Kimi Raikkonen is targeting an improved performance on Saturday afternoon at the Indian Grand Prix, in the hope that it will make his life easier on Sunday afternoon.
The Finn hasn't started in the top five since the German Grand Prix in early July, where he lined up fourth. His speed in qualifying has hampered his race results.
When asked what his target is for the next round of the season, he replied: "Hopefully we finally get it right in qualifying as the last five qualifying sessions have not been that great for me. If we don’t, it’s going to be a difficult Sunday afternoon, although of course we’ll keep pushing. If we do get it right, then we can really go for it."
He feels that the Buddh International Circuit has an "interesting" layout but admitted that it isn't hugely challenging, likening it to the Korea International Circuit. He added: "It’s always nice to go to a new place like India. It’s certainly a good track to go fast with a strong car in front of all the others."
The 34-year-old raced in India for the first time in 2012. He didn't get to see much of the countries vibrant culture, but he is certainly looking forward to the cuisine. Asked if he got to see much of the country, he said: "No, it was my first visit and I spent my time in the paddock and the hotel. We only come to race and India is a very big country! The thing I like is eating Indian food, which I really enjoy."
Raikkonen finished the Japanese Grand Prix in fifth place, two positions behind team-mate Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman feels that he is on a roll at the moment and is hoping it continues in India: "I’m feeling really good with the car, my confidence is getting higher with every race and I’m very happy with the team, so I’ll keep working hard to improve the areas that need improving and we’ll keep pushing for top results right to the end of the season."
He had a storming start to take the lead into Suzuka's challenging first turn. He felt that he had the chance to win but ultimately the Red Bulls were just too fast: "The start was fantastic; the clutch kicked in, I put my foot down and whoosh! It was superb to go past both the Red Bulls like that and it’ll be one of my best memories of the year."
He added: "I saw Mark [Webber] in my mirrors and started to pull away which was a big surprise in itself, so I was screaming "come on baby, let’s go!" in the cockpit. After the first lap I honestly thought it was going to be my day, but that first win will come soon..."
The Lotus F1 Team is a hot topic of discussion at the moment. The Enstone based outfit has the only vacant seat at a front-running team for 2014, but team principal Eric Boullier insisted that they are still reviewing their options.
"There are no announcements yet but there is plenty going on behind the scenes," he said. "We know that Kimi is headed elsewhere for next season, but we also know that Romain would bring good continuity as well as the strong performance potential we’ve seen recently. There are a number of other good drivers on the market at the moment, so we’re in a strong position of being able to assess the possibilities. A race seat with Lotus F1 Team is pretty hot property at the moment, so we’re confident we’ll have a strong line - up in 2014."
A deal with investment consortium Infinity Racing - now named Quantum Motorsports - was announced earlier in the summer but it has dragged on, meaning Lotus are still waiting on the financial boost. However, Boullier hinted that progress is being made: "There has been a lot of talk, and there are a lot of positive things happening behind the scenes. We’ll certainly be shouting from the rooftops when everything is finalised as we should be exceptionally well placed looking to the future."
The Frenchman also said that the team is aiming for second in the constructor's standings. They currently lie fourth in the championship, 33 points adrift of Ferrari and 23 points behind Mercedes.
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| (c) Lotus F1 Team |
When asked what his target is for the next round of the season, he replied: "Hopefully we finally get it right in qualifying as the last five qualifying sessions have not been that great for me. If we don’t, it’s going to be a difficult Sunday afternoon, although of course we’ll keep pushing. If we do get it right, then we can really go for it."
He feels that the Buddh International Circuit has an "interesting" layout but admitted that it isn't hugely challenging, likening it to the Korea International Circuit. He added: "It’s always nice to go to a new place like India. It’s certainly a good track to go fast with a strong car in front of all the others."
The 34-year-old raced in India for the first time in 2012. He didn't get to see much of the countries vibrant culture, but he is certainly looking forward to the cuisine. Asked if he got to see much of the country, he said: "No, it was my first visit and I spent my time in the paddock and the hotel. We only come to race and India is a very big country! The thing I like is eating Indian food, which I really enjoy."
Raikkonen finished the Japanese Grand Prix in fifth place, two positions behind team-mate Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman feels that he is on a roll at the moment and is hoping it continues in India: "I’m feeling really good with the car, my confidence is getting higher with every race and I’m very happy with the team, so I’ll keep working hard to improve the areas that need improving and we’ll keep pushing for top results right to the end of the season."
He had a storming start to take the lead into Suzuka's challenging first turn. He felt that he had the chance to win but ultimately the Red Bulls were just too fast: "The start was fantastic; the clutch kicked in, I put my foot down and whoosh! It was superb to go past both the Red Bulls like that and it’ll be one of my best memories of the year."
He added: "I saw Mark [Webber] in my mirrors and started to pull away which was a big surprise in itself, so I was screaming "come on baby, let’s go!" in the cockpit. After the first lap I honestly thought it was going to be my day, but that first win will come soon..."
The Lotus F1 Team is a hot topic of discussion at the moment. The Enstone based outfit has the only vacant seat at a front-running team for 2014, but team principal Eric Boullier insisted that they are still reviewing their options.
"There are no announcements yet but there is plenty going on behind the scenes," he said. "We know that Kimi is headed elsewhere for next season, but we also know that Romain would bring good continuity as well as the strong performance potential we’ve seen recently. There are a number of other good drivers on the market at the moment, so we’re in a strong position of being able to assess the possibilities. A race seat with Lotus F1 Team is pretty hot property at the moment, so we’re confident we’ll have a strong line - up in 2014."
A deal with investment consortium Infinity Racing - now named Quantum Motorsports - was announced earlier in the summer but it has dragged on, meaning Lotus are still waiting on the financial boost. However, Boullier hinted that progress is being made: "There has been a lot of talk, and there are a lot of positive things happening behind the scenes. We’ll certainly be shouting from the rooftops when everything is finalised as we should be exceptionally well placed looking to the future."
The Frenchman also said that the team is aiming for second in the constructor's standings. They currently lie fourth in the championship, 33 points adrift of Ferrari and 23 points behind Mercedes.
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