Raikkonen weighs in on Ricciardo’s double penalty

Michelle Foster
Kimi-Raikkonen-and-Daniel-Ricciardo-PA

Kimi Raikkonen weighs in on Ricciardo's double penalty

Kimi Raikkonen has no sympathy for Daniel Ricciardo after he was penalised in France, saying if there had been a wall on the edge of the track he wouldn’t have passed.

Ricciardo was hit with not one but two five-second time penalties for passing rivals with all four wheels off the track on the final lap at the Paul Ricard circuit.

The penalties meant the Aussie dropped from seventh to 11th.

But while Ricciardo doesn’t feel he deserved both penalties, Raikkonen reckons the second – the one the Aussie earned for overtaking him off the track – was the right call.

Speaking to RaceFans.net about the Renault driver’s penalties, the Alfa Romeo driver conceded that the first was “a bit on the limit – he went off and he came back, he didn’t go really wide”, but says the second was deserved.

“The second one, I knew there’s a track limit somewhere, especially on the straight. In corners sometimes it’s a bit difficult to say if it’s better or not.

“But I knew that if he wants the option to go on the right-hand side, yes there’s space, but the rules that I know you can obviously go there but something’s going to happen afterwards.

“That’s where he went.

“If there was a wall he wouldn’t go past me so it’s as simple as that. We all know the rules.

“I don’t think we think [about] the rules all the time when we driver but you do the decision and for sure at some point when he got past he probably though let’s see what happens, that’s the result.”

Follow us on Twitter @Planet_F1 and like our Facebook page.