Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Red Bull Ring, 2018

Raikkonen admits constructors’ title will be difficult for Ferrari

2018 Brazilian Grand Prix

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Kimi Raikkonen admits Ferrari go into the final two races of the year facing an uphill battle to beat Mercedes to the constructors’ championship title.

Ferrari arrive in Brazil 55 points behind Mercedes with 86 available from the two remaining rounds. “Obviously we’re not in a very good position,” said Raikkonen in Brazil, “but we’re still in it and we’ll do out best.”

Lewis Hamilton clinched the drivers’ title in Mexico but Raikkonen says teams care more about the constructors’ championship, which determines how much prize money they received.

“I think it’s probably the most important thing for the team obviously for manufactures to win it, that’s why they are here. There’s a drivers championship but if you go to any team they’re probably going to say this is more important for them, the constructors’ championship than the drivers’. But that’s what we’re trying to [win].”

Asked whether he thinks it’s possible for Ferrari to win the championship, Raikkonen said: “We’ll see in two races’ time.”

Raikkonen’s team mate Sebastian Vettel was beaten to the drivers’ title by Hamilton after making a series of mistakes in races after the summer break. But Raikkonen doesn’t see this as a championship lost by Vettel rather than won by Hamilton.

“For sure he won it,” said Raikkonen. “Whoever has the most points has won it.

“In the end if you ask 10 people they all have different views how it’s been won or lost. It makes no difference, he won it, fair play and congratulations to him.”

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28 comments on “Raikkonen admits constructors’ title will be difficult for Ferrari”

  1. People tend to talk about how Vettel’s mistakes have cost him the championship, but it has actually also cost Ferrari the chance to win the WCC for the first time in 10 years. Just Germany alone cost Ferrari 32 points, so they would only be 23 points behind, which isn’t a very sizable gap.

    1. Ok so let’s also give LH back some of the days that didn’t quite work out, as well as VB, and let’s consider the strategic mistakes by Ferrari too, not to mention them having to backtrack on their own car developments that it turns out harmed them rather than helping. Come the end of the season, it is what it is. Things fell into place as they did, no turning back, and it is folly to conveniently substitute in hindsight circumstances or events that happened only for one driver or team to suit one’s own argument.

      1. Had Ocon never finished behind a driver with a multi-digit non-prime racing number then he would’ve been WDC by now. @mashiat @robbie

        Not sure about his 2019 seat though.

        1. Well no @coldfly, not if he didn’t finish he wouldn’t :)

      2. @robbie What exactly am I arguing for? All I’m doing is observing that Ferrari have lost a potential chance to fight for the WCC, and I think it’s a conclusion that most fans would agree with. I’m not trying to concoct any conspiracy theories or anything.

        1. @mashiat I wasn’t suggesting you were concocting a conspiracy theory, just that to me it is folly to imply a better season for one team, and disregard that, let’s say for example, if VB had had more luck the spread in points between Merc and Ferrari in the WCC would have been greater and we wouldn’t necessarily therefore say Ferrari lost the WCC as much as Mercedes won it. Doesn’t it kind of go without saying that any team that would have had more luck and a better season, without changing any other teams results, would have done relatively better? To me every team’s actions affect how every other team stands amongst each other in the end. But I do take your point, but I just categorize it amongst the woulda, coulda, shoulda type of hindsight comments.

  2. Asked whether he thinks it’s possible for Ferrari to win the championship, Raikkonen said: “We’ll see in two races’ time.”

    Ah, Kimi-isms.

    1. So very insightfull too @phylyp

  3. Raikkonen says teams care more about the constructors’ championship

    Kimi and I love to believe that, but then why was Mercedes so adamant to let Hamiton win in Russia?

    I know that they were thinking about both titles in that race, but then that was a strategically ill-advised decision (quite common this year).
    1) Don’t unnecessarily upset 50% of your driver’s squad when you’re still chasing the WCC.
    2) statistics and psychologists agree that Hamilton rakes in more team point when fighting for his WDC than in ‘dead rubber’ races.

    1. As long as Hamilton basically finishes the races, the WCC is done. Besides, the extra publicity and brand recognition that Hamilton’s driver title brings Mercedes, more than outweighs a possible 2nd place WCC

    2. it was the blisters, massive ones, it looked like bubble wrap those tyres, crazy!

  4. Wow. He can add.

  5. Don’t see Ferrari taking the WCC unless there are a couple of retirements for Mercedes in the last two rounds. Hats off to Ferrari though.. they’ve taken the WCC battle down to the last 2 races.. and possibly the last

    1. taken the WCC battle down to the last 2 races.. and possibly the last

      Good point, @todfod, from memory it was always in the propreantepenultimate race during the hybrid seasons thus far.

    2. Hats off to Ferrari though.. they’ve taken the WCC battle down to the last 2 races.. and possibly the last

      Agree, especially with all the setback, or the vetbacks, whatever you want to call them

  6. Indeed unless Mercedes were to face a double-DNF.

    1. @jerejj If Ferrari were to score a double 1-2(a huge “if” of course) then even 1 DNF by Merc might be enough for them on Merc’s current form

  7. If Vettel would stop doing donuts on the first lap, and save them for after the victory then Ferrari could have had both championships already

    1. lol very funny but then so true..

  8. Vettel was bad and if hed been on the level thats expected of him and he has shown before it would be a fight for the championship right now.

    Mercedes was the best team no doubt but Ferrari was like Brazil in the world cup 2014, theres no hiding from that Kimi.

    1. Yes, it’s all due to vettel’s mistakes, imo the cars overall and including reliability, were pretty evenly matched, not necessarily mercedes better, so even the driver’s title would’ve been possible, but the constructor would’ve been the opposite situation, as in mercedes facing a hard battle to catch up with ferrari, if only vettel had driven as a 4 times world champion should.

  9. Jokes apart, Vettel is better than Hamilton when it comes to doing donuts though. With Hamilton it’s more of crescents than donuts for some reason.

  10. “In the end if you ask 10 people they all have different views how it’s been won or lost. It makes no difference, he won it, fair play and congratulations to him.”

    Damn right.

  11. “In the end if you ask 10 people they all have different views how it’s been won or lost. It makes no difference, he won it, fair play and congratulations to him.”

    Errr…not quite Kimster. Most people out of 10 will say Vettel and Ferrari lost it. This means the majority will have the SAME view.

    1. I see your glass if half empty while Kimi’s is half full ;-)

    2. @kbdavies I see you’ve done your polling then?

      1. I doubt Kimi conducted a poll either. And no, I merely read the comments here. That is good enough for me.

    3. Absolutely 90% will say vettel cost ferrari at least the constructor, if they don’t they’re vettel fans, just consider this: hamilton won the title in mexico, why didn’t merc already win the constructors?

      Why does raikkonen have more points than bottas (not many) but why does vettel lack so many points in comparison to hamilton? He should be paid 10 mil for that performance, not 40, that’s a number 2 driver driving!

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