Raikkonen: British GP could have been worse.

Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen insists that he is not allowing himself to get too disappointed by his result in the recent British Grand Prix, claiming that potentially his 'most difficult' race could have done greater damage to his hopes of adding a second title.

The Finn, who went into the Silverstone round third in the championship after an exhaust problem robbed him of victory in the French Grand Prix, appeared to be on course for a decent haul of points, both after pre-race testing and again when he closed in on leader Lewis Hamilton approaching the first pit-stops on Sunday. Ferrari, however, erred on strategy and Raikkonen, saddled with used tyres in increasingly treacherous conditions, faded enough to miss the podium for the first time in six Silverstone appearances.

"It was a very difficult race," he admitted, "We didn't expect the rain to become more intense immediately after our pit-stop, but that's what happened and we found ourselves in one of the worst possible situations for nine endless laps.

"I don't think I've ever driven a Formula One race under such difficult conditions. It was almost impossible to stay on the track with used tyres and so much water. Although going slow, I was aquaplaning almost everywhere! I just hoped not to bump into someone or something.

"But, as usual, one should never give up and that's what me and the team did. Once we had changed the tyres, the situation was under control and I could make up ground. It was a great feeling to get back into the points so fast. Then there was the battle with [Fernando] Alonso for fourth position. It was a very important point to compete for but, while I didn't want to risk too much, in the end I managed to overtake him and get that place."

The extra point secured by passing his predecessor as world champion allowed Raikkonen to move back into a three-way share of the 2008 standings lead, alongside racewinner Lewis Hamilton - who made up his ten-point deficit on top spot by winning comfortably in front of an adoring crowd - and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, who suffered a bigger nightmare than Raikkonen and failed to add to his pre-race tally.

"Considering everything that happened, it could have gone worse," the Finn admitted, "We didn't win the British GP, but at least, as far as I'm concerned, I didn't lose too much ground.

"We had the pace to win, there's no doubt about it, but we took a wrong decision. We spoke about it via radio with the pitwall and we thought that, based on the forecast, the rain should not have lasted much longer than a couple of minutes and that's why we decided to keep the same set of tyres. But the forecast was wrong and I had to slow down a lot. And the shower seemed to last forever.

"However, the five points and the fact that I'm leading the standings with Felipe and Lewis gives me some satisfaction. If I'm in such a position after four races [Monaco, Canada, France and Britain - ed] where everything has happened, my confidence can only be strengthened."

"Now we look ahead to the next race, and must react without panic. We know that we have a winning car, so we just need a weekend without big problems. It's my first race with Ferrari [at Hockenheim], so it's a new experience for me, but I'd say that we'll be competitive, because the F2008 has demonstrated to be competitive wherever we are.

"We can fight back!"