered by back pains.

Raikkonen had an injection of painkillers before qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, which he will start in 13th place.

Asked if he felt his qualifying result was due to the pain from his back, Raikkonen said: “I think it’s a combination really.”

“This morning I couldn’t really drive so I didn’t do what we were supposed to do. That’s how it goes, we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

However he still intends to start the race tomorrow: “We’ll try and see what happens,” he said.

“It’s not the first time unfortunately and I don’t think it’s the last time we’ll have the pains.”

2013 Singapore Grand Prix

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Image © Lotus/LAT

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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29 comments on “Raikkonen to race on despite back pains”

  1. Here I was thinking Lotus really gave up on him ;)

  2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    21st September 2013, 15:37

    Any reports on the origin of that pain? I know the F1 racer training is harsh, sometimes they keep a secret about a broken bone, like Webber.

    1. MTV3 writes that his bench was loose on friday practice and that plus the bumpy track did the trick.

    2. Luckily for him turn 10 has been changed, the previous design would’ve been agony for his back.

    3. I really wish this is a short-term injury. I am so hyped for next year to see him compete against Alonso

    4. Kimi has had these pains before and I remember reading from somewhere that they started 2001 when he crashed to a concrete wall in testing and again in Barcelona test 2005. And they usually come back when he has a big crash or bench problem such as yesterday.

  3. Raikkonen had an injection of painkillers before qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix

    Wow, that can influence greatly the ability of someone to drive.

    @omarr-pepper I’ve heard his seat wasn’t correctly fixed during one of the FP, thus creating this back pain.

    1. Lotus can’t afford the fixings? Ice creams all round

      1. Or payback for leaving to Ferrari D:

        1. Makes no sense. Lotus wouldn’t throw away points, while risking huge penalties for injuring a driver.

          1. It was a joke; Maybe I should have made it clearer.

  4. Silly decision by Raikkonen. Back injuries can be nasty to say the least, and can easily become a reoccurring problem. Just ask former V8 Supercar driver Greg Murphy – he injured his back in an accident whilst qualifying in Adelaide last year, and was sidelined for a large part of the season when he relapsed (which is how Jacques Villeneuve wound up in the car). I can’t think of anything worse for a back injury than pounding around the Singapore circuit – one of the most physically demanding and most punishing on the calendar – for two hours. Raikkonen is risking a serious reoccurring injury by doing so, and for what? The supposed “pure racer” mentality if refusing to back down and always pushing for a gap when you see one instead of settling for second place and second-best? The sake of keeping his championship bid alive when it is all but dead in the water? His pride?

    There are no good reasons for Raikkonen to race tomorrow. Risking a career-ending injury simply isn’t worth it.

  5. Eric B mildly criticized Kimi for ‘airing dirty laundry’ in comment with Simon of SkySports after quali. Hope Kimi opts for sightseeing rather than put himself at unpaid risk for them.

    1. Boullier has a history of intolerance when it comes to drivers expressing unhappiness with the team and/or the car. He did it to Vitaly Petrov in 2011 as well, after the Russian criticised the way the car had fallen behind. Whatever Petrov’s skill, it was a valid criticism because the car was pretty much dead weight by then. But Boullier, it seems, cannot accept criticism of his team in any way, shape or form.

      1. But Boullier, it seems, cannot accept criticism of his team in any way, shape or form.

        He can’t take public criticism of his team. And, in all fairness, it’s perfectly understandable. No matter how “weak” a car may seem, it’s the product of the VERY hard efford of hundreds of individuals that don’t get neither the same paycheck nor the recognition as the drivers.

        Kudos to Boullier for trying to keep all team inside the team, as they should.

        1. Kimi said they hadn’t paid his salary. That’s not really a criticism of anyone’s hard work.

  6. I’m curious to know what painkiller(s) are permitted under anti-doping rules?
    Clearly, F1 drivers undergo regular random testing as several have tweeted about early morning visits by the enforcement agents/testers and I was always under the impression that practically any painkiller is not permitted.

    1. I’m sure a couple of Anadin are ok.

      I don’t buy the back pain thing anyway. Kimi just can’t be ***** and for once I say fair play to him considering he apparently hsd not been paid. I’d pull a sickie too!

      1. That is just silly, Kimi has had back problems for a long time, but he is not one who complains. He crashed heavily in 2001 and it started from there. He also had back issues while doing rallying and had a back operation in 2010.

        1. That would explain his lack of rally results (compared to other ex-F1 drivers such as Kubica – such a tragedy, his accident)

      2. Agree with @angelia and also Kimi is not about that type of BS like a lot of others on the grid. Kimi would say straight up that he wouldn’t drive until he was paid if that was on his mind. But he already said that he came to do what he loved to do, money or not.

    2. Thomas Enge thought something else

  7. I wonder if the team intentionally didnt fit his seat properly. Anyway, kimi shouldnt race as such bumpy circuit could kill his career with two hour races with injured spine

    1. I don’t believe you’ve seriously considered the implications of what you’re suggesting because it would be a disgusting thing to accuse them of doing. Intentionally risking a driver’s safety in that fashion could put them at risk of paralysis or worse.

      Does every last little glitch in an F1 team’s race weekend have to be spun into some insane and illogical conspiracy theory these days?

      1. As insane and illogical as getting someone to intentionally drive into the wall?
        Not that I think Lotus would do that to Kimi, but teams have done some pretty insane things in the past!

  8. Ofcourse he is going to race. He played icehockey, and they taught him how to be tough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s946M878MxI

  9. Kimi hurts his back from carrying the Lotus team for 2 years.

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