Kimi Raikkonen’s seventh second-placed finish of the season was not enough to secure a first world championship title for the Finn. But, the 23-year old has vowed that he will be a force to be reckoned with again next year.
Kimi Raikkonen’s seventh second-placed finish of the season was not enough to secure a first world championship title for the Finn. But, the 23-year-old has vowed that he will be a force to reckon with again next year.
The 23-year-old needed to win the final grand prix of the season in Japan and then hope that Michael Schumacher would finish outside the points. But he damaged his race car during practice on Saturday and the following day, a two-stop race strategy proved unsuccessful… He was outpaced by team-mate David Coulthard and eventually had to settle for both second in the race and championship.
“This year we improved and we were more reliable, but maybe not up there with the speed,” said Raikkonen. “It’s not very nice to finish second almost every time. I think next year we can improve and fight for the wins more.”
Raikkonen, who won his first race at Malaysia this season, added: “I guess you always think there is a chance until you go over the line. Many times people have retired on the last lap but this time it wasn’t enough to win the title.”
“This year we were just not quick enough to win the title but at least I didn’t lose to a bad driver,” he said. “I think it has been a good season for us and for me. We really had big expectations before the start of the season and I think we have done very well.
“We have been quite quick and the car has been much more reliable than last year and we have improved a lot,” the Finn concluded. “But this year maybe we were consistent but just not up there on the speed and hopefully we can catch up for next year.”