Kimi Räikkönen heads into the Mexican Grand Prix weekend with renewed confidence after his first victory in five years last weekend in the United States Grand Prix, with the Finn holding off Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to take the win.
The Scuderia Ferrari driver last took the chequered flag first in the 2013 Australian Grand Prix when he was racing for the Lotus F1 Team, but now the twenty-first victory of his career is in the books, his focus is already on this weekend’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, round nineteen of the season.
Ferrari has not won in Mexico since Alain Prost led Nigel Mansell to a one-two finish back in 1990, although there was not a Mexican Grand Prix after the 1992 season until 2015, when it made a welcome return to the calendar.
Räikkönen does not know how the weekend will unfold but with Ferrari still pushing to win the Constructors’ Championship, he knows he will have to maximise his potential this weekend if this is to become a reality.
“Winning in Austin was good and that is something that I am bringing with me, but we have to look forward,” said Räikkönen. “We have been racing on this track layout since 2015.
“If we look at the past editions, we can see that every one of the three top teams has been up there at some point. So, the final result here can depend on many small things and that makes it pointless to start guessing as to who may have the upper hand this weekend. It can go either way.
“As for us, as a team, we can only guarantee that we will give our maximum and fight for the victory.”
