“We got unlucky,” Kimi Raikkonen distraught after ending his NASCAR COTA outing in a disappointing P29
Kimi Raikkonen shares his thoughts on his NASCAR Cup Series outing at the Circuit of the Americas.
Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi Raikkonen, the former F1 World Champion, feels that his NASCAR Cup Series outing at COTA could have gone way better if he had a bit of luck riding on his side. Raikkonen, after starting the race in P22, was running in the midfield for most of the race, and when only 10 laps were remaining, he found himself in P4. However, what happened afterward was utter chaos, which hampered his progress massively.
Kimi Raikkonen ended his COTA outing in a disappointing P29 for the Trackhouse Racing team. Though his outing did not pan out as he had intended, the Finnish driver once again impressed many people at the event. After the race, while sharing his thoughts, Raikkonen added, “I think it wasn’t too bad. We got unlucky with the incidents that happened. It was one of those things, unfortunately. Then there were no tires left.”
“They kept coming, getting more restarts and more restarts, so I think after the spin I had, the tires were just done. It’s a shame because when we were there, but then we restart, and just wrong place, wrong time. It was a case of trying to stay out of the issues in the first corners and every time. It looked like you’d be very good, then three corners later, somebody’s going in the wrong direction. There’s a bit of mess and luck involved.“
Looking at Kimi Raikkonen’s comments, it is pretty evident that he had big expectations from his NASCAR Cup Series outing. Still, because of a truckload of bad luck at the event, he just wasn’t able to make a huge impression. However, despite a disappointing outing, Raikkonen showcased his skills as a stock car racing driver. At the age of 43 years old, he still has got that racing instinct in him.
Kimi Raikkonen’s take on what lies ahead after COTA
With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas done and dusted, Kimi Raikkonen has admitted that he is unsure what is next for him. While shedding light on the same, he added, “I don’t know, I mean, nobody knows. It’s such a shame how it went in the end, but I think we did the right thing. We were there. But then on the restart, it’s how it was. We’ll see what the future brings. Right now, I have no clue.”
“It was a long race. Our cool suit didn’t work half of the race, it stopped working. So it was quite hot in the car. It was fun going through the field, but it was a bit intense on the restarts.” Raikkonen has clearly indicated that he does not know what lies ahead. He does not want to dwell too much on the future and wants to deal with things as they come.
Kimi Raikkonen had an outing to remember at the Circuit of the Americas for many reasons, and considering the praise that he has received for his outing with the Trachhouse Racing team, it would not come as a huge surprise if the 2007 F1 World Champion, decides to race in the Cup Series category again. Would you like to see him have one more go at the racing category? Or would you prefer to see him try his hands at something else?
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