Qualifying Is Key

Kimi Räikkönen seems to have found the key issue that should resolve his title race problems. Less than a month before Formula One makes this years's European debut at Montmelo, the 27-year old Finn admitted that not getting the front row of the starting grid was an important aspect that kept him away from fighting for the win in both Malaysia and Bahrain Gps.

“I would say it can't be denied that the main problem is in qualifying. Our race pace is good and we can go up against anyone but over the single lap we are not there yet. And if you are not up with the front runners right from the start then you can say goodbye to the chance of winning”, admitted the Ferrari driver on Tuesday, following his return to Switzerland.

The only time Räikkönen managed to win was from pole, in season's opener at Phillip Island. The following two Grand Pris saw him clinch 3rd place in qualifying session and retain that position till the finish line. The best chance of breaking that habit was last week, when, despite being quicker than Fernando Alonso, he had to wait for the first pit stops to overtake his rival and lost the chance to pressure Hamilton for 2nd place.

“I lost a place to Alonso and then I did not have a big enough edge to overtake him on the track and was stuck behind him. The only hope was the pit stop. You never know what can happen, but the team did a great job. Unfortunately, the leaders were already a way ahead and there was little I could do about winning. So I didn't see the point in taking any risks and chose to look after the car, especially as I will be using that same engine in Barcelona”, explained Räikkönen.

The “Iceman” was content with how things went in the past month, despite admitting that he could have done better in the Malaysia and Bahrain: “The hottest races of the season are now behind us and it's good to be back at home. We picked up a lot of points, but we could have done even better. We were unable to get as much out of the car as we would have liked. The Bahrain weekend was difficult: the car was not quite the way I wanted and we did not do everything perfectly. Twenty two points are a good amount, but I think I could have got all the available points”.

Räikkönen holds 1st place in Drivers' Standings, scoring the same number of points (22) as his other two title contenders Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton (but leading on wins and podiums). The Finn will join his team for the Catalunya test session at the end of the month, before heading for Jerez for the Spanish GP (May 11 - 13).