- The Pits
Raikkonen shows limited enthusiasm for 200th GP milestone
This weekend's Canadian Grand Prix will be Kimi Raikkonen's 200th race start, but the man himself says it makes little difference to him.
Raikkonen will become the 14th driver in F1 history to take part in 200 races or more when he lines up on the grid on Sunday, but had to be told he was approaching the milestone this week. Traditionally teams and drivers celebrate such occasions with gatherings in the paddock, but Raikkonen appears to be indifferent towards the occasion.
"I've been told this weekend's Canadian GP will be my 200th Grand Prix, which shows how time flies", he told the Ferrari website. "I'll still be racing flat out and the numbers don't really change anything, but I'm sure it's a milestone I will look back on with pride in years to come."
After struggling for points this year, Raikkonen said a decent result in Canada would provide real cause for celebration.
"Apart from this being my 200th race, I'm not here just to make up the numbers and getting a good result in Montreal would give us a better reason to celebrate. The Canadian race is one of the most challenging of the season and a track where you have to get everything just right in terms of the car set-up.
"We have some upgrades for this weekend, but of course the other teams have not been standing still, so the order should not have changed much. Hopefully we can close the gap a bit and get the best result of the season so far for my 200th race, which would be great for the whole team".
Some records, including ESPN's, show the Canadian Grand Prix as Raikkonen's 199th because he failed to make the restart of the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix following Luciano Burti's big accident after four laps.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
