“I’d rather fight than finish P11 or P12,” says Raikkonen as he and Perez escape penalty after late collision

Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen was sent from P11 to P16 in the finals of the British Grand Prix after a scuffle with Sergio Perez of Red Bull, but although the stewards chose to investigate, none of the pilots received no penalty for the incident. Subsequently, Raikkonen said it was because he spent the entire race “looking in his mirrors” rather than ahead.

Raikkonen was on the verge of scoring points with Perez behind, the Mexican applying sustained pressure for several laps, until the Red Bull driver passed him at the exit of the final chicane on lap 45. The Finn was then sent into a spin, but commissioners investigated the incident and found neither culprit.

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Their report said: “Cars 7 [Raikkonen] and 11 [Perez] drove through turn 16 almost side-to-side, with car 11 slightly ahead inside the left turn. Entering turn 17, car 7 was forced onto the curb to avoid contact and spun around.

“During discussions with the drivers and team representatives, they all felt that no one was at fault mainly. The stewards agree and take no further action.”

“It wasn’t too bad a race until contact with Perez. We knew it would be a tough afternoon but we got off to a good start and were able to run in the top ten for a while. a great battle with Sergio, we went side by side in a lot of turns but suddenly the space disappeared: I don’t know what happened but I sped and that’s it “, Raikkonen said.

“At the end of the day, I think I look more at my mirrors than [looking] advance all the time. The race is purely trying to defend. We have to be faster. I tried. I’d rather fight for positions than finish 11th or 12th. “

After the incident, Perez poked fresh rubber and completed the fastest lap, depriving winner Lewis Hamilton of a bonus point for himself and Mercedes. As a result, Raikkonen finished ahead of the Red Bull driver in P15.

Red Bull left the British Grand Prix without any points for the first time since 2008 as Hamilton claimed a historic victory and Max Verstappen retired in a high-speed crash.

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