Kimi Raikkonen is certain he will win more races in 2013 to add to his current tally of one, as long as Lotus can continue its current form.
The Finn is the only driver to have scored in every race this season and after a win and three second places, it looked as though it was only a matter of time before a second victory came his way.
However a mid-season slump saw Lotus struggle. Raikkonen scored just 13 points in three races before a sudden return to form saw him finish second in Germany. That performance has given the 33-year-old confidence that he’ll be in a position to challenge for the top step again.
“Obviously we are here to try and win races,” he said. “We couldn’t in Germany because we were not fast enough, but for the team it was a good result after a couple of quite difficult races.
“We lost some more points to the lead as Seb won, but it’s still a long season and if we keep putting ourselves in a position to at least be fighting for first place then I think we can do it again.”
Qualifying has been a particular problem and Raikkonen is hopeful of a better performance in Hungary where he last won in 2005.
“I have finished second in Hungary too many times, so I know how important it is to lead the race after the first corner. DRS or not, it’s never easy to overtake at the Hungaroring. To get the weekend right, you have to have good sessions in FP1, FP2 and FP3, then a strong qualifying session and finally a perfect start to the race.
“Obviously you need to get to the front in the qualifying, but also avoid the dirty side of the track on the grid. When you look back through the races this season, it seems the dirty side of the track is a real disadvantage in the starts.”
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