by Janne Aittoniemi
Kimi Räikkönen proved that he has clearly improved as a rally driver.
According to many people Kimi drove his best rally so far in Sweden.
- Oh well, I'm satisfied although I could have gone faster. The beginning was a bit difficult but the driving got better towards the end, Räikkönen said after the race had ended.
Räikkönen was 8th in Sweden and was rewarded with 4 WC-points. Of course he has got better positions in his rallying career. Last season he was 5th in Turkey and 7th in Germany.
However in Sweden there were more talented drivers - and what was most important, Räikkönen closed the gap to the lead and he didn't make any big mistakes.
Räikkönen lost the race to the winner Mikko Hirvonen by 7 minutes but without any problems the difference would have been about 5 and a half minutes. Kimi lost all and all 1,5 minutes without his own fault when he had a tyre puncture and one spin.
- We spun once but otherwise we got through without making bigger mistakes. The puncture doesnt' bug me and neither does anything else either. These things happen, Räikkönen thought.
The new WRC-car suits Räikkönen better than last season's Citroen.
- It's more nice to drive this one. This is smaller and quicker, Kimi said.
Räikkönen got into an especially good speed on Saturday when they drove the morning-stages for the second time. He was on four stages in top 6 in a row and shocked with even driving the 4th fastest time once.
Räikkönen proved us once again that he is more comfortable on high-speed roads instead of on tangling stages. He drove clearly more confident in Sweden than he did a year ago.
- It's cool to see that I have managed to learn at least a little during the year, Räikkönen said.
Courtesy: Nicole
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