- Chinese GP - Qualifying
Raikkonen bemoans 'inconsistent' Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen said his Ferrari's unpredictable handling was to blame for his poor showing during qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Raikkonen will start from 11th on the grid in Sunday's race after failing to make the top-ten shootout at the Shanghai International Circuit. He said the car was catching him out and that he lost too much time in the final sector of the lap on his final run in Q2.
"The car's handling was inconsistent, as it was stable in some parts of the track and less so in others," Raikkonen said. "I had some problems with the balance and this had an effect on my performance. The past two days have been difficult, because after yesterday's technical problem, this morning I also only did a single run, but overall, I felt more comfortable in the car.
"Unfortunately, on my last run in Q2, when I was on my quick lap, I lost a lot of time in the final sector and that meant I didn't make the cut to Q3. It's too early to say what happened, but the time lost yesterday definitely didn't help. Now I want to concentrate on tomorrow's race and try my best to end this weekend with a good result."
Raikkonen has struggled to put a solid weekend together since returning to Ferrari this year, but said his last season with the team in 2009, in which he still managed to win a race, was even worse.
"I have had difficult years with other teams and with Ferrari. I think 2009 was even more worse. It's not ideal but there is only one way that we can go. I'm sure we can make things better and make me happier and make better results."
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