Kimi Raikkonen not surprised by a strong start to 2013 – Formula 1 News
Lotus driver, Kimi Raikkonen, has claimed that he expected a strong start to the 2013 Formula 1 season and there is no reason for anyone to be surprised about that.
According to the Finn, “I don't see why we should be surprised; I don't think there is any magic behind it. We wanted to improve on the start to last year and we have done that. I know the team and they
know me, we have more experience [and] we've been quite consistent and quite fast this year.”
Last year, there was some uncertainty at the start of the season and like all other teams, Lotus were unable to find out where they stood in comparison to others. There were times when the team delivered
a decent result but the consistency factor was missing. Moreover, the qualifying speed was also not up to the mark, which meant that Raikkonen and his team-mate, Romain Grosjean, had to start behind their rivals on most of the times.
Things have changed this time around though and the 2007 world champion is giving a tough time to his opponents. After the end of five races, he is placed in second position overall, just four points behind
reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull.
On the other hand, Lotus are third in the Constructor’s Championship, which shows that the team has made progress over the past year.
Despite that, some of the Formula 1 pundits believe that Lotus have been able to score solid points mainly because of the tyre wear situation, which has affected top teams like Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari
and Mercedes more than it has affected Lotus.
The iceman does not agree with this situation and believes that one needs to have a strong car in order to deliver good results. He added, “If you're not fast, you're not going to be on the podium; first
you have to be strong enough to put yourself there. Maybe there's more room to make a difference with different types of tyres and things like that, [but] before you could play more with the fuel.”
Last year, Raikkonen managed to win just one race towards the end of the season but things are looking positive for him this time. He has already recorded one victory and has the potential to repeat that
performance again in the ongoing season.
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