Kimi Raikkonen Injury Update: Finn To Miss Silverstone Testing But Expected To Race in Hockenheim
Finnish Formula One Driver Kimi Raikkonen will miss the two testing sessions at Silverstone this week after the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One Racing Team decided to rest him after suffering a crash at the British GP last Sunday.
In a statement released through the team's official website, it has been announced that Ferrari test driver Pedro Dela Rosa will take the wheel for Wednesday's testing while Jules Bianchi will replace Raikkonen on Thursday. Fernando Alonso meanwhile, will be working on the team's simulator and will be comparing output with the drivers on track.
Raikkonen started at 18th on the grid on last weekend's British GP after a disastrous qualifying session which saw the Ferraris at 19th and 20th position. Penalties for other drivers allowed the Ferrari pair to advance a couple of places with Alonso starting at 16th a row in front of teammate Raikkonen on the grid.
The Ferraris joined the back-of-the-pack tussle in the opening lap and after what looked to be a good start, Raikkonen lost control and found himself swerving off-track and into the run-off area at Wellington Straight. In an attempt to get back on track, Raikkonen's Ferrari spun and hit a barrier. As the car bounced off the rail, it hit Felipe Massa's Williams. Massa's race was also effectively over but he emerged uninjured. Raikkonen was seen limping out of the car and was later reported to have suffered bruising in his left ankle and knee.
The race was red flagged and was restarted approximately an hour later after repairs were made on the damaged safety barriers. Mercedes GP's Lewis Hamilton eventually won the race after teammate Nico Rosberg suffered a gear box issue while leading the race and eventually had to retire.
Messages of support and reassurance poured in from various Formula One personalities soon after the race ended staring with Raikkonen's teammate Fernando Alonso:
First of all, good news, it seems that kimi is ok!! Wishing him to be 100% in the next days!
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) July 6, 2014
The other person involved in the accident, Felipe Massa also shared his thoughts through his team's official Twitter account:
.@MassaFelipe19 Its been a really difficult weekend. It could've been a worse accident I hope Kimi is ok but for me it's a weekend to forget — WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) July 6, 2014
The Ferrari Team is expecting Raikkonen to be fully fit for the next Grand Prix in Hockenhein on July 20.
