FEBRUARY 25, 2014

Back alright after Bahrain crash says Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen's newly-healed back withstood a hefty shunt as the first week of Bahrain testing came to a close.

The Finn sat out the last races of 2013 to have surgery and physiotherapy on an old and increasingly painful back injury.

When he returned to the wheel of Ferrari's new F14-T car at Jerez late last month, he reported: "At least now, on the first day of driving, I did not have any problems.

"And I don't expect any either, even if you never know what's going to happen in the future."

What happened on the last day of Bahrain testing on Saturday was a sizeable crash, causing plenty of damage to the new red single seater.

However, it caused no damage to Raikkonen's back.

"The back has been quite ok since the surgery," Raikkonen told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

"I hope it stays that way, but for now it seems pretty normal."

(GMM)