Kimi Raikkonen (7th) – Australian GP 2012

“It feels like I’ve never been away. Yesterday we made some mistakes which cost us quite badly so it could easily have been better in the race. I made a good start but then there was an accident in front of me at the first turn, so we lost a few places there as I had to almost stop and move onto the grass to avoid it. 

“That made the race harder again as we had the speed, but a lot of traffic to get through. When you look at all these things we could have finished in a much better position. We had the safety car which I think actually hurt us a bit as well. Overall the weekend was far from ideal, but the car feels good and to come back to 7th means we at least come away with some points.”

Kimi Raikkonen, (5th) – Malaysian GP 2012

“It was a bit difficult today. It was my first time on the wet weather Pirellis and I didn’t know how the intermediate or wet tyres would react - I had only completed one installation lap on them before. I just tried to stay on the road and push as much as I felt comfortable with. When I changed to the dry tyres it took a couple of laps to get heat into them, and my visor was pretty dirty so seeing the dry line was difficult. 

“Once I found my way I could push much harder. It was difficult to have another mixed weather weekend. The conditions changed a lot today so it was always a case of adapting and looking for grip. Overall, we seemed to have a pretty strong package again this weekend, so I’m relatively happy. A fifth today was okay, but we’re always looking for better results.”

Kimi Raikkonen (14th) – Chinese GP 2012

“We tried to run two stops as it looked to be the fastest strategy and up until the last ten laps it was looking good, but we ran out of tyre performance at the end. I was stuck behind Felipe (Massa) for quite a while and couldn’t get past as I wasn’t fast enough in the right parts of the track to make a move. Even if I’d got past I don’t think it would have made the greatest amount of difference to the final result. We had good pace in the race, we tried a different strategy and it didn’t pay off today; it’s as simple as that.”

Kimi Raikkonen, (2nd) – Bahrain GP 2012

“It’s a great result for the team and we deserve it as everyone has been working very hard. To be honest, I’m slightly disappointed we didn’t take the win because we had the pace. I only had one chance to overtake Sebastian (Vettel) and unfortunately I chose the wrong side to try and get past. If I hadn’t made a small mistake at the start and allowed Felipe (Massa) to get through then maybe it would have been a different story, as we spent quite a lot of time fighting with him. At the end of the day, it’s good to have both cars on the podium, especially after last race which didn’t go to plan, but I honestly think we could have taken the victory today.”

Kimi Raikkonen, (3rd) – Spanish GP 2012

"I had a very good start and had a chance to overtake on the outside, but we did not have enough speed and I hit the limiter in fifth gear. I am a bit disappointed because if everything had gone right in the first part of the race, we could have won. There was no issue with the speed of the car, but it is so close between all the teams that if you have a small problem or a small issue it can cost so much. Our car can do it, but everything has to fall into the right place to be able to get on to the top step. 

“My first stint was okay, but I didn''t have the speed to stay with the cars in front. We changed the tyres and it seemed to be pretty good, but we were too far away. At the end we needed a few more laps and we could have fought for the win. We''re not far away from it and so far we''ve made good steps forwards; the car feels strong everywhere."

Kimi Raikkonen, (9th) – Monaco GP 2012

“Ninth was the best we could do today. I didn’t start in a great position and I had some difficulties during the race so it’s not been the easiest weekend, but at least we got a couple of points. It’s better than nothing but not exactly what we wanted. One race doesn’t change the fact that we have been pretty strong everywhere – even here at the beginning of the weekend. This circuit is completely different from any other and I don’t think we should worry too much about the fact that it wasn’t our best weekend. It is what it is – sometimes it doesn’t go the way you expected and now we should look to Canada for a better result.”

Kimi Raikkonen, (8th) – Canadian GP 2012

“The car was a bit better in the race than it was in qualifying. I seemed to get stuck behind people a few times. The DRS zone is not very long, and it’s still a difficult battle if the car ahead of you is also using the DRS. We had a chance to do a bit better, but it didn’t quite all come together today. We scored points again so that’s always a good thing, especially this season. Qualifying yesterday wasn’t perfect so obviously that left us with more work to do. If you start further forward it’s easier to finish higher up the order. We’ll try to achieve that in the next race. ”

Kimi Raikkonen (2nd) – European GP 2012

"Second place is okay but the win is what I really wanted. We didn’t quite have the pace for it today. I got a good start but I was blocked by Pastor (Maldonado) at the first right-hander and lost quite a few places which put me a bit behind. 

“We made a good recovery from that position and had quite a hard fight with a few people - overtaking and being overtaken. I couldn’t get the tyres up to temperature quickly enough after the safety car, and I made a small mistake on the re-start lap too. I was able to fight back as we had good race pace again. Today was close but the race win was just out of reach.”

Kimi Raikkonen (5th) – British GP 2012

"I had a pretty okay first few corners but I had to avoid the cars in front and drove over the kerb on the inside of the turn, then I lost a place and was pushed wide. If I had stayed in front of Mark at the start it would have been pretty good seeing where he finished, but after that Lewis also got past me. 

“I fought back and our car was strong, especially on the harder tyres. If I’d had a better start I could have finished much better; but that’s racing and sometimes you pay a bigger price than you expect from the first lap.”

Kimi Raikkonen, (4th) – German GP 2012

"We did the best we could today from the position we started. My start was okay, but then I think Lewis had a problem in front of me and I had to slow down to avoid hitting the back of his car. This let Paul (Di Resta) through in the DRS zone and from there we had a big hill to climb as it was tricky to get back past. 

“Maybe if we had found a bit more pace in the wet yesterday we could have started higher and pushed the leaders, but it is what it is. For sure we were hoping for a bit better here, but the car worked well all through the race and we still brought home some good points for the team so there are some positives to take to the next race.”

Kimi Raikkonen (2nd) – Hungarian GP 2012

"It’s a shame we couldn’t quite get the win but it’s a good result for the team and we’ll keep pushing to make that final step. My start was not too bad but then we had some issues with the KERS and I lost a place to Fernando Alonso. When we got it working again we were stuck in the pack so it was a bit frustrating, but once we were in clear air we could push and it looked like we could make up a few places in the second stops. The team said it would be very close with Romain, but it was okay in the end. We managed to catch Lewis but it was impossible to pass.”

Kimi Raikkonen (3rd) – Belgian GP 2012

"I made a pretty okay start, similar to Jenson [Button]’s and I overtook the Sauber. I saw a lot of action in the mirrors but luckily it missed me. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace today. My car wasn’t great all weekend and we couldn’t find a competitive setup. On new tyres it was okay, but we had to use a lot of downforce to prevent sliding. That meant we were very slow on the straight. 

“You could see this in my battle with Michael [Schumacher]. Each time I passed him he just went straight back past down the Kemmel straight. My only chance was to go for a gap at Eau Rouge. Luckily it paid off and I managed to stay ahead of him that time. We didn’t have the pace today and it wasn’t an easy race, so P3 was not too bad.”

Kimi Raikkonen (5th) – Italian GP 2012

“It’s good to go into third position in the Drivers’ Championship but we lost some points to Fernando which is not ideal. It was a difficult weekend as we were too slow in a straight line, making it very difficult to hold off anyone and even with the DRS it was difficult to overtake the cars in front. We did the one stop strategy and the tyres were fine. We came into the race looking for sixth or seventh so fifth is the maximum we could have done here this weekend.”

Kimi Raikkonen (6th) – Singapore GP 2012

“After the result in qualifying today’s race was not too bad, but I think we had a chance to do a bit better. We weren’t quick enough to be fighting for the podium but the first safety car didn’t help us and maybe we could have gained an extra place without that. We were definitely faster than Michael and Nico but we ended up stuck behind them for most of the race which was frustrating. 

“It’s so hard to overtake here that you have to rely on passing people in the pit stops or on someone making a mistake. I’m still third in the drivers’ championship but we’ve got some improvements to make for the next races to be fighting with the cars in front. Hopefully we can make a step forward in Japan and take it from there.”

Kimi Raikkonen (6th) – Japanese GP 2012

“Sixth wasn’t the result we were hoping for but unfortunately we didn’t have the speed to do better today. The start was very tight; I was alongside Fernando [Alonso] straight away and he kept moving further across until there was nowhere left go. 

“We lost some time there and our second pit stop wasn’t the best, so overall it was quite a difficult race. The good thing is we still managed to score points to stay in touch in the championship.”

Kimi Raikkonen (5th) – Korean GP 2012

“I think this was about where we should have been today. The yellow flags at the start didn’t help when we were fighting with Felipe [Massa] but even so we didn’t quite have the speed to match the Red Bulls and Ferraris. We also lost quite a bit of time behind Lewis [Hamilton] - mainly because the new exhaust system means you lose a little bit of power so it was hard to get past - but with a few more practice sessions I’m sure we’ll learn a lot more to be able to improve it. 

“I was pretty much on my own at the end but we had to keep pushing to maintain position and it wasn’t so easy. The gap to Sebastian [Vettel] in the Championship is quite big now so it will be very difficult to catch him, but we’ll keep pushing all the way.”

Kimi Raikkonen (7th) – Indian GP 2012

“I had a very good car today but I just couldn’t do anything with it as I was not able to pass on the straight. It was quite disappointing but that’s how it goes. We put ourselves in that position yesterday with the set-up we chose for qualifying and we paid the price today. 

“We had the speed but not in the right place and when you are behind someone there’s not much you can do. Hopefully in the next race we can be a bit more smart and use our race speed to take some more championship points.”

Kimi Raikkonen (1st) – Abu Dhabi GP 2012

“I’m very happy for the team, and for myself also. You never know what’s going to happen during the race; the safety cars made it quite tricky, but I’ve had similar races many, many times this year. Today we had a clear circuit to be able to use our speed. 

“Perhaps we were not the fastest at the end, but we were quick enough and consistent enough to win so it’s great for the team. We’ve had some difficult races in the second half of the season so it’s fantastic to come back with a win.”

Kimi Raikkonen (6th) – United States GP 2012

“It was an okay day, but not a very easy one for us. I got a bad start and then I touched with a Force India at the second corner so I lost a few more places. After that the car was okay and I could get past some of the others. 

“Unfortunately, when it got cloudy it got too cold so the tyres stopped working and that’s where we saw Jenson [Button] get past. Basically, it was a race where we were just depending on the tyres to be in their window. I’m still third in the championship and we’ll do everything we can to maintain this position until the end.”

Kimi Raikkonen (10th) – Brazil GP 2012

“It was a busy race and we didn’t have the pace we wanted all the time. There was certainly a lot going on. I went off at the last corner on lap fifty-two as I couldn’t see well with my visor being dirty and fogged up. Where I went off you can get back on the track by going through the support race pit lane, but you have to go through a gate. I know this as I did the same thing in 2001 and the gate was open that year. Somebody closed it this time. Next year I’ll make sure it’s open again.”

Kimi Raikkonen (1st) – Australian GP 2013

“I’m happy for the team and for myself also. We’ve had a quick car all weekend and there were no issues with it either, so we could just focus on trying different things and getting the setup how we wanted. I had a good feeling that we would be ok with the tyres after practice and the team got the strategy perfect. 

“I made a few places at the start and then had a good battle with Lewis [Hamilton] but after that it was quite simple; probably one of my easiest wins. You can’t start the season much better than winning the first race and of course we hope we can be fighting at the front of the Championship, but there’s a long way to go still and we need to keep pushing hard all the way.”

Kimi Raikkonen (7th) – Malaysian GP 2013

“Although the car felt very good on Friday, yesterday and today have been pretty difficult. Since Saturday morning it has not been behaving as we expected for some reason, especially in the wet where we really struggled for grip. 

“It was a tough race and I lost part of my front wing at the start which didn’t help, but at least we scored a few points which is better than coming away with nothing. If we can get the car back to how it was in Australia then I’m sure we’ll be at the front again.”

Kimi Raikkonen (2nd) – Chinese GP 2013

“Second wasn’t quite what we wanted, but in the circumstances it was the best that we could manage today. I’m not 100% happy because we didn’t win, but it is what it is and second place is a good result after a bad start and the incident with Sergio [Perez]. 

“It was quite difficult out there; obviously the car is not designed like that otherwise we would use it all the time, but I was surprised how good it was still. Of course there were some handling issues which was not ideal, but we just had to try to live with it and we still had pretty okay speed.”

Kimi Raikkonen (2nd) – Bahrain GP 2013

“You’re never really happy if you don’t win, but I suppose second place is as close as you can get. I drove to the maximum and the car had the pace that we missed in qualifying yesterday so it was a pretty good result. We didn’t have the speed to challenge Sebastian [Vettel] today but we did have the pace to get both cars on the podium so I’m happy for the team.”

Kimi Raikkonen (2nd) – Spanish GP 2013

“Unfortunately it’s second place again so it’s not time to celebrate too much. The car felt good and we did pretty much all we could today, but we didn’t have the pace to challenge Fernando [Alonso]. I drove to the maximum and it’s good for the championship that Sebastian finished behind us. It’s nice to be on the podium for me and the team; let’s see what we can do in Monaco.”

Fernando Alonso wins Chinese Grand Prix as Kimi Raikkonen finishes 2nd and Lewis Hamilton 3rd FERNANDO ALONSO won his first ever Chinese Grand Prix this weekend – in his iconic style strategic and dominant. It was the first win for Ferrari at the Shanghai International Circuit since Kimi Rai

Lotus pulls the sheet off the E21 the first 2013 Formula One car to be revealed LOTUS last night was the first Formula One team to unveil their new machine for the season ahead. Looking rather similar to last year's Abu Dhabi-winning car, which helped Kimi Raikkonen to t

Kimi Raikkonen ‘does not understand complaining’ about Pirelli tyre degradation as he bids to win Bahrain GP He stormed to second in last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, amidst the controversy of the race being staged after being cancelled a year earlier due to protests.Kimi Raikkonen has more often than not be

Energy efficiency in the motoring industry: latest infrared paint drying systems can save bodyshops thousands on ut.  The latest infrared paint drying systems look set to establish new benchmarks for energy saving and efficiency throughput levels. “Most indigenous spraybooths take five minutes to warm up, requ... 

Rare 1978 BMW M1 set to attend Salon Privé.  An 'ultra-rare' vintage BMW M1 will be on display at next month''s Salon Privé. Not to be confused with the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, the BMW M1 was the result of an agreement to build a production raci... 

150th Anniversary of Henry Ford's birth celebrated around the world.  Yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of Henry Ford, whose innovative ideas revolutionised transportation and brought mobility to the masses. Henry Ford’s enduring impact is being reco... 

Honda Civic Tourer revealed ahead of unveiling at Frankfurt Motor Show.  HONDA has revealed what the new British-built Civic Tourer will look like ahead of its official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month: sleek and sporty.Featuring Honda’s innovative Magic ... 

The Next-Generation Supercar: Honda NSX prototype wows Ohio crowds.  The Honda NSX prototype lapped the 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, just prior to the running of the Honda Indy 200, showcasing the steady progress being made toward the plann... 

Ten million motorists have driven without an MOT, new survey reveals.  A NEW survey by the SMMT has revealed a shocking number of motorists have driven without a valid MOT. Around 67 per cent admitted driving for up to one week without a valid MOT certificate, whi... 

SKODA reduces price of Fabia and Fabia Estate by 25 per cent.  It is not often than a car manufacturer comes up with such a great offer, but drivers will surely be attracted to the massive reduction in price of the SKODA Fabia.From now until the end of December... 

Pepe Reina set to splash out on new Ferrari or Lamborghini after shock loan move to Napoli.  Liverpool legend Pepe Reina could be set to splash out on a brand new top-of-the-range Ferrari or Lamborghini, after his shock loan move to Napoli. The Spanish international, who has been loyal... 

Continental reveal ultra-quiet tyre that reduces cabin noise by nine decibels: The ContiSilent.  Car manufacturers demand tyres that not only demonstrate top performance but are also quiet, helping to increase car comfort. Continental has just introduced ContiSilent, a new technology that ... 

Motoring offence fines set for 'significant' increase but more police are needed on roads.  New moves by the Government to promote safer driving have been welcomed by ACFO, but the organisation is concerned that the introduction of new offences and tougher fines will prove difficult to enf... 

1965 Aston Martin DB5 exceeds estimate to fetch £374,000 at Silverstone auction.  A host of cars with ‘star’ appeal helped Silverstone Auctions to a record-breaking Silverstone Classic sale, generating more than £2million.In total, 64 percent of the road cars on offer were succes... 

Like many popular websites, Motortrades Insight uses some third party widgets that may set and may have already set cookies, for example the Twitter feed on our homepage. For more information see our cookie policy. By clicking close and continue you agree to our use of cookies.