Kimi Raikkonen satisfied with positive Alfa Romeo outing at Austrian GP

Kimi Raikkonen

Raikkonen satisfied with positive Alfa Romeo outing at Austrian GP

Two drivers in the top 10.

Martin Macdonald

Tuesday 2 July 2019 10:30

Kimi Raikkonen is satisfied with Alfa Romeo’s result from the Austrian Grand Prix in which he and team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi both secured a top 10 finish for the first time this season, but says there is still room for improvement.

It has been a steady start to the season for Alfa Romeo, but up until the weekend it was Raikkonen collecting all the points, with Giovinazzi being the only driver outwith Williams yet to finish in the top 10.

That run was stopped in Austria though as the drivers finished ninth and 10th respectively, and the Finn is looking to keep the momentum going.

“We can be satisfied with scoring points, it was a good result for the team,” Raikkonen said.

“I had a good start and the first laps were pretty ok, but then it became a bit more difficult.”

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The summer heat at the Red Bull Ring made tyre management a big priority for the drivers, and Raikkonen admits he had to strike the right balance between keeping them intact and attacking the positions.

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“I felt I lacked a bit of speed to challenge the cars around me and when I did have it, I had to be careful with the tyres,” he continued.

“It was a balancing act, trying to keep the tyres alive long enough while still going fast enough.

“It was a bit of a shame but in the end we got a good result.”

Alfa moved up to sixth in the constructors’ championship after the Austrian GP, but Raikkonen thinks they can do even better.

“We still have margin to improve,” the former world champion added.

“I feel we were a bit better yesterday, but our performance is improving.”