ISTANBUL, May 11, 2008 (AFP) - Defending drivers world champion Kimi Raikkonen of Finland said he was happy to collect six points for finishing a battling third in Sunday's incident-filled Turkish Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver maintained his lead in the title race, even though it was cut to seven points as his team-mate Brazilian Felipe Massa won the race ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton who came second.

He said: "We had a difficult weekend and I'm happy to be third. I didn't lose too many points. We'll see what we can do in the next few races. The next two, last year, were not so strong for us, so we will see what we can do."

His Grand Prix weekend started with a gearbox problem on Friday and was followed by a disappointing qualifying in which he claimed only fourth place on the grid.

At the start, Raikkonen made contact with compatriot Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren and he damaged his front wing. Kovalainen picked up a puncture.

"I didn't have a very good start," he said. "I got alongside (Kovalainen) under braking and got inside and tried to slow down. He turned in a bit and we touched. I broke the front wing and he got a puncture. It is racing.

"We chose to use the front wing all race as it takes too long to change it. It was difficult weekend but at least we got some points."

Raikkonen said the damaged wing did not change the handling of the car much, but he admitted the situation was not ideal.

"It wasn't too bad, but it never helps if you damage the end of the wing. It's difficult to say how much better it would be with the proper wing but for sure it doesn't help you.

"I think it wasn't the best qualifying for me, and maybe our weakest point. We had a bit more fuel than the others, that is the reason (we were slow) but also the lap was not as good as we wanted. It all started on Friday, but the finish is okay."