Kimi Raikkonen is confident of gaining an advantage by startingꦅ Sunday's United States Grand Prix from the clean side of the grid despite struggling to P5 in Formula 1 qualifying at the Circuit of The Ameri🌺cas.

Raikkonen slipped back to fifth in the c🦄losing stages of Q3 after struggling with his final flying lap, finishing three places behind Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel.

The Finn said he struggled to find enough space on-track during qualifying, prevent🃏ing him fro﷽m hooking up a perfect lap as he would have liked.

"It was a bit tricky𝓡. I had some decent laps but I never really had good places," Raikkonen said.

"Some lapꦑs places were OK, others I struggled to get🦋 them right, losing lap time. It was tricky to put one decent lap together.

"It was not too bad, but for sure we try 𝔍to pull everything as𒆙 it should be, it would be a bit better. But it is what it is"

Raikkonen is happy to gain an advantage by starting on the clean side of the grid for the uphill💮 run to Turn 1 at COTA, saying it traditionally proves cru🐈cial at lights out.

"I think to be hone🧔st, I think fifth place, in here, it makes quite a big difference what side you're on, at least usually," Raikkonen said.