Kimi Raikkonen blames Pirelli for his dip in form

Kimi Raikkonen

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen has said that the Pirelli’s decision change tyre specification is the reason for his recent slip of pace.

“I can get less out of them than Romain (Grosjean) on a (single) flying lap. In the race it’s less of a problem because you’re not so much at the limit of the car, but when you have started down the grid, it’s too late to attack the leaders,” he told Agencia Estado.

“They increased the limits for camber and tyre pressure. So there’s not much you can do about it. Before we had more freedom,” he added.

Meanwhile, his teammate Romain Grosjean insisted that Raikkonen’s drop hasn’t been due to his impending move to Ferrari.

“It may look like it, but there is no direct link. Ok, it’s my chance to prove that I can lead the team, but from my side it was all about just taking one step at a time,” Grosjean told Die Welt newspaper.