Kimi suffers new engine setback.
Kimi Raikkonen's hopes of further closing the world championship points gap on Fernando Alonso at the Italian Grand Prix have taken a heavy blow after the McLaren team was forced to change his engine between Saturday practice and qualifying.
Details of the problem remain sketchy at present, but the change will mean that Raikkonen drops ten places on the starting grid, just as he did in France and Britain. That will come as a particularly heavy blow for the Finn, who had set the pace in both Saturday practice sessions and was looking a good bet for pole and possible victory.
Kimi Raikkonen's hopes of further closing the world championship points gap on Fernando Alonso at the Italian Grand Prix have taken a heavy blow after the McLaren team was forced to change his engine between Saturday practice and qualifying.
Details of the problem remain sketchy at present, but the change will mean that Raikkonen drops ten places on the starting grid, just as he did in France and Britain. That will come as a particularly heavy blow for the Finn, who had set the pace in both Saturday practice sessions and was looking a good bet for pole and possible victory.
Ironically, McLaren team-mate Juan Montoya had pointed to his own second race engine as the more likely to suffer problems this weekend. Raikkonen had taken on a fresh engine for the Monza weekend, having completed a two-race spell in Hungary and Turkey.
More to follow....
