Interlagos (Brazil), Nov 16 (IANS): Despite starting from the pit late following a rear wing change after contact with teammate Antonio Giovinazzi in Saturday's Sprint and a contact Mick Schumacher early in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Alpha Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen came very close to winning a point on Sunday.
With his car proving more competitive on Sunday, the 42-year-old Raikkonen, the 2007 drivers' champion with Ferrari, is in his final season as a Formula 1 driver and said they will keep trying to win a point in the final three races of his F1 career.
"I don't know [if I had damage] but I think not anything major," Raikkonen said. "I got hit more on the front wing, by one of the Williams in the early laps but for sure the car was,let's say, a lot nicer than at any other point of the weekend because we changed it a little bit and had to start from the pit lane because of that. We still fell a bit short but at least it was better than [the Sprint].
"We changed the car a bit, I felt that was the only way to make some progress. it was a better car and we could race but we got no points from it. But we'll keep trying," said the Finnish driver, who had finished second overall in 2003 and 2005, and third in 2008, 2012, and 2018.
"For sure this was the best we could do, it was quite the right decision to change the car and start from the pit lane. For sure the car was a lot more like it should have been in the first place, but at least we could race and actually follow people, compared to [Saturday]. We could follow people through the last sector and could actually overtake them, but we need the points for the championship and we didn't get them," Raikkonen was quoted by Formula 1 website.
At 104 podium finishes, Raikkonen is one of only five F1 drivers to have taken over 100 podiums. He has won 21 Grands Prix, making him the most successful Finnish driver in terms of Formula One race wins, and is the only driver to win in the V10, V8, and the V6 turbo hybrid engine eras. After nine seasons of racing in F1, Raikkonen left the sport to compete in the World Rally Championship in 2010 and 2011, before returning to Formula One from 2012 onward.
Currently driving for the Alpha Romeo Racing, Raikkonen is called the Ice Man for his calm demeanour and reserved personality. In 2020, he broke the record for most starts in Formula One.
In his final season as an F1 driver, Raikkonen has only 10 points to his name and is placed 16th in the standings.