Alfa Romeo F1 car aero issues ‘not a quick fix’ - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen says it is more than just the Ferrari power unit which is holding the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team back, but admits the Swiss squad’s aerodynamic issues are “not an easy fix”.

Alfa Romeo have scored just two points courtesy of Antonio Giovinazzi’s ninth place finish during a crazy Austrian Grand Prix in what has otherwise proved to be a tough start to the delayed 2020 season.

Raikkonen showed flashes of improvements in qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix as he advanced to Q2 and qualified 14th, although he was unable to convert that pace into his first points haul of the campaign.

While all three Ferrari-powered teams - Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo - have struggled for straight-line performance in 2020, the Finn says there are more pressing areas the team needs to improve.

“Obviously we are too slow,” Raikkonen admitted ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

“Where did we go wrong? I guess when we designed the car. We hoped that we were, like where we started last year, we were obviously a lot better off if you’re comparing to all the other teams.

"This year we are definitely not where we were hoping to be over where we expected to be. So there’s been something gone wrong.

“We need to improve the downforce to have efficient downforce. The engine’s the hardest one but it is what it is. Even if we would have the best car, best chassis we should be up there but obviously we’re not so we need to improve on that side.

“Obviously the difficult part is always that it’s not an easy fix,” he added. “It’s not the quickest fix. It takes time. But hopefully, step by step, we can start turning it around and getting where we want to be.

“We need more aero, efficient aero and go faster around every corner. The balance can be quite good, but the lap time is not there. So it’s quite easy to, in that way, to say what we need.

“But the most difficult part of the whole F1 is probably the aerodynamics. So it’s not an easy fix.”

The Swiss outfit occupies eighth in the constructors’ championship on two points, one clear of Haas, heading into next weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.