RAIKKONEN: WE WILL TRY TO EARN POINTS IN SOCHI GRAND PRIX

After a slow start to the season, the Finn has impressed in recent times, regularly getting the better of team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi and the Ferraris.

After Raikkonen’s recent resurgence, Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur suggested the team want to keep him on for 2021. Raikkonen has finished ahead of former team-mate Sebastian Vettel at the last three races.

Kimi Raikkonen is targetting a points finish in Russia after registering a first top ten finish of the season last time out at Mugello.

With a ninth-place finish in the Tuscan Grand Prix, Raikkonen climbed to 16th in the championship, overtaking team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi who also sits on two points.

Having finally gotten off the mark in the ninth race of the truncated season, the Finnish veteran is hopeful he can once again challenge for a top ten position.

Raikkonen said: “Having made it to Q2 in the last few races, we have seen we can keep up with the cars around there and fight for a place in the points so that has to be the target for this weekend as well.”

Despite having stood on the Sochi podium twice, in 2016 and ’17 for Ferrari, Raikkonen bemoaned his poor luck at the Russian Grand Prix venue.

The most notable incident came in 2015 when Raikkonen made an ambitious, last-lap lunge down the inside of then-Williams driver Valtteri Bottas for the final podium position.

The move resulted in contact between the two drivers, promoting Sergio Perez into the podium spot and Raikkonen being handed a 30-second penalty, dropping him to eighth, for his troubles.

He added: “I don’t have many good memories about racing in Sochi as for some reason it’s always been a fairly unlucky track for me.

“However, I am not someone who looks at past form too much: my focus is on having a good weekend and get the most of what our car can produce.”

RAIKKONEN WE WILL TRY TO EARN POINTS IN SOCHI GRAND PRIX RAIKKONEN WE WILL TRY TO EARN POINTS IN SOCHI GRAND PRIX

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