Kimi Raikkonen says fifth place in the Chinese Grand Prix is “not ideal” but “not a disaster” after contact on the opening lap with his Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
The two drivers collided at the first corner, with Raikkonen being spun by Vettel into the side of Daniil Kvyat’s Red Bull. He lost his front wing and had to pit at the end of the lap for a new one.
The Finn dropped down the field but put in a strong recovery drive, carving his way up the field to claim fifth place at the chequered flag.
"I have no idea of what happened at the start, I suddenly got hit and spun," he admitted. "I had a puncture in the left front tyre and a front wing damage, but I managed to get back to the pits.
"Once I went back on track I found myself more or less in last position, the car felt a bit tricky, but I tried to do my best to charge through the field. At the beginning I struggled a bit, but then I managed to recover some places.
"Obviously the fifth position is not ideal and not what we were looking for, but after what happened it’s not a disaster.
"Seb [Vettel] came to apologize to me afterwards and it’s obvious he didn’t run into me on purpose. Unfortunately this does not change things for the race but it’s only the third round of a long season."
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