'Not much to lose' starting on ultra softs - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen says that he doesn't have much to lose during the US Grand Prix starting the race on the ultra soft tyre - the softest compound available to the drivers this weekend.

The Finn set his fastest lap in Q2 on the purple-walled tyre, while his teammate and the two Mercedes' opted to use the super soft tyre, which they will start the race on. Raikkonen qualified in third place but will start the race from second following a penalty for Sebastian Vettel.

Raikkonen could play a crucial role in the race and indeed the title fight. Should Raikkonen better Hamilton at the start and go on to win the race, fifth place will be enough for Vettel to keep the title fight going to Mexico. However, a Hamilton victory would require Vettel to finish in second place.

Speaking about the upcoming race, Raikkonen says that he is targeting a strong start as he has not much to lose: “Yes, not much to lose,” Raikkonen said. “We will try to make a good start and go from there to see what we can do. It should be okay.

“I was a little bit too slow [on his final Q3 lap] but I can deal with it. It has been a positive day, for sure we got pretty close, but it is far from ideal. I felt good with the car, so we try tomorrow, it's going to be a long race. No one really knows how the tyres will survive because of yesterday’s rain, so it will be interesting."