Kimi Raikkonen has denied Ferrari favoured Sebastian Vettel during the Monaco Grand Prix but did defend the use of team orders if circumstances required.
Vettel was able to overhaul the Finn during the pit-stop phase of the race in Monte Carlo by staying out longer and setting a number of fastest laps to emerge ahead after his own stop three laps later.
Many saw that as Ferrari, who have a history of implementing No. 1 and No. 2 drivers, giving the four-time world champion a superior strategy to achieve the desired result rather than making the switch out on the track.
Raikkonen played down those claims, however, believing it was simply a matter of circumstances that saw him lose out on a first win in four years.
“It’s not difficult with strategy, we don’t second guess as we work as a team,” he claimed. “Sometimes we get it wrong and it’s not because of me, it’s not because it’s [the team], it happened last time and we’ve seen it many, many times — things come together and you get it right or wrong. It often happens.
“In my view, it’s very little that you get it always 100 percent right, circuits like Monaco give you a bigger penalty because the overtaking is difficult. Even if it is a lapped car it’s much harder than any other place, so it just happened.
“No, we don’t have anything,” he added when asked if there are any other team orders being used.
“But obviously when it comes to that part of the season that one guy has a chance and one guy doesn’t have a chance it’s normal, it’s like it’s always been at any team, [even] McLaren.
“I don’t have any issue with that, it’s a fair game. We fight until we can and then if we have to do something else then fair enough.”
Many also took Raikkonen’s lack of celebration on the podium as a hint that he felt there had been some kind of interference by Ferrari.
“I’m not mad, I was never mad. I was not happy finishing second, as simple as that,” the 37-year-old said in response.
“Seb won, we were one and two so that was not a bad result for the team. I was not happy because I would much rather prefer being first than second – as simple as that.
“If people think I should be smiling that’s up to them, I’ll be smiling when I have the results from myself that I expect, simple as that. I think it would be much more worrying if I was happy with second, third, or whatever, I don’t really care what people think.”