Raikkonen: We could have easily won

Kimi Raikkonen is certain he could have claimed victory at the Austrian Grand Prix while chasing down Max Verstappen in the lead but feels a double podium for Ferrari marks a significant day for the Italian manufacturer.

The Finnish driver produced a standout performance in Austria in the face of pressure on his place at Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc rumoured to be replacing him at the team, by taking second place having battled both Mercedes drivers for the lead on the opening lap.

Despite slipping back to fourth after Verstappen charged past towards the end of lap one, Raikkonen kept his composure and managed his tyres in the high track temperatures to keep pace with the Red Bull driver and over the closing laps moved to one second off the leader.

Raikkonen, who set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap chasing Verstappen, was certain he could have clinched a first victory since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix but ran out of laps at the Red Bull Ring.

“The car was very good but we ran out of laps, as we could have easily won,” Raikkonen said. “It’s a shame, we had a great car today, in the end, some parts were a bit difficult but it was a good result for the team.

“For sure it was possible but those were the laps we had in the race, so it’s easy to say. Basically I think we had good speed, especially in the end, it was a little bit tricky in the first part of the second stint. At the end the tyres felt like they were working really well - it was good.

“I think it’s disappointing but it’s great for the team as we get a lot of points against the team we’re probably fighting for the championship, as they had a pretty awful day today.”

Raikkonen’s second place, a fourth podium of the season, sees him move up to third place in the Formula 1 drivers’ world championship while Ferrari has reclaimed the F1 world constructors’ championship lead by 10 points over Mercedes.