Kimi Will Assess His Back In Practi

Kimi Will Assess His Back In Practice

Although Kimi says his back is better than it was last weekend, he will assess the situation in Friday's practice in Korea - but is expecting to take part in the grand prix...

Feeling better days later, the Lotus driver concedes he won't be able to assess the pain or his fitness levels until he takes to the track in Korea.

"It's better than it was on Saturday in Singapore which is when it didn't feel too good," he said. "The important thing was that I was able to race and we did a pretty good job with the podium finish.

"It's not the first time I've had a problem, as there have been some issues with my back for a long time. For sure, we will have to see how it is when I get out on track on Friday in Korea."

The 33-year-old, who is heading back to Ferrari next season having opted to part ways with Lotus, is hoping for another solid race next weekend as he looks to his continue his fight at the front of the field.

"Let's hope we are able to maintain the strong form from Sunday in Singapore.

"The car felt good for the whole race and it was a nice feeling racing too. The main focus is to keep this positive feeling and benefit from it in the next races.

"The main target is to have a better weekend overall compared to what we saw in Singapore. Obviously, we didn't have the best qualifying and it makes things easier if you start in the top ten."

With six races remaining, Raikkonen is fourth in the Drivers' Championship on 149, 98 behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.