JUNE 9, 2017
Raikkonen not angry after Monaco controversy
Kimi Raikkonen insists he is not angry following the 'team orders' controversy of Monaco.
Kimi Raikkonen insists he is not angry following the 'team orders' controversy of Monaco.
Ferrari did not issue team orders so that Sebastian Vettel won in the Principality, but many suspect the team deliberately shuffled Raikkonen into second place through a less efficient pit strategy.
Finn Raikkonen was visibly sour on the podium, but he said in Montreal that he understands what happened.
"Many things came together at the wrong time," he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
"But after each race you can find things that could have been done differently," he added.
"Decisions have to be made quickly and this time they were not 100 per cent ideal for me. There are always mistakes -- it is completely normal," Raikkonen said.
And so the Finn said he was angry after the race not at Ferrari, but simply because he didn't win.
"My goal is to win, so if you're second, you are not happy," said Raikkonen.
He also hit back at suggestions that Monaco demonstrated clearly that he is now the 'number 2' driver behind Vettel.
"It stays the same," he said. "We have our rules: we fight as hard as we can, and when the point in the championship comes when only one of us has a chance of the title, it changes. I have no problem with that."
But when asked if the Monaco situation helped or hindered his quest for a 2018 contract, Raikkonen was coy.
"There are always rumours every year. I have no contract for next year," he said.
"What happened in Monaco has nothing to do with my future. I know what I want for next year, and the people who need to know it know it as well."
(GMM)