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Ferrari's excellent start to the season is making Mercedes tremble, as they have rediscovered their insecurities after last season's absolute domination of the championship. Toto Wolff himself, the Mercedes team principal, points to the Maranello team as the only rival capable of troubling Mercedes throughout the year.
"Ferrari will be a constant threat".
In Melbourne and Shanghai, Mercedes hit the ground running with victories for Lewis Hamilton and second places for Nico Rosberg. The fourth act of the championship will take place in Bahrain on Sunday 19 April 2015.
"China has confirmed that Ferrari will be a threat in all race conditions, not just when it's very hot. As a team, we face new challenges with a rival that is much closer to our level of performance".
In China, Mercedes proved that they are still the strongest.
"After the wake-up call in Malaysia, it was positive to see how the team approached the Chinese Grand Prix. We did our homework, we improved and we showed our strength with the double".
But not everything went smoothly. The temperature between Hamilton and Rosberg, who are increasingly becoming rivals, has risen again.
"We saw that there was tension between the drivers in the race, we addressed the situation immediately to prevent it from dragging on. In a very close race it is normal for emotions to run high. This is not something we want to change. But both drivers are now focused on getting the best performance in Bahrain and our package should be suitable for the circuit. We are continuing with our philosophy of leaving the drivers free to compete. But they both know that winning for Mercedes is priority number one".
Sebastian Vettel, for his part, is looking forward to the challenge that awaits him and Ferrari at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.
"Another weekend, another circuit, with different conditions. So far, I'd say we can be happy with the season, but we need to confirm ourselves. This is the first night race of the year, it will be exciting, we hope to have a good car. This is a track that needs power, but also good brakes, because it has long straights with strong braking. In some ways it is a unique track where it is not easy to find a good rhythm".
Despite the current temperatures, racing at night makes the conditions very different from those at a track like Sepang:
"It's true that it will be hot, but not like in Malaysia, given the time of the race. However, we have shown that the car is good in both the cold and the heat, and I hope that trend continues here. If we can control tyre degradation, we can put pressure on the team in front of us".
Compared to his rivals on a seasonal basis, Seb remains cautiously optimistic:
"At the moment we know how strong Mercedes are, but we also have a good package and we have to make sure we keep improving it to close the gap. The relationship between the drivers? We're not interested in that, we have to look after ourselves, the rest is out of our hands".
While Kimi Raikkonen sends love messages to the Maranello team, even praising the revolution at the start of the season, his relationship with the team is at an all-time high.
"I have never felt so good at Ferrari".
The Finn won a world championship with Ferrari in 2007 and returned to Maranello at the start of the 2014 season, which later proved to be a failure. But things seem to have changed:
"I have to say that in the past I had good moments with Ferrari and there was a good atmosphere. But this year, in terms of the way the team works together, the atmosphere and the way things are going, it's absolutely the best I've ever experienced with any team. That says a lot, I'm really, really happy".
His contract expires at the end of the season but includes an option for 2016.
"It's up to the team to decide, you have to talk to them. Time will tell what will happen, I'm happy with the way things are going".
Lewis Hamilton is not losing his pragmatism. Refusing to be distracted by rumors of a strained relationship with his team-mate Nico Rosberg, the reigning world champion seems focused on the next Grand Prix. In Bahrain, Hamilton believes the Ferraris of Vettel and Raikkonen will be feared:
"I think that, like in Malaysia, the rear tyres will be very important on this circuit, so Ferrari should be very fast. I am confident that our team will be able to fix the small problems, but the race will still be tough because I expect a very competitive Ferrari, as in the last few races. We will have to fight with them".
Speaking of Rosberg, however, the Brit prefers to glide:
"There's no problem with Nico, it's something that's outdated. I've been talking on the track since I was eight years old. I've tried to learn from every decision I've made, to improve. Anything that doesn't affect what happens when we're behind the wheel, I'm not particularly interested in".
Hamilton also returns to the episode of the champagne splashed on one of the hostesses on stage at the awards ceremony in Shanghai:
"I was on the podium to celebrate the team's victory, that's what interested me. I'm sorry that some people were offended, but I believe that one of the most popular aspects of this sport is when we manage to show our emotions, our joy. Among other things, I don't know if the girl herself complained, if she had I would have been more concerned".
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff says team orders will be respected if necessary. Lewis Hamilton replies:
"I'm not sure what Toto said, but we don't talk much about team orders in general. It's not part of our approach. Regardless of who is first or second, our goal is to bring home as many points as possible for the team".
Asked what Nico Rosberg meant when he accused him of being slow at the end of the race in China, the British driver replied:
"We discussed it after the race, so there is no reason to go back to it. Some people have twisted those words the way we wanted them to, but we are ahead. Nico and I saw each other this morning, we are adults and we have overcome the problem and, in any case, I was fastest on the track".
Hamilton is hoping for a repeat of last season's duel with Rosberg in Bahrain:
"Last year's race was fantastic, a lot of fun, a great challenge for me and Nico and we hope it can be like last year. With these tyres and Ferrari in the mix, I think we will see something special. I'll try to do what I've always done and try to improve. For example, last year I didn't get pole, so this year I'll try to get it. But in general, I'll still try to win the race".
Can Sebastian Vettel take advantage of the Hamilton-Rosberg family feud? The German Ferrari driver replies:
"They didn't share the success on Sunday, but in the end it's not our business. We have to think about ourselves and the duel between them might help us or it might not. We have to get the best out of ourselves and that is up to us".
They fought in China, they pretend to have a peace that resembles an armed truce in Bahrain, they will fight again. It is the picture of the tense relationship between Hamilton, with a two-gram gold chain around his neck, and Rosberg, a union that does not exist and that worries Mercedes, now that the advantage over Ferrari is no longer so great. There is talk of a small rut that could disappear to nothing in the desert, where asphalt and heat are ready to wear down the tyres. Even if he pretends that nothing has happened, if their battle goes beyond the alert level, it is not Ferrari's business, for Vettel, an inconvenient intruder, the important thing is to be the main candidate to enjoy the misfortune of the two litigants.
"It was fundamental to become the second force. Both Kimi and I, the best team-mate I have ever raced with, reached a similar level to the Mercedes in Malaysia and China and I think we will be very close here too. They will have to work hard to beat us. I think Ferrari have to believe in it here. We feel we are in the fight and if our two rivals want to help us with their differences, we are ready to accept the favour".
Something Mercedes feared very much. That is why it has been announced that the philosophy, not the team orders, may have changed. Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, has been repeating it for days:
"We don't slow down our drivers, but if their behaviour favours overtaking by the Ferrari, we would adapt accordingly".
Nico Rosberg confirms this approach:
"Here I will do everything to beat Hamilton. There are no pre-determined orders, just a plan to be implemented on the spot if we are forced to defend a double".
Rosberg points out that the tactics could affect both of them:
"Because I am not a second driver".
However, it is difficult to explain this to his team-mate, who says:
"I only race to win, I don't need first driver clauses like Alonso or Vettel. If I was slow in China, why didn't Nico try to get closer?"
There don't seem to be any signs of peace. Mercedes are also concerned about tyre management. Lewis Hamilton warns the team:
"They used a lot in Malaysia, I hope the team has solved the problem".
More so if the Grand Prix did not take place at 6 p.m., when the temperature of the track is halved to 30 °C instead of 60 °C. Vettel, however, is not despairing, while Raikkonen even allows himself a smile. Now his contract is up and he has an option that the team must exercise. He hopes to stay, and so does Vettel:
"Because he helps a lot".
In the meantime, Marchionne will decide:
"I expect big steps forward in Bahrain".
And he has a message for Ecclestone:
"He's going to keep F1 going, we're not giving away engines for free".
As in previous years, there were protests against the continuation of the race. The protests highlighted the situation of the Shia majority in the Sunni-ruled Arab country and called for the release of political prisoners. The demonstrators tried to use the arrival of the F1 race to bring their demands into the public eye. The race came just a week after Amnesty International released a report alleging continued human rights abuses in Bahrain. In previous years, Formula One commercial rights boss Bernie Ecclestone had maintained that the political situation should be kept separate from the sport, saying in 2013:
"We're not here or going anywhere to judge how a country is run".
However, in what was seen as a 180-degree policy reversal, Formula One issued a statement ahead of the 2015 Grand Prix saying that it:
"is committed to respecting human rights in Bahrain and other countries where it operates".
On Friday 17 April 2015, Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel were the quickest in the first free practice session on Friday afternoon, with Räikkönen the only driver to lap the track in less than 1'38"0. The Mercedes team focused on long runs, running their cars on high fuel loads to examine tyre wear, and as a result they finished 15th and 16th respectively.
Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari struggled early in the session, but was able to run without problems towards the end. Jenson Button spun in turn one at the start of his first flying lap and was unable to continue as his team attempted to change his car's battery. However, it was an encouraging session for McLaren as Button's team-mate Fernando Alonso finished seventh, just seven-tenths off Räikkönen's fastest time. After China last week, Jolyon Palmer returned for Lotus in the first practice session. Mercedes hit back in the second session on Friday evening, with Nico Rosberg leading his team-mate Lewis Hamilton by around a tenth of a second. The Ferraris were about half a second behind, with Raikkonen again the quicker of the two. It was another dismal session for Jenson Button, who had to park his car halfway through the session, although he was able to come back for a couple of laps towards the end. A late red flag came out when Vettel, braking slowly into turn one, was clipped by Sergio Pérez's Force India, taking off part of his front wing endplate. Mercedes always dominates the flying lap and a Ferrari that can dream thanks to a truly excellent race pace. This is the main verdict of Friday's free practice session at the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain: another Mercedes dominance of the flying lap, with Nico Rosberg for once faster than his team-mate Lewis Hamilton and the Maranello team really comfortable with the soft tyres in race trim.
"It's difficult to say if we got closer to the Mercedes, today everyone seemed to be closer, but I'm sure they didn't show their full potential".
Sebastian Vettel is cautious about the results of the first day of free practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix. On a day led by the two Mercedes, the German Ferrari driver finished fourth behind his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
"My fastest lap wasn't perfect, but in general I have a good feeling with the car. Certainly this evening was different to the afternoon, the temperatures were much lower".
Says Sebastian Vettel, who was involved in a collision with Sergio Perez's Force India at the end of the day.
"When I came out of the pits I had a problem. I touched the brakes and suddenly I heard a knock and I couldn't brake properly. As a result, I hit Sergio Perez in the corner. Of course I'm sorry, but at that moment there was nothing I could do to stop it. I looked for Sergio to apologise to him, but he was still in the car".
Kimi Raikkonen is also cautious:
"I don't know if we can compete with Mercedes, tomorrow is another day, conditions can change and that plays an important role. Let's wait and see. I haven't had a chance to see the lap times for the session yet, but I think we're not where we want to be. In the second part of the test we had some problems with the set-up and handling, we struggled in some places. Tonight we will analyse all the data and try to improve and do better tomorrow. A problem-free qualifying makes life easier in the race".
During the final minutes of Friday's free practice, not very useful in the first session, as the asphalt gradients are double those of qualifying and the race, reliable (and encouraging for Ferrari) in the second. Felipe Nasr's Sauber is on the other side of the pit exit, so if you want to go a few more kilometres you have to avoid it. Lewis Hamilton could not resist the temptation and passed sideways, on the right, grazing the road Mercedes, parked and ready to turn into a safety car if necessary. Thrilling, but Kimi Raikkonen, at least according to the commissioners (Mika Salo is on the jury for the decisions), does even worse, swerving to the side and dangerously touching the silver car. As a result, both drivers were placed under investigation. They should go to trial, but in matters of justice with F1 there are never certainties.
After a while, we learn that Lewis Hamilton is no longer under investigation, that he was not involved in the dangerous manoeuvre, that he is completely innocent and that he can go freely to the technical meeting with his team to examine his second place, 0.115 seconds behind his team-mate Nico Rosberg. Kimi Raikkonen wasn't too bad either: the dressed Finn received a warning, which will be added to his points score, but it's his first of the season and he can afford to shrug his shoulders. On the contrary, the caustic Kimi, who had the Ferrari fans in raptures in the first race, was surprised by his comments after the third and final time (even at night in front of Vettel). They point out that he has an impressive race pace on the soft tyres, the best times, half a second better than Nico Rosberg, but he says disarmingly:
"I haven't seen the times yet, we'll see tomorrow".
But then he goes on to say that he is not entirely satisfied:
"We are not living up to our potential. We are struggling in some parts of the track, with set-up and handling problems".
Things that explain the 0.5 second gap on the timesheet. But if Raikkonen is third in a car he doesn't like, it means that Ferrari has high hopes for this circuit. Dreams better expressed by Vettel, although he has more reason to frown than his team-mate. He was also called out by the stewards for a collision with Perez, which caused the second free practice to be suspended for four minutes. Vettel took the blame:
"I had brake problems and couldn't stop".
Words confirmed by Ferrari's telemetry (anomalies in the braking system, hopefully quickly resolved) and by the gesture of the German himself, who went to apologise to Perez. Nor did they have any problems in front of the Jury. The four commissioners listen and then acquit. So Friday leaves no trace. On Saturday 18th April 2015, Lewis Hamilton topped the time sheets in FP3, with Sebastian Vettel a tenth of a second behind, while Rosberg and Raikkonen completed the top four. Few cars took to the track in the early part of the session due to high temperatures and strong winds. There was a brief red flag period midway through the session when Daniil Kvyat spun out in turn four. A few hours later, all the teams, including Mercedes, used the softer tyre compound for the first session (Q1). Jenson Button, who had problems with his car throughout practice, was unable to set a time when his car broke down on his out lap. Lewis Hamilton was fastest, with Valtteri Bottas second. Along with Button, both Manor Marussia cars retired in Q1, as did Daniil Kvyat - who made a mistake on his final lap - and Pastor Maldonado. Fernando Alonso was the first McLaren driver to qualify in a second session this season. Hamilton again set the fastest time in Q2, almost a second ahead of runner-up Kimi Räikkönen, while Felipe Massa was quicker than Sebastian Vettel in third. Alonso retired in 14th, ahead of Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso, who was half a second slower than team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. Sergio Pérez joined the two Sauber drivers as the last three cars not to finish in the top ten. All but Daniel Ricciardo did their first run in Q3 on used tyres to save a set for the race, with Hamilton again fastest. When the cars came out for their second and final timed laps, Ricciardo was first across the line ahead of the Ferrari drivers, with Vettel quicker than team-mate Raikkonen. As the two Mercedes crossed the line last, Hamilton took his fourth consecutive pole position, while Nico Rosberg had to settle for third, unable to beat Vettel's time. The two Williams occupied the third row, while Nico Hulkenberg was happy with eighth on the grid.
Jenson Button had to ask the stewards to allow him to race after failing to set a lap time in the first part of qualifying. They gave him permission to start on the basis of his satisfactory practice times. Lewis Hamilton on his first pole in Bahrain:
"I'm happy, my goal was to finally be able to dominate this track and the weekend is going like this for now, I'm grateful to the car that allows me to attack these corners as well as possible, something I haven't been able to do in previous years".
On the other hand, Nico Rosberg, the author of pole positions in Bahrain in 2013 and 2014, is saddened and admits that he chose the wrong strategy:
"I thought too much about the race and underestimated Sebastian's potential. I didn't think he could beat me, he surprised me. I was wrong, I was a bit stupid and I paid for it by finishing third. Tomorrow is a long race and we need to get a good result. The car feels good and we can go fast. The start will be important for me. I'm trying to be positive, but it's not important to be angry. I'm convinced we can do well".
Vettel, on the other hand, is winking and beaming.
"I was hoping to start further up the grid, our goal is to beat the Mercedes, not to finish right behind them. It would have been easier for me on the front row, but now I can only hope for an excellent start and some overtaking in the first corner".
A specialist for the moment, with an amazing second half he managed to get between the two rivals, frightening Lewis Hamilton and annihilating Nico Rosberg, who wasn't expecting the blow.
"I was stupid, I got everything wrong, the strategy, the way I attacked the track. I underestimated Vettel's strength and I was finished. In the second attempt I tried to save the tyres by going slower, but in the end I lost the pace. I was slow when I needed to be. He surprises me and worries me".
His inconvenience allowed the Maranello team to regain a grid (two cars in the first four, first and second row) that had been missing since 23 March 2013, that is, since the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Massa second and Alonso third. Above all, Vettel should be dreaming of the exploit. The key will be the wear on the rear tyres, where Ferrari have an advantage over Mercedes. Hamilton pretends not to think about it:
"The team has worked on tyre degradation, I respect Vettel, but I'm less worried than in Sepang. I'm starting from the front, which is the best way to win. This has never happened to me here, and I thank Mercedes for giving me a car capable of taming this circuit".
Vettel, on the other hand, is counting on it:
"Our pace is exciting. The start can be decisive. If I do well in the first corner, he will feel my breath on his neck. Ferrari go on the attack. I wasn't thinking about pole position, Lewis was very competitive and already in Q2 he had set an unattainable limit. I wasn't too happy at the beginning of qualifying, but then it went better. The last lap was important and we got it right. It's nice to have overtaken a Mercedes".
Looking ahead to the race and the possibility of staying ahead of Mercedes, the German said:
"It's difficult for both of us at the moment. We have to try to make the tyres last, the others seem to be worried and we hope to put pressure on them. We have to think about ourselves, have a good race and we'll see tomorrow".
As testing for the Bahrain Grand Prix comes to an end, Kimi Raikkonen has issued a challenge to Mercedes:
"We want to stay ahead of the Mercedes. I wanted to finish a little higher and I'm a little disappointed. Tomorrow we have to make a good start".
Meanwhile, Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene drew football comparisons at the end of qualifying.
"Damn it, Vettel didn't do it, because if he had, we would have scored. We're close. Let's say he took the pole, but not bad. I don't want to give anybody a heart attack, especially heart patients, so stay calm, relax, sit on the sofa and watch the Grand Prix. As for the forecast, yes, it's true that we've done well in the race pace, but tomorrow it depends, there could be a higher temperature range, there could be wind. In short, I am trying to bring bad luck upon myself (he smiles, ed.). We'll see what we can do tomorrow".
On the fact that the two Ferrari drivers will start on the dirty part of the track:
"The track is the dirty one, but if you start well after a few seconds you can tighten up and maybe close the road to Rosberg. Let's see, there it depends a lot on the drivers and then on the pace you have, because the race is long, here you can overtake if you want to, because I think the team's first order to the drivers is not to mess with the cars and to bring them home safely. And then it's up to them to do it well".
On Sunday, 19 April 2015, McLaren confirmed before the start that they would not be able to get Jenson Button's car on the grid as the data indicated that his earlier electrical problems were continuing. Felipe Massa's Williams failed to get off the line at the start of the formation lap, forcing him to start from pit lane. There was a long delay before the lights came up, as Pastor Maldonado was in the wrong grid position. At the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was able to maintain his lead as his team-mate Nico Rosberg tried to challenge Sebastian Vettel for second place. This gave Kimi Raikkonen's second Ferrari the opportunity to go around the outside of the Mercedes and take third place. Hamilton tried to open up a gap to protect his position in case the Ferrari drivers attempted an undercut, a strategy in which a car enters the pit lane early in order to use fresher tyres to get ahead of another car without overtaking it on the track. Meanwhile, Rosberg took back third place from Raikkonen on lap four, before doing the same to Vettel at the end of lap nine. When the pit stops began on lap eleven, Massa, Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Nasr were the first to come in for new tyres. Hamilton had extended his lead over Vettel to almost 8 seconds when Vettel became the first of the front runners to pit on lap 14. The undercut strategy worked as Rosberg emerged from the pitlane behind the Ferrari when he pitted a lap later. Hamilton changed tyres on the following lap and emerged just ahead of the battling Rosberg and Vettel, with the Mercedes driver taking second place with a DRS-assisted move on the inside of turn one. He was now close behind team-mate Hamilton, but ultimately unable to challenge him for the lead. Raikkonen was the last of the top four to pit on lap 18 and adopted a different strategy, using the harder medium tyres while the Mercedes and Vettel ran their middle stints on the softer compound.
Even with the harder tyres, he was able to get close to the top three. Felipe Massa tried to make up places after his pitlane start, but was caught up in the midfield battles. He entered the pit lane at the same time as Felipe Nasr and Pastor Maldonado. A quick stop by the Lotus pit crew allowed Maldonado to get out in front and make up two positions. Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson was running in eighth place when he entered the pit lane on lap 26. A 27-second pit stop due to problems with his left front tyre meant he was out of contention for points. Carlos Sainz Jr. retired from the race immediately after exiting the pits on lap 30 with a problem with his left front wheel. His Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen joined him on lap 34 with an electrical problem. On lap 34, both Hamilton and Vettel came in for their second and final scheduled stop, both on the medium set of tyres. The undercut worked again for the Ferrari as Rosberg came up behind Vettel a lap later. However, Vettel ran wide on the exit of the final corner on lap 36, allowing Rosberg to pass and damaging his front wing, forcing him into the pits for an unscheduled stop on the next lap and leaving him in fifth place. His team-mate Raikkonen made a second pit stop on lap 40, using the softer and faster tyres in an attempt to catch the two Mercedes towards the end of the race. With fourteen laps to go, Räikkönen was fifteen seconds down on runner-up Rosberg, but closing the gap by more than a second per lap. With the Mercedes in front having to make their way through the backmarkers, Räikkönen was able to close the gap even faster, catching Rosberg with three laps to go. Rosberg, who had been suffering from brake overheating throughout the race, outbraked himself in turn one on lap 56, allowing Räikkönen to steal second place from him. Hamilton's other Mercedes also suffered brake problems towards the end, but was able to keep the Ferrari at bay to take his third win of the season. Four-time world champion Vettel was unable to overtake the Williams of Valtteri Bottas in fourth. The other Williams of Felipe Massa had made good use of the undercut in the early part of the race to recover from his pitlane start to eighth, but as his tyres began to fail he was overtaken by both Sergio Pérez and Daniil Kvyat to finish tenth and take a point. The race ended in spectacular fashion when Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull suffered an engine blow-up on the final straight and was only able to coast across the line. Impregnable, for Ferrari and for the rest of the world, only he remained, Lewis Hamilton, third victory in four races, constant domination, but above all success number 36 in his career, with Senna in his sights, the Brazilian who has only been on the top step of the podium five more times and whom the Englishman hopes to reach as soon as possible. Hope so, Lewis Hamilton.
"Because my goal is to win my third world championship and now that we have shown here that Mercedes is still the strongest car, I feel even more relieved".
In fact, it was he who proved it, not his team-mate Nico Rosberg, who battled so hard with Sebastian Vettel, overtaking him twice only to be beaten in the end by Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton is happy, he is first, his increasingly grumpy team-mate is third, at the mercy of the Finn's comeback. Lewis always manages to be stronger than everything, even the brakes that fail at the end.
"They went down a couple of notches, they warned me from the pits, but I didn't panic. I managed the situation by trying to push a little less, to be lighter on my foot".
However, the lightness is all in the championship, where he has increased his lead: 27 points over Rosberg, one more than Sebastian Vettel. Are you happy that Raikkonen has taken points from his team-mate?
"They are both fighting for the title. Nico didn't take them and that could be good for me, but Kimi took them and maybe he could be dangerous in the future".
Impregnable, for Ferrari and for the rest of the world, only he remained, Lewis Hamilton, third victory in four races, constant domination, but above all success number 36 in his career, with Senna in his sights, the Brazilian who has only been on the top step of the podium five more times and whom the Englishman hopes to reach as soon as possible. Hope so, Lewis Hamilton.
Nerves always strong, the only tears were those of euphoria on the podium and hugging the team. The Mercedes celebrates in the paddock and he enjoys it. He had one thought in mind: to confirm himself.
"A great race, a fantastic car, but we have to push because Ferrari is giving us a hard time. Here we were afraid of tyre wear, but I managed them well. A different story compared to Malaysia".
Even his race, almost always in the lead, except when Raikkonen extended the last stop and he had to catch up and pass him on lap 40. He had no problems: the Finn had run out of tyres and in fact stopped in the pits a few metres later. Everything always goes well for Lewis Hamilton, unlike the less talented Nico Rosberg. The German says he ran out of brakes and had problems with the pedals.
"I went long".
No wonder, he wouldn't be, his name wouldn't be Kimi Raikkonen. He is back on the podium after a year and a half, the last time he drove a Lotus was on 6 October 2013 in Korea. Many would be bursting with joy, but instead he says like a sphinx:
"You can never be happy with second place. My job is to win races, not to finish behind".
Of course, but when you have never experienced such joy at Ferrari, in your second career in Maranello, after a disastrous 2014 in which they thought you were finished, you must feel something special inside. Arrivabene himself, the team principal, shouts on the radio:
"Raikkonen is back".
After a while, Kimi has to admit it:
"To be back on the podium is wonderful, after a difficult year like last year and after a start to the season in which the car improved a lot but I was haunted by bad luck. I can't find the words. I think I achieved as much as possible. The start was what I dreamed of, I managed to overtake Rosberg, but then he overtook me again and made me lose some time".
Arrivabene reveals that the team had to persuade Raikkonen to adopt a specific strategy, immediately on soft tyres, then on hard and finally on the most powerful tyres.
"He didn't seem to agree".
But the team insisted, and they were right, because with this tactic Raikkonen finished second on the penultimate lap. The Finn admits:
"Our strategy was perfect, both in terms of pit stops and tyres. I liked the car and we managed to keep a good pace throughout the race".
Not only that, but he even managed to put Lewis Hamilton under pressure.
"I was close, but I needed a few more laps to win. I was faster, but unfortunately the race is over".
But not his hopes of staying at Ferrari. His contract is due to expire and he must convince the team to exercise the option to extend it. Again, Maurizio Arrivabene is clear:
"Raikkonen has proved to be a bulldog, he has a strange psychological approach to racing, he gives his best when he is under pressure, when he is in trouble. We've been clear with him that we won't sign tomorrow, but at the end of the season. He has to push and give everything. Earn his return with speed and results".
That doesn't seem to scare the Finn. Yesterday also saw the resurfacing of rumours that Hamilton has a future at Ferrari. Arrivabene laughed it off:
"All drivers dream of the red one, even those like him who are fighting for the world championship with Mercedes. But he hasn't called me. And we are happy with our two drivers".
In truth, he should be a little less happy than Sebastian Vettel, who made a couple of key mistakes at crucial moments that forced him to finish fifth, also behind Valtteri Bottas' Williams. However, Maurizio Arrivabene absolved him:
"He made a mistake, he is an honest driver, he took all the blame. He is a human being and human beings are not infallible by nature. But this race doesn't take anything away from his fantastic start".
He did, however, distance himself from Hamilton in the standings. His comment was bitter:
"It wasn't my day. I never found the right rhythm. I had problems with the rear, they penalised me coming out of the corners. So I wasn't able to challenge Rosberg or pass Bottas at the end. But the most serious mistake was damaging the front wing when I went off the track. I compromised everything there".