© FIA

For the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix, Kimi Räikkönen was again a guest of the FIA Press Conference after the Qualifying today.

Question: Kimi, good to have you back, first top three since the Spanish Grand Prix, part of this strong Ferrari recovery.

Kimi: Yes, it has been a bit of a hard time but that’s how it is sometimes and we just try to improve the car all the time. As Felipe said, I think we had a good test, the car feels much better now, it seems to be more competitive. So far it has been a good weekend. Of course, we would rather be in first place but I think it’s pretty close and we will see what happens in the race tomorrow.

Question: How were the qualifying laps? Did you feel you got the best from the car?

Kimi: I think so. They are never perfect. I lost on one corner in the last try but that’s just my fault and there’s nothing else to complain about. I think the car is pretty good for the race so third is OK, and as I said, we would rather start in the front this year but anything can happen, it’s a long race so we will see what happens tomorrow.

Question: Kimi, did you feel you could have been on pole, could have been quickest?

Kimi: I think so. We had the car but it wasn’t a perfect lap. I think the race will be different tomorrow. You never know when the others are stopping so I think we had a good car.

Question: Is there a big difference with the track surface this year?

Kimi: It feels very similar, but the grip seemed to be very good straight out yesterday, so probably there is more grip than last year at the beginning. The surface was always good here, but otherwise it hasn’t really changed.

Question: And are you worried about it possibly being wet?

Kimi: It will make it much more complicated for everybody, for sure, more interesting, probably. I don’t know. We wait and see what happens tomorrow.

Question: Kimi, what was the rationale behind you coming in about five minutes behind the rest of the field at the end of Q3?

Kimi: Yeah, because I didn’t finish qualifying.

Question: So do you get an extra lap for that?

Kimi: Yes, yes I did. It’s the same for everybody.

Question: Kimi, this is a hard track to overtake on and that is hard enough anyway this season. What does it mean to start from the third position here?

Kimi: Like I said, it is not ideal. You would rather be at the front, but I still think you have chances to overtake and this weekend it has been surprisingly easier to follow people than many other races, so let’s see what happens tomorrow. It also depends a lot when people are stopping and what they are doing, so we’ll see…

Question: Kimi, did you feel more confident with the car than in the previous qualifying sessions?

Kimi: Yes, the car was better and today I felt we could have had the pole with a perfect lap. Before it has not really been there. But we are gradually getting where we want to be, so it is a good feeling with the car.