Raikkonen questions track changes after practice crash

Kimi Raikkonen offered a typically withheld explanation for the crash that ended his final Friday practice session in F1 but questioned changes made to the Yas Marina Circuit.

Alfa Romeo driver Raikkonen will retire from the sport after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, bringing an end to a career that began in 2001 with the same team.

The 2007 champion was caught out at the newly-reprofiled turn 14, where fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas had earlier clipped the barrier with his Mercedes, after sliding wide and rotating the rear of his car.

"I just lost the rear and unfortunately there was not much space and went in the wall but those things happen," said Raikkonen.

Having been heard complaining about rear instability on his team radio throughout the day, Raikkonen was asked whether that was the main cause of his accident.

"Not really," he replied. "I struggled a bit here and there for different reasons but it was just a normal Friday and we were trying things to see what happens."

Raikkonen's accident came at the final part of three major reprofiling works at the circuit, with turn five now a sweeping left-hander as well as the turn nine banked curve.

Assessing the new layout, F1's most experienced driver explained: "They took one of the good overtaking opportunities in [turn] nine away.

"It is a good change but they should have a slower corner because when it is a faster corner, it is very difficult to overtake.

"Sometimes, you wonder what they think when they do the changes but it is ok, it is different."

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