Kimi Raikkonen is excited to be racing at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, a tricky circuit along with hot and humid conditions.
The Scuderia Ferrari driver had a successful Italian Grand Prix after he finished in fourth. With a engine upgrade for their home Grand Prix, this boosted the performance of their SF16-H, with team-mate Sebastian Vettel also benefiting from this upgrade as he finished in third.
Last year Ferrari had success at the Marina Bay Street Circuit as both drivers finished on the podium, with Vettel in first and Raikkonen in third. Even with this success, Raikkonen believes this doesn’t automatically mean this weekend will go the same.
“The race here in Singapore is quite tough,” said Raikkonen. “It’s a tricky circuit and quite a long one and the weather is very hot and humid.
“To go fast here the car has to be right, like any circuit of course, but in a street circuit it’s even more important. It’s not an easy place, but you get exciting moments of racing and overtakes.
“It’s hard to know what to expect, our approach is the same as in any other race weekend. Last year we did well but this doesn’t mean that automatically it will go the same way this year.”
Ferrari have yet to win a Grand Prix this season after fourteen races, Raikkonen believes the Italian based squad have improved from last year but feels the other teams on the grid have improved more.
“From tomorrow we’ll be on track and then we’ll have some ideas of where we are,” added Raikkonen. “So far I think we took the best out of the car most of the times, in some circuits and conditions we struggle more, and this can make a big difference.
“Overall I think we just need to improve the car in all areas, to be faster. Many times this year we have seen that the circuit layout plus the conditions make a big difference. Our aim is to be up there and win in whatever conditions.
“Unfortunately this year it did not happen. For sure we are better than last year but obviously the others have improved more. I’m sure we are doing the right things, we have great people but the speed is missing a bit.”
