A wake-up call for Kimi Raikkonen?

"There's no point to blame anybody and everyone is as disappointed as me. It is what it is. And it's a bad start." - Kimi Raikkonen

One of the biggest headlines after qualifying on Saturday in Melbourne was Kimi Raikkonen's dropout very early in the session. He was about to start a flying lap, with under 2 minutes to go before the checkered flag, and made a mistake as he was exiting Turn 10. His lap was compromised, yet he still had enough time to do another run. However, he was nursing his tyres and performing an out-lap, having no idea that he should've been running to start a quick lap as soon as possible since there was simply no time left. By the time he realized what was at stake, the checkered flag was out and he was left without a proper flyer. Having spoken to the media, Raikkonen acknowledged that this was a bad start for his comeback season, but made it clear that his team did not inform him that he was supposed to rush a new lap, as in the cockpit, he is completely unaware of how much time there is left in a session.

Raikkonen prepares for a run in qualifying

Now to analyze the current situation. All weekend, Raikkonen had been complaining about power steering issues in his E20. It was obvious that the car was not completely up to his liking. After Lotus had replaced the experimental steering column with the one he was using in Barcelona, the Finn was more comfortable in the car, but emphasized that not everything was perfect. All in all, he had a completely laidback and relaxed attitude, something which fans and critics alike are familiar with. Well, that attitude cost him a lot today.

Grosjean and Kimi were setting a similar lap time in the early stages of Q1. Both having pitted, they were reasonably comfortable with the cars' performance on the medium compound. As it is usual in Q1, some weaker teams are out in the late stages to perform quick times on soft compounds to secure their entrance into Q2. Therefore, it often happens that drivers in bigger teams who are not on their toes lose positions very quickly in the final few minutes. Kimi should've been aware of that, as he is no stranger to these circumstances. Despite that, the Finn chose to exit the pits very late and took a big risk by heading out on the medium compounds once again. The risk was even higher, as there was huge traffic at that point, and any slight error would've proved a fatal blow. Which it did.

Raikkonen on his flying lap

Raikkonen made a mistake, which is understandable, having been two years away from F1. However, a few misunderstandings took place a few minutes after. Kimi was not aware he had no time to snooze as he was finishing his compromised lap. The team somehow failed to inform him he was out of time. By the time he was about to start a new flying lap, the session was over. Who was at fault?

Kimi explains the situation to his personal trainer

Firstly, Kimi was too relaxed about the whole situation. You don't come back after two years and gamble straight away on your first qualifying session. Especially when you know the car isn't in an ideal setup and you're not completely comfortable with it. Genuinely, you go out and try to make the most of what time you have left. The medium compounds would've been enough for him to make it to Q2, as on his flying lap, he was on a similar pace as Grosjean in the first two sectors. His problem? He was simply overly confident and relaxed when he shouldn't have been.

Secondly, what exactly was his engineer doing? Normally you would inform your driver about the whole situation. This was not the case. The team was just as much at fault as Kimi himself, who looked rather disoriented during the whole session, caught behind traffic and everything.

Not much to say to the media

This qualifying session serves as a good wake-up call for Kimi Raikkonen, who needs to step up and be on his toes, as he seemingly has a very competitive teammate. His overly relaxed temperament will not be an advantage for him this season. Yet, he still has an opportunity to perform well in the race, as the car seems to be a solid construction all in all.