The fact that Raikkonen could have finished 2nd hadn't it been for his crash on Lap 44 was more the result of intelligent pit strategy rather than the car's strong performance, argued Domenicali. He admitted that Brawn GP are way ahead of the competition in terms of developing their 2009 aerodynamic package – despite the lack of KERS – and will have a strong advantage over the other teams in the weeks to come.
“Reliability was one big issue, but I have to be fair and honest - the results of today's race were decided by a lack of performance. With Felipe, retrospectively, we were wrong with the strategy – it was maybe too aggressive and that was pretty clear. With Kimi it was okay in terms of strategy. So we have to put all the things in the proper list of priority,” argued Domenicali.
“We saw Brawn is really very, very fast, strong and consistent. In normal circumstances, without any safety car, they would fly away. So if we have to target, that is our target,” added the Italian official.
Felipe Massa ended his race in the pits due to a mechanical problem on his F60, while Raikkonen paid tribute to a contact with the pit wall on Lap 44 to later retire due to a differential problem. He later admitted that his driving mistake probably cost him the runner-up spot.
“It was my mistake to hit the wall, it was just sudden but I spun. Looking afterwards we would probably have finished second, and it is a shame,” said the Finn, while also referring to the rear-diffuser controversy this weekend. “We will see how is it in the next race. It all depends on the rules, what the rules are going to be in the future, there are a lot of question marks about what you are allowed to do and what not. So let's wait and see.”
Google News