Error spoiled qualifying lap – Raikkonen

2013 Korean Grand Prix

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Kimi Raikkonen says he made a mistake on his Q3 lap which left him tenth in qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix.

Raikkonen, who will start ninth following Mark Webber’s penalty, had a scruffy run through the middle sector of the lap and didn’t have another new set of super-soft tyres to do another run on.

“I have one new set of tyres, I made a mistake so I knew already in that point that the lap was gone but that’s how it goes,” said Raikkonen.

Team mate Romain Grosjean saved enough super-soft tyres to do two runs in qualifying and will start third.

Raikkonen admitted he hasn’t been happy with the balance of his car so far this weekend but believes he will be in better shape for the race. “I expect it to be a bit better,” he said.

“I was really struggling with the front end the whole weekend. Hopefully in the race it should be a bit more better.”

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    Keith Collantine
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    22 comments on “Error spoiled qualifying lap – Raikkonen”

    1. Raikkonen’s qualifying performances have been quite inconsistent and underwhelming ever since he made his comeback but he always seems to get the benefit of the doubt. I can hardly recall reading a negative comment about his qualy form. It seems to me that his legacy from his previous stint in F1 and his laid-back demeanor leaves him immune to criticism over his qualifying pace.

      Last year when Grosjean was regularly outperforming him in qualifying the overwhelming consensus was that Grosjean was demonstrating exceptional 1 lap speed. Barely anyone questioned whether or not the reality might be that Raikkonen was actually underperforming.

      As Martin Brundle pointed out today, since Spa Raikkonen hasn’t qualified higher than 10th. Surely it can’t always be that the Lotus car isn’t capable of delivering better.

      Alonso’s qualifying record at Ferrari is also somewhat underwhelming although at least Alonso is very consistent in qualifying in relatively the same position race after race, meaning it’s far easier to make a case that he is consistently matching the qualifying potential of the Ferrari, except on those rare occasions when Massa outqualifies him.

      This year Alonso’s qualifying performances are being questioned far more than previously. When, if ever, will viewers apportion a similar level of scepticism to the qualifying performance of Raikkonen? Other drivers (particularly Button) are castigated wherever possible for supposedly being incapable of delivering the performance of the car in qualifying. Is this a case of double standards or are there good reasons to explain why Raikkonen can’t consistently qualify better? Back pain doesn’t cut it as a justifiable reason for me.

      1. Kimi is not saturday man, in fact some of his poles were in sunday, all the fans know that. We love him because of his consistent race pace and amazing overtaking skills, somewhat like Valentino Rossi. After all we need an entertaining race.

      2. Well, he’s Kimi-Boy, and he’s here for entertainment.

      3. How come he’s out-qualified Grosjean 9-5 this year, then?

      4. I agree, Räikkönen hasn’t got the same ability to switch on the tyres now as Vettel, Hamilton or Rosberg does. But he still has been pretty comprehensibly beating his teammate this season (Singapore has too many question marks over it), and Alonso has been out-qualified by Massa 5 times I believe this year (I’d certainly argue Grosjean were faster than Massa).

        1. I agree, Räikkönen hasn’t got the same ability to switch on the tyres now as Vettel, Hamilton or Rosberg does.

          I’d lump Button in the same category based on his form against Hamilton during their tenure together at Mclaren and especially considering his slump for 6 races in 2012.

          I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the drivers who tend to be easy on their tyres in races and on balance have better race pace than their teammates are the same drivers who struggle more against their teammates in qualifying.

          1. The problem is = Vettel can do both!

      5. Very much true what you said about raikkonen. On the other hand, if Vettel doesn’t qualify on pole position people are all over him how he under performed and all that even though webber is 14-0 now in quali and miles behind him.

      6. According to Kimi himself, the mid-season change in the tyres has hurt him, as the front end just doesn’t have the same bite (same problem as last year). Now they’re trying to get the tyres working the same way as the original 2013 tyres did.

        1. And I heard Grosjean preferred the new tyres, that can explain a lot since Kimi was always ahead of Grosjean before the tyre change.

          We’ll see next year if Kimis qualification pace is good or not :)

      7. I agree, Raikkonen’s qualifying has been pretty underwhelming this season, I assume it gets less criticism because in general Raikkonen gets less attention that Alonso, besides he’s not the main rival.

        Also, if you look this,

        http://grandprixrankings.com/compare/2013-f1/raikkonen-versus-grosjean/

        You can see that Raikkonen has actually done better than Grosjean, and by bigger margins.

        except on those rare occasions when Massa outqualifies him

        Just a little thing here. 5/14 is not really “rare”. Which is exactly the same 5/14 for Grosjean/Raikkonen

        1. @silence Much the same data is broken down here:

          Kimi Raikkonen 2013 F1 season form guide

      8. Kimi is so good he can take it easy in qualy!

    2. Kimi looks to have the fastest car for the race, maybe that’s what they were focusing on. but I also believe that since Kimi made the decision to drive for Ferrari next year, they are putting more work and effort to Romain’s car.
      Kimi will finish once again on the podium too

      1. Well, we will see who has the fastest Lotus for the long run tomorrow.
        As far as effort goes, why on earth would they slack off on Kimi’s car? The tv money rewarded to each team is based on how many points the teams gather during the season. For a team like Lotus, with an uncertain economy, every point counts, so it is their interest to have both their cars finishing as high as possible. Besides, each car/driver has their own set of engeneers.

        1. Kimi is leaving, he has no chance on winning 2013 WDC and with the rules changing next year…save money. I think Romain is now the #1 driver.

        2. well there u have it. Grosjean is once again beaten. anything to say?

          1. Well, good for Kimi and the team! The safety car helped him a fair bit, and the yellow flag in turn 3, so Grosjean couldn’t pass again.
            Save money??? they need points to get paid. To save a bit on setup is peanuts compared to the differance between finishing 4th, 3rd or even 2nd in the WCC.

        3. Maybe..just maybe..they slack Kimi’s car because they cannot afford to pay his salary, which is based on POINTS.
          Team is rewarded based on constructor position, unless they still have a sight to Mercedes with 3rd.

      2. I see you are a ferrari fan who can predict future, indeed Kimi finish higher than Grosjean.
        What your prediction for 2014?

    3. One reason Kimi doesn’t catch as much flak as some other drivers is that he is willing to admit when he makes a mistake. Even though he is not completely happy with the car he still owns up to his mistake on the qualifying lap. Not to pick on Paul DiResta, but he would do well to learn from that kind of attitude. He brings a lot of grief on himself by always blaming everybody else. In sport, even in the business world and in life itself, there is a lot of power in owning your mistakes. It helps to bring respect.

    4. Kimi’s starting to under perform. I hope this isn’t motivation based, given that he’s leaving Lotus and can’t win the championship. I doubt it, but he isn’t performing to the level he should, that practice crash and this error were quite out of character.

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