Though Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen secured his best qualifying result since 2013, he admits to having underestimated the grip of the SF15-T in Bahrain.
“I think there was more grip than I expected,” he told Autosport. “I could have pushed more in certain places…”
Running slightly wide did not appear to cost him much laptime, as his result of 1:34.568 slotted him into 4th on the grid, only .17 seconds shy of the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and .64 seconds short of pole-winner Lewis Hamilton.
It is increasingly obvious that the Ferraris are taking the fight directly to Mercedes – a fight they can endure due to the chassis Maranello provided for the 2015 season. The results this year have been encouraging.
“We know that we still have some work to do and things to improve but I’d take this rather than fifth or sixth place – I’m kind of happy.”
