Raikkonen sums up Q3 performance as s***

Jamie Woodhouse
Kimi Raikkonen has revealed that differential problems were causing him to almost hit the barriers at the Monaco GP.

Kimi Raikkonen has revealed that differential problems were causing him to almost hit the barriers at the Monaco GP.

Kimi Raikkonen was on top form as usual during his media duties, branding his last Q3 run in Baku as s***.

The Finn qualified in P9 for the race tomorrow just behind team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi, though he will start P8 with the Italian set for a ten-place grid drop.

Raikkonen missed out on Q3 for the first time at the Chinese Grand Prix, so you would expect the 39-year old to be happy with an immediate return to the shootout scene, but he wasn’t.

Asked by reporters in Baku whether he was happy with his qualifying performance, the response was an abrupt “no”.

When encouraged to elaborate on his reasons, the former World Champion said: “I never put a lap together. We had one new set of tyres [for the final run] but got way too close to the Mercedes.”

Baku continues to live up to its reputation as one of the most chaotic events on the Formula 1 calendar, but Kimi wasn’t full of enthusiasm for the drama which is sure to come tomorrow that could give him a shot at a strong points haul.

“It’s s***, but what can you do about it now?,” he asked.

“It’s disappointing but we get what we get.”

Raikkonen’s team-mate at Alfa Romeo Antonio Giovinazzi made Q3 for the first time in Formula 1 at Baku, but despite finishing ahead of Raikkonen, he will start well behind as he serves a ten-place grid penalty for new control electronics. That though hasn’t dampened the youngsters spirit after his strongest showing to date.

“To be in Q3 for the first time makes me really happy,” he told media in Baku.

“My pace was already very strong in yesterday’s FP2. We got the maximum out of our car today, and even if I’ve been given a 10-place penalty I hope to score some points here.

“It’s been a chaotic race for the last two years and we can’t predict how it will be tomorrow, so we will do our best to have a good race and fight our way forward.”

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Kimi Raikkonen

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