OCTOBER 2, 2016

Ferrari denies tool left in Raikkonen's car

Ferrari has denied Kimi Raikkonen's claim that a mechanic left a flashlight in the footwell of the Finnish driver's car during practice at Sepang.

Ferrari has denied Kimi Raikkonen's claim that a mechanic left a flashlight in the footwell of the Finnish driver's car during practice at Sepang.

According to Germany's Bild newspaper, the Italian team initially put an unscheduled return to the pits for Raikkonen as down to "setup problems".

But Raikkonen later told Finnish television: "The mechanics left a tool in my car. It was a flashlight. I couldn't press the throttle."

Bild claims that the flashlight actually got stuck behind the throttle. Had the tool lodged behind the brake pedal instead, it may have been a safety hazard.

But when Ferrari was asked about the story, a spokesperson insisted: "No! The accelerator was a little too stiff, which is why Kimi had problems."

(GMM)