Kimi Raikkonen conceded feeling mixed emotions after Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix, feeling he and Alfa Romeo had the speed to take a podium finish.
Formula 1’s midfield teams have had limited opportunities to finish inside the top three but late drama at Interlagos removed several front-runners from the leading positions.
Valtteri Bottas’ exit, the collision between the Ferrari drivers and the clash between Lewis Hamilton and Alexander Albon facilitated Pierre Gasly’s rise to second, while Raikkonen battled Carlos Sainz Jr. for fourth.
Sainz Jr., running older Mediums compared to Raikkonen’s Softs, defended his position against the Alfa Romeo racer, crossing the line just half a second clear.
That ultimately proved pivotal post-race when Hamilton was handed a time penalty, elevating Sainz Jr. into third, a spot Raikkonen felt was within his and the team’s reach.
“It’s great to finally be able to celebrate our best result of the season as a team,” said Raikkonen, who had not scored a point since the summer break.
“It was a positive day and finally we were able to get the result we worked so hard for.
“We kept on our own most of the race, but at the end we were in the middle of the action.
“I am disappointed we couldn’t get past Sainz for what turned out to be the final podium position: we had the speed, got a good run on him twice but couldn’t get past.
“But you always want something more: in the end, it’s good to get big points with both cars.”
Antonio Giovinazzi captured his best career result by following Raikkonen home, bolstering the first double top five finish for the Switzerland-based team in over a decade.
“I am really, really happy, for both myself and the team,” said Giovinazzi.
“What a great race, it was a fantastic way to celebrate my contract for next year with two cars in the points. We had a great start, the best this year – we made up three places and went straight into the top 10, but we still had a lot of work to do.
“The strategy was great, the restarts were very important, especially the final one when I was under pressure from Daniel [Ricciardo].
“The last ten 10 were crazy, it was quite intense but we managed to stay ahead. Everyone in the team did a wonderful job and we can be really happy with our work.
“We are improving race after race and we can now focus on Abu Dhabi and on finishing the season in the right way.”
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