Räikkönen hoped for pole in Shanghai

Kimi Räikkönen took third place on the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix. The Finn failed half a second behind poleman Nico Rosberg and was even beaten by the Red Bull de Daniel Ricciardo. The 2007 world champion nevertheless had the potential to hope for better, but an error in his second lap launched in Q3 cost him several tenths.

« I had already been trapped in the first lap by going too far. I went wide in the hairpin and lost a lot of time.", explained Iceman at a press conference. “It’s a shame because we had a chance to be on pole today, but it is what it is and we will do our best tomorrow. »

Kimi Räikkönen hopes conditions will be better for the race after being hampered by the morning's showers. “I’m disappointed with the result but third place is not a bad place to start because I’m on the right side.”, added the Finn. “We’ll have to make sure we get off to a good start. The conditions on the track were not ideal after the rain. »

His teammate Sebastian Vettel also missed his Q3 and will start from fourth position after qualifying on an attempt. “I wanted to keep a set of super soft tires in the last session. I thought that would be enough but it didn't work. I certainly could have gained two places if my turn had been successful.", commented the four-time world champion.