Kimi Raikkonen says Lotus have to focus on qualifying – Formula 1 news
Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen has said that they have to focus on their qualifying pace to secure competitive grid positions for the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix.
Raikkonen said that it is nearly impossible to overtake at Circuit de Monaco. Therefore, he stated that they have to improve their tyre management and need to develop good race strategies to attain better results in the forthcoming race. He emphasised on
their qualifying performance the most and expressed that they must make the essential developments in their car to secure higher grid slots for the next race.
“We have to focus on qualifying,” said Raikkonen. “It’s a difficult place to race as it’s so narrow and passing is nearly impossible. I was stuck behind Rubens [Barrichello] in 2009 and we had KERS then, but you just couldn’t get past. We’ll have to see
how the tyres perform and if there are any good strategies to be made, but the most important thing is to qualify well.
“It’s difficult to know how good the car will be in Monaco as you can’t simulate its characteristics; certainly not at any of the circuits we’ve visited so far this year anyway,” he added.
Besides, he said that their car, E21 has showed remarkable pace in every race in the season until now and they are hoping to witness the same in the approaching race.
It will be important to note that the Finnish driver struggled with his pace in Monaco during the last season and could only secure 9th place finish after qualifying for 8th grid position. Nevertheless, he is positively looking forward
to perform well at Circuit de Monaco this year and is aiming not to repeat the mistakes which he made during the preceding season.
Presently, he is standing at second place in the drivers’ championship with 85 points. Additionally, he is ahead of Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and behind his main opponent, Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing.
He has performed impressively well in the season so far. He claimed an incredible victory in the season opener and has secured third podium finish in the last three races. Let’s see how he performs in this weekend’s race in Monte Carlo.
Tags: