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Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen says he still has the hunger to win again in Formula 1 as he starts to prepare for his 16th season.
The 2007 F1 world champion has not won a race since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, but scored his best points haul since the ’12 season with 205 this year.
Raikkonen, whose contract expires at the end of 2018, will line up alongside Sebastian Vettel next season with Ferrari aiming to produce a title-contending car for a second successive year.
In a clip from Motorsport.tv’s weekly programme The Flying Lap, Raikkonen said: “I wouldn’t be here or next year on the circuit [if] I didn’t have the hunger to win.
“I enjoy racing. I wouldn’t be shy to say it’s the only reason. I want to be in F1. So long as that [hunger] is there, it’s the reason why I’ll give my best.”
Raikkonen said a fast start next season will be key to Ferrari mounting a serious challenge to Mercedes, which has won every F1 title since 2014.
“We started the year a bit slowly,” said Raikkonen. “We had some good moments, but far from what we wanted if you take the whole year.
“We just need to put things correct for the first race.
“If you don’t get things perfectly, it will cost you a lot of points.”