Kimi Raikkonen says he “doesn’t understand” why some drivers are complaining about the Pirelli tyres amid heavy criticism levelled at the exclusive supplier.
The Finn, who won the season opener in Australia and then went on to finish second in China, admitted the tyres had their issues, but he says it’s part of the deal and it’s up to the drivers to get on with it.
“I think you can push on these tyres, but it’s never perfect,” said the Lotus driver. “You cannot always push 100%.
“I think they are very good in qualifying and have good grip, so it’s up to you and you have to look after them a bit more in the race.
“It’s not really any different from last year – at least for us anyway – so I don’t really understand why people are complaining.”
Looking ahead to this weekends race, Raikkonen is hoping for another strong points finish, but he’s not making any bold predictions.
“Just because we had a good result there last year, it doesn’t mean Bahrain will be good for us again this year,” he said, referring to his second place finish behind Sebastian Vettel.
“We have to try and do the best we can in every race and try to score some points to keep us in the fight. If everything goes our way, it will be a good result again. However, it is useless to promise anything beforehand. This is motor racing and whatever can happen, will happen.”
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