Raikkonen regret after Sutil shunt

Monday May 26, 2008
MONTE CARLO- Kimi Raikkonen has apologised to Adrian Sutil after wrecking the German driver's dream of a career-high finish.

Sutil was seen sobbing his heart out in the Force India garage after missing out on fourth place at an incident-packed Monaco Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old had driven a faultless race in changing conditions and was on the cusp of a remarkable feat for the Formula One new boys.

But just 10 minutes from the end of the two-hour race, Sutil was shunted from behind by an out-of-control Raikkonen who had lost his Ferrari on exiting the tunnel.

Sutil's car sustained damage to the rear suspension, and after he had made his way back to the pits it was not long before emotion overcame him.

Raikkonen, who was forced into the pits for a new nose for the second time in the race, could only finish ninth, losing his lead in the world championship to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

An apologetic Raikkonen said: "I am sorry for Sutil.

"I lost control of the car under braking coming out of the tunnel and I could do nothing to avoid him."

After wiping away the tears, Sutil said: "I can't believe it, it was so close. It feels like a pain in my heart.

"It is like a dream turned to a nightmare. Suddenly you are in the car and it all looks fantastic, then you have to accept it is not going to happen.

"We were so close to the podium and the points, but then the race was over and it was a real shock.

"A few tears then came out as the adrenaline was high - I just can't explain it."

Raikkonen, who had started from second on the grid, was penalised early in the race for a foolish mistake by his team.

Failing to fully fit his tyres at the three-minute signal prior to the start of the race resulted in a 10-second penalty.

When you add in the two nose cone changes, Raikkonen conceded: "It was a very poor race for me, right from the off.

"There was a problem with a wheel before the start and we broke the rules, which meant I was given a drive-through penalty.

"During the race my main problem was trying to get the tyres to work as well as possible. Then we decided to change the strategy as we expected it to rain again, but it didn't happen.

"Twice I had to change the nose after breaking the front wing, so as you can see, there was a long run of things going wrong which explains the zero points.

"It's a shame how things went today, as we had the potential to do well."

With a third of the season gone, Raikkonen now trails Hamilton by three points heading into the scene of the Briton's maiden race win a year ago in Canada.

Assessing the situation, Raikkonen added: "It's true I've lost the lead, but I always said the championship would be a very long one.

"Now we must prepare as well as possible for Canada where we will try to make up for this disappointment."