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Raikkonen Will Miss Rally Mexico, Focus on DS3 WRC Testing

Kimi Raikkonen began his second campaign in the World Rally Championship – his first one with the new Citroen DS3 WRC though – in a positive way, scoring a decent 8th place and making the scoreboard from the very opening round in Sweden.

And while many regard this as a noticeable progress when compared to his previous Red Bull-backed campaign, the Finn stopped short from making any bold predictions for 2011. Instead, he emphasized the need to learn more about the behavior of his new car, especially since he didn't get to test it that often prior to the season start.

Before [Sweden] we had only one day for testing so obviously there is much to learn,” said Raikkonen, who announced his full 2011 programme in the WRC only a couple of weeks before the season opener in Sweden, according to an interview with WRC's official website.

Every time after the rally you feel you could have gone faster. But [the] most important feeling was this time [was] I have learned more and improved from last year. Sweden was a good start for the season,” he added.

Raikkonen's next outing in the 2011 World Rally Championship will not coincide with the upcoming WRC round in Mexico. Instead of doing a trip across the Atlantic, the Finn will stay in Europe and improve his knowledge of the DS3 WRC via a gravel test, after which he'll focus on the next round, in Portugal, scheduled for the last weekend of March (24-27).

He will return to Portugal to defend a Top 10 finish which he enjoyed last year, as he finished the 2010 running of the event in 10th place. It was his 3rd point finish in the WRC (out of a total of 5).
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