Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen believes his team is still missing downforce, despite qualifying on the front row for the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 2007 world champion lines up second behind pole-sitter Hamilton, who has described the Finn as his biggest threat in the race, but Raikkonen has played down his chances in the race due to the E21 car’s lack of downforce in the middle sector.
“I knew the gap was quite big still and we don’t have that speed right now,” Raikkonen said.
“Second is not too bad, it is the best I can gain with the team. I’d rather be in first place, but we didn’t have the speed.
“We’re missing downforce in the middle sector so we will see what we can do tomorrow.”
Despite being unsure whether Lotus can challenge for victory in tomorrow’s race, he believes setting a fastest lap on soft tyres was the correct decision despite their short shelf life.
“We believe our strategy is the best one, that is why we did it,” he said. “If qualifying was better on primes, then you would do it.”
The 2007 world champion lines up second behind pole-sitter Hamilton, who has described the Finn as his biggest threat in the race, but Raikkonen has played down his chances in the race due to the E21 car’s lack of downforce in the middle sector.
“I knew the gap was quite big still and we don’t have that speed right now,” Raikkonen said.
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| Kimi Raikkonen, Shanghai International Circuit (Photo: WRi2) |
“Second is not too bad, it is the best I can gain with the team. I’d rather be in first place, but we didn’t have the speed.
“We’re missing downforce in the middle sector so we will see what we can do tomorrow.”
Despite being unsure whether Lotus can challenge for victory in tomorrow’s race, he believes setting a fastest lap on soft tyres was the correct decision despite their short shelf life.
“We believe our strategy is the best one, that is why we did it,” he said. “If qualifying was better on primes, then you would do it.”