Kimi Räikkönen to take five place grid drop for Malaysian GP - Lotus change the gearbox, dropping him five places in Sepang
Published by Christine
This is F1Minute - Kimi Räikkönen to take five place grid drop for Malaysian GP.
Lotus driver Kimi Räikkönen finished practice day in Malaysia 15th, after a difficult day of running. Later, the team confirmed that the Finn would have to take a five place grid drop for the race after they were forced to change the gearbox.
Talking of his day on track, Kimi said: “Not bad, but it could have been better from my perspective. We struggled to find a good balance but the car felt better as the day went on and the long run went well. We had some trouble with the KERS and the team also noticed an issue with the gearbox tonight. We’ll have to change it which means losing 5 places on the grid.”
The 2007 champion also isn’t too happy with his steering, adding: “We’re still working on the steering. We tried a new system today but there wasn’t a huge difference from how it felt in Melbourne. It’s not exactly how we want it yet but it certainly won’t be an issue.”
In Australia, Kimi dropped out of qualifying in the first session, whilst teammate Roma in Grosjean secured a top three grid slot. With a five place drop, it’s likely Kimi may find himself outqualified again.
