Raikkonen: Missed pole due to my ‘****-up’

Kimi Raikkonen has said he only has himself to blame after missing out on pole position again to team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

Raikkonen was on course to beat Vettel’s provisional lap time of 1:41.498 and was two tenths up through the second sector.

However, the lap completely unravelled at Turn 16 and the Finn admitted that the mistake was not due to a tailwind.

“No, obviously it was a f***-up,” Raikkonen said. “A mistake. It cost us quite a few places so not the greatest end.

“No issues, I took it easier even on the entry because obviously it’s been a bit trickier with the wind all day

“I don’t know, it just got sideways, I got it back but I knew already it was all gone because it’s flat out and a long straight [to complete the lap].”

It is a common sight to see Raikkonen get outdone by Vettel at the point where it matters most and the Finn said it is “painful” to see it keep happening.

“Right now I’m disappointed with what happened today,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com about his elusive perfect run in Q3.

“I’ve been a few times disappointed. This is a different story and today, what can you do? I can only look in the mirror. It’s painful.”

Raikkonen will start from P6 on Sunday, starting on ultrasofts compared to the top five starting on supersofts.