- Hungarian GP - Qualifying
Raikkonen questioned Ferrari's failed Q1 strategy
Kimi Raikkonen says he did not agree with Ferrari's decision to stay in the garage at the end of Q1 which saw him get knocked out of the session by Marussia's Jules Bianchi.
Raikkonen had been showing renewed pace in Hungary, where he has six podiums and one race win to his name, but now faces the prospect of starting 17th on a track notorious for its limited overtaking opportunities. After posting times on the medium tyres Ferrari opted to keep Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso in the garage and save a set of softs, a gamble which backfired monumentally as the Finn tumbled down the timesheets and below Bianchi in the closing seconds.
When asked if he could have over-ruled Ferrari's decision due to his objections, Raikkonen replied: "You can, but I trust in the team, believe in the people. The plan was to go out, but the team said 'no, you are fine, you do not need to go out'. I questioned it a few times, but they said no need and we can see the end result.
"I cannot always go against advice. We are here as a team, we make decision as a team, and today the outcome was this. As a team in Formula One, as Ferrari, we should not be doing these kind of things. None of us are in our first year. It's not good for me or the team."
Despite the error in judgement Raikkonen says he will not be labouring over Ferrari's decision for too long.
"A mistake has been made. It's already been a difficult year, so I don't see the point to shout. The mistake is done. I've made mistakes in the past, I will make them in the future. People make mistakes, but there are things we have to change to improve. These are not easy times."
Raikkonen insists qualifying does not change anything about his future.
"I have a contract, I fully believe in Ferrari, I've enjoyed a lot of wins and success with them. It's been a difficult year, which is life. It's not fun when you have hard times, it's happened before and that's how it goes."
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