Raikkonen plays down advantage

Lotus driver hopeful of continuing good show after Australian GP win.

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen has played down any sort of advantage his win at the season-opening Australian GP gave him as he warned against drawing conclusions over the title race, according to espnf1.

Raikkonen registered an emphatic win in Melbourne on Sunday, passing the finish line over 10 seconds clear of the rest. But despite a strong start, the 33-year-old said there was a long way to go before a reasonable assumption could be made.

“It feels good but it’s only after one race,” he said. “It doesn’t really change our aim and how we approach this year.

“Definitely, we are happy with the win in Australia but there is an awful lot still to do to win the championship. We seemed to have a good car in Albert Park, so hopefully it works well in the next races also.”

Raikkonen was hopeful of a good performance in the humid heat of Malaysia as drivers gear up for the second race this weekend.

“It’s a difference place, it’s going to be much hotter there so it’s very difficult to say how the cars will feel on track. I think we have to do two or three races before we really know who is in what position and what’s going to happen.”

You know nothing,  Hamilton tells critics

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has taken a swipe at critics, including former drivers, who had warned that his move to Mercedes was a mistake.

“It’s nice to prove people wrong,” said the 2008 world champion as he savoured his fifth-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix.

“It has been everyone, particularly all the ex-drivers, a lot of them saying that it was the worst decision ever.

“And then they contradicted themselves, going the other way ... they don’t know what they are talking about.”

Hamilton’s decision to leave McLaren, perennial championship contenders who gave him his F1 debut in 2007, for a Mercedes team who were largely off the pace last year was widely considered a gamble at the end of 2012.

However, Mercedes have looked far more competitive in testing and in practice, while the new McLaren has had a troubled start.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.