I cannot remember while I have been looking forward to win as much as I do right now. The team has built such a good car and we are able to fight to win every single race.
Well, that has not happened for a while. Because of different kind of problems we have been struggling quite a lot during the last couple of races.
Obviously, I never look back and I always stop very quickly thinking of all the bad things that have occured in the last race. I don’t carry them back home with me. It would be just a waste of time, because there is nothing I could do to change the result.
It’s better to focus on the next race, so we can get a better result from there.
The last two races have been disappointing for different reasons. However I feel Ferrari has made a good step forward at those type of circuits compared to last year. It’s just a shame the points don’t reflect that. However I feel we will be very competitive at the next street circuits in Valencia and Singapore, too.
Now we go back to Europe and, most of all, we will race on the circuits, where these cars are built for.
Nobody should think that Ferrari will not win any more. Obviously, we have missed some points, but that’s all. I have a good feeling that Magny-Cours give you a different story. The smooth surface, the very challenging corners and quick changes of direction will bring the best out of our car.
Obviously, it was at this race last year that my season really kick started. Like last year I need a good result now after scoring no points from the previous two races. I always enjoyed the circuit and it suits Ferrari as we have a very good car aerodynamically.
I feel Ferrari should be very strong at this circuit and a 1-2 result for the team, like the one we achieved last year, is what we are pushing for.
All the races are important in the championship. One point can make the difference as it proved last year. It’s going to be tight and tough again this year, so it’s important to make every point count.
Kubica is now leading the drivers championship and looking at the past races this season he has always scored good points, so he and BMW will be strong in the championship. Now Hamilton goes ten places down, but you can never underestimate McLaren’s potential. We have to fight really hard to keep them behind us.
We have new developments coming all the time. The team is working flat. But so are the other teams.
I’ve had some time to relax, but I’ve also been quite busy with promotional work. It was nice to spend some time with my closest friends at sea and follow some games of football, too. I do not have a favourite there, but a good game is enjoyable, any way. Like a Grand Prix!
Kimi Canadian Preview
Our preparations for Canada were done in Paul Ricard before Monaco. It was a rainy day, so not too much was learnt. But that’s the same for all the teams. Ferrari have a good record in Canada, but it is going to be close between the top teams.
Obviously the qualifying is getting more and more crucial. That is why it is so important to get a good set up and to have a clean weekend with the earlier session. It was very close in Monaco, but as we’ve seen the whole year two tenth can differ the pole from 5th on the grid.
Canada is all about heavy breaking and going over the curbs. Our car is now much better for Montreal, too. We expect us to be competitive there. But, like always, it’s easier to say after the first day of running.
Propably there has not been a Canadian Grand Prix without having a safety car employed. Most likely it will happen again on Sunday. But, if that will be the case, I don’t feel you can be conservative in your stragety, when the competition is so close.
With the current sagetu car rules in place there is an element of luck involved, when you fight to win the race.
To win in Canada the car needs to be good under braking, because it’s very tough on brakes at this circuit. If the safety car is employed, then you just got to hope it happens at the right time.
I said at the very beginning of the season, it’s going to be like last year and the championship will be decided at the end of the season.
We have now one third of the season behind, we have 35 points and are second in the championship. I would rate us to be there among the contenders as we expected to be. Nothing has been won and nothing has been lost, either.
After Monaco I don’t feel there is any need to panic, because it’s very close. In fact I’m much closer this season in points standings compared to lase year.
I will adopt the same policy to get the maximum amount of points and go for the win if it’s possible. The target is to win in Canada. We will do our very best to make it come through.
No bigger challenge
Kimi Raikkonen: For me every race is as important as Monaco. But, however, as a race there is nothing like Monaco. To race in the Principality is really different from everywhere else and obviously, because of that, it is really difficult to have a clean weekend down there.
There ain’t a better feeling than to get things going well in Monaco.
Monaco is THE RACE. It’s the legend among all the races. When you have once managed to get it right, you know the great feeling you get by winning it. My win in 2005 ranks up there with my most memorable. So to win it again would be just as special.
The streets of Monte Carlo are so twisty and narrow. You have to be extra sharp and focussed in every single metre you go fast there. This year there is even less room for an error now when we don’t have the traction control. There could be more incidents this year – especially if it’s wet!
We missed the most important practice session in Turkey. Hopefully this time we are able to work without problems. With everybody being so close – especially in qualifying – it’s important to have a good weekend, so that you are able to fine tune the car to the circuit.
It feels great to make a fast lap in Monaco. But overtaking is almost impossible, so, obviously, to really enjoy racing in Monaco, you have to be in the front.
To qualify well is always important, but, propably, in Monaco it’s a priority. I always race to win and to start from the pole position, it’s the best option to fight for the win.
Last week we had a test in Paul Ricard and it went very well. We tried a few new things and improved the set-up. The car is stronger at this type of a circuit compared to last year. That I know.
Obviously, we struggled last year in Monaco, but I geel Ferrari have really improved in many areas that we were weaker at last year.
It’s always such a nice atmosphere down there in Monaco. To be a fan or a spectator, you enjoy this race 100%. For the teams and for us, the drivers it’s not that easy weekend. There is always a huge fuss and nobdy has any kind of own space to calm down a little bit.
But, of course, it makes the challenge even bigger. You just have to focus on more carefully.
I always aim to win and that’s my intention going into the Monaco weekend. We do our very best to get the maximum points from every race.
This race will be very open. I feel Ferrari is very competitive with the main competition coming from McLaren and BMW. That said Monaco can throw up a strange result so its the most open of all the races this year.
Last year we got only one point from Monaco. It did not feel that good after the race, but it was very precious while we finished the season. As usual it’s futile to count points now. I think we will get a better picture of the championship after these next two races.
Keep on fighting
For a change, It was nice to relax with my best friends at home in Finland. We had some days off and the weather was brilliant.
There were no testing after Barcelona. I bet all the top teams have done their homework very carefully to beat us in Turkey. But there is no reason to worry about that. I believe Ferrari will go fast there, too.
If you look at the circuits we’ve raced on this season, Istanbul is demanding in a similar way like Malaysia and Bahrain. Well, Ferrari won both of those and that gives us a good feeling we should be again very competitive.
Obviously Spain was a perfect weekend for me and the team. Now we want to make sure, we keep our position. At least we will push very hard – like our competitors do to catch us.
In Barcelona we got our first pole of the season. It helped a lot. It seems it’s a MUST to get a pole in Istanbul, too. Last year I made a mistake in Q3 and it really hurt. Seems that to win in Turkey, you have to start from the pole – just like in Barcelona.
I really like Istanbul. It is the best of these new circuits. There are downhill and uphill and it has some very challenging corners. You really have a great feeling especially after getting the Turn 8 exactly right.
We drive anti-clickwise there. It is the first time this year we have this kind of a place and, for sure, it gives a tough time for the neck muscles.
I’ve had two wins and a second position after the first 4 races and I’m leading the championship by 9 points. I’m very happy how things have gone so far. That said things can change very quickly in F1 so the whole team needs to keep pushing 100% to stay ahead of our competitors.
I won’t change anything my approach. It’s far to early in the season to thing about anything other than taking the maximum amount of points at every Grand Prix.
I want to win as many races as possible. I must confess that I really like this part of the season. We just go for it every time. Only winning matters.
We are leading the championship, but it does not count, if we are not able to keep our position, when it really means something. The best way to hang on first is to keep the others behind in the race.
Obviously our target is the get 1-2 result again. We will fight – as hard as the Finnish team does at the world championships of icehockey in Canada.
It’s nice that Heikki is again well. The safety issues of these racing cars seem to be handled very well. That is good for the sports.
Keeping the momentum – Kimi Spanish preview
I have raced many times in Barcelona. It’s always very challenging circuit, but this time going there feels even more exciting than usually.
Obviously I prefer being the leader from the chaser I used to be almost every season. Keeping all the others behind me in the race would mean keeping them behind in the championship, too.
My approach is to keep pushing 100 percent, like the whole team. The things change very quickly in F1, so it’s important to get the maximum amount of points possible for every Grand Prix. There is such a long way to go.
We all in the team are in good shape. My own part of the last week’s test was not that good, but it doesn’t matter. I think we should have speed enough for the weekend. All looks good.
I expect Ferrari to be very competitive at Barcelona. But it’s going to be close between the top team. All the teams have updates for the first European race, which makes it more interesting.
We have won last two races and that makes our competitors to attack even harder. I really like racing in Europe. We don’t have to travel that long and all the energy is saved for the weekend itself. Traditionally the realseason starts while coming back to Europe.
For me it’s just great. Never before I have been able to start the European season in such a good position.
I have won once in Barcelona. Obviously that is my best memory from the Spanish Grand Prix. Actually it’s also my only podium there, so I really look forward to clinch a good result from Spain, too.
Barcelona is such a circuit where you have to get everything exactly right to be at the top. All the teams have tested many times at this circuit so to get an advantage is not very easy. The set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature changes.
Last week’s test did not give the clear picture how it is between the top teams for this race. We have made a small step forward. But it’s hard to judge things in testing with all teams trying different things and running various levels of fuel.
We know we have had our ups and downs in the first races. Now I expect Ferrari to keep it up in Barcelona like it was in Malaysia and in Bahrain.
During the break I’ve been training and just chilled out with my friends and family in Switzerland and Finland.
It was great to see my pal Toni Vilander to win the opening race of FIA GT series for Ferrari. I follow keenly Toni’s season and it felt good to see him go so strongly in the wet Silverstone circuit. Well done!
The fourth time’s charm
They say the third time’s the charm, but I hope in our case it is the fourth time to bring the result. I have finished third in three successive Grands Prix in Bahrain. Time and again something has gone wrong. Sakhir is one of those circuits where I really want to win. Finally.
Obviously, we should have speed enough to fight for the top place in Bahrain, too. I have a good touch with that circuit and Ferrari has traditionally been strong there.
It is not easy to find the good set-up in that tricky track, but, at least, we had a very encouraging test down there in early February.
I really like the Sakhir circuit, because it differs from the others. While going there, you feel like playing in the sandbox. It really feels like a gigantic sandbox. Where ever you watch, you see just sand. And you feel it, too – in your hair.
I have had some good races in Bahrain, but no win so far. The testing in February went very well this year and I’m looking forward to racing in Bahrain again and to challenge for the win.
Obviously we can improve from the last year. I was not satisfied with the balance then. Now it should be better.
I have had a very good feeling since winning in Malaysia. Obviously it feels good to carry on the season. With our car we can expect that we can win in every circuit.
I have been training at home and I also kept up my motocross skills in that great indoor track in Tallin.
Now we are on our way to Bahrain to do our very best in third Grand Prix of the season. If everything goes our way, it will be a good result again. However, it is useless to promise anything beforehand. This is motor racing and what ever can happen. It is very early season still. Nobody knows exactly how their cars are.
Obviously, our test in February does not harm us. But, of course, now it is different weather, different circuit and, obviously, out car is different, too.
We have improved our car after the Bahrain test, so it should be better there. But the competitors are not far behind. All the teams know the place. That’s for sure.
Never mind the championship. It’s much too early to make any kind of conclusions who is who. We have to wait some races more to get the picture who are the main contenders for the title.
It’s going to be as tight as it was last year. That is for sure. Now it’s the battle between three teams instead of two. Ferrari and McLaren have won the first two races, but let’s not forget that BMW have had two second places.
So any slip up by Ferrari and McLaren and they will be there to pick up the points. This time you really have to fight for every point you get.
We can start all over again this weekend.
Sepang, 20th March 2008 Kimi Raikkonen: I have just come to the circuit, so I don’t know too much, but I know the team has been working hard back in Maranello to analyse and then resolve the problems, so now we can start all over again this weekend.
For sure, I will be trying to win here in Malaysia, but it is much to early to say what our chances are, as we have not even been on track yet. We will get our first baseline tomorrow and then work solidly forward from there.
My Australian weekend got off to a good start on Friday, but it was really qualifying where things started to go wrong as I was unable to take part in the last two sessions. Once you have a big problem like that, it is difficult to recover and the team did the best it could. After that came some errors and finally I was unable to finish the race. This cost us a lot, but we know what we did wrong and will try to do better here. Australia has always been a bit difficult with lots of things happening on track: it’s the nature of the circuit and the fact it’s the first race, but at least I got one point. We are not panicking even if we had not expected the first race to end the way it did. But this is a long season with seventeen more races. So we just need to do our own thing, make sure we finish this race and in terms of speed I am sure we can be okay.
You never know about the weather here and when it does rain, it is always very heavy here so for sure it’s not going to be easy. We will do our best whatever the conditions and like I said, I am confident we have a good package as long as we don’t make mistakes and we get everything right and get the running time on track that we want.
I really like racing in Melbourne
Kimi Raikkonen Maranello, 10th March 2008
I’m a racing driver. And obviously all I want to do is to race. That is my job and I love it. I can’t wait for the new season to start. It really seems that the time has flown since last October. I had a nice break and now everything is ready for the start of the season. I believe that we’re going to Melbourne with a competitive car. The tests during the winter went very well and we did everything possible. The F2008 is a step forward from the car we had last year. The team has done a great job; especially in the areas where we weren’t that strong, like the behaviour through slow corners and over the curbs. We should be strong in every situation, although you never know these things for sure.
Usually I never like to look back, but for once I want to make an exception. Last season ended in a fantastic way that I will never ever forget. It feels great having finally won the Title and it feels even better, that I’ve done it in my first year with Ferrari. I’ve been quite close on a couple of occasions before, but like this it was really exceptional. I really enjoyed celebrating at the end of the season. I spent Christmas in Finland and then I went on holiday to Dubai to celebrate New Year with my wife Jenni and my friends. It’s nice having a break and chilling out after such a tough season. The only thing, which was different this year was, that I had a test session in December. It was very important to try out the car without traction control. At the begining of January I could immediately start testing with the new car, while two of them were ready. It was really important and together with Felipe we could collect many useful data for further development. I’m really satisfied with how the tests went. We have a strong, fast, competitive and reliable package. We should be there fighting for victories in every race and in the end for the two Championships.
Personally I feel a huge difference to start this season compared to 2007. Now I know the team and the way they work and there won’t be any surprises. I’ve built up a good relationship with my engineers and we understand each other: they know how I want my car to be set up.
Again the first race is in Australia. I really like racing in Melbourne and it’s nice having won there already before. The track is very slippery on the first day due to the fact that it’s only used once per year. Braking without the engine brake will be a bit more difficult, but we’ve had already many tests and a driver adapts quickly. I have good memories from last year: we dominated the whole race weekend and in the end we gained the Pole Position and won the race. It’s really nice to get off to a good start. We managed that last year, although afterwords we lost it a bit. I definitely want to win also this year, because it’s always better to lead instead of having to catch up! At the beginning of the season it’s always difficult to say what will happen, because during the tests you ever know how much fuel the others have in their cars. As I’ve said, I think that Ferrari will be competitive, but we’ll only find our for sure in Melbourne.
2006 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Last year, Team McLaren Mercedes took another 1-2 victory at Sao Paulo with Juan Pablo Montoya winning ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.
The race also sees Kimi Raikkonen’s final outing as a Team McLaren Mercedes driver. KIMI RAIKKONEN
“I have always had dramatic races in Brazil, I guess the track encourages exciting racing. The atmosphere is always amazing, the Paulistas are crazy and I hope we can put on a great race for them. Overtaking is possible here, there are a number of places, but the main one is into the first corner, you slipstream up the hill and along the straight and then pass under braking into the left hander. You do need good grip to be quick, and set-up of the car is not to either extreme to try and be quick in the twisty section at the back of the track and also up the hill and onto the pit straight. Another couple of the main features of Interlagos are that a lot of the corners have adverse camber and we run anti-clockwise. This will be my final race with Team McLaren Mercedes; I am of course sad to be leaving the team. We have had some great times together and it would be fantastic to go out with a win. It is going to be tough, but we are all pushing hard to try and make it happen.” MARTIN WHITMARSH
This race marks a definite end of an era for us as a racing organisation with the departure of Kimi. Ron spoke for the team in Monza when he said how much we have enjoyed working with Kimi since the start of the 2002 season and we wish him all the best. NORBERT HAUG
In Brazil, Kimi will drive his 88th and final race for Team McLaren Mercedes. During his five years with the team he has been Championship runner-up twice, in 2003 and 2005. On behalf of Mercedes-Benz I thank him for his efforts and achievements, and I wish him all the best for the future – which will begin in the next Grand Prix, the last one of 2006.
2006 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX PREVIEW KIMI RAIKKONEN
“We demonstrated the competitiveness of the MP4-21 over the weekend of the Chinese Grand Prix and it was clear that the speed was there, despite my retirement from second place which was disappointing for everyone. This level should carry through to the Grand Prix in Japan at Suzuka, which is really great to drive, and there is no reason why we should not be competing at the front again. There are for sure many different characteristics across the circuit and you get to really push the limits all the way round, which is fantastic. The first corner is key, you have to get it just right with the combination of braking and throttle application otherwise you will lose a lot of time in that corner but also it will affect your line into the esses complex. At turn one you have the high speed apex, then the low speed apex, and if you get the first bit wrong your line into the second section and of course the esses is wrong. You can make so much time up in this section of the track; it is great to have such a challenging section so early in the lap! The circuit is also pretty fast, and to get the time there is one line that you have to stick to. Probably the best place to overtake is the final chicane, but as last year showed, there are other options. Suzuka is very light on brakes, even though there are a lot of corners, most of them are so quick you are either flat out, lifting a bit or using just a dab of the brakes, there are no massive braking zones.”
2006 CHINESE GRAND PRIX PREVIEW KIMI RAIKKONEN
“The Shanghai track is great to drive, it is quite wide so can be good for overtaking in places. You do need good mechanical grip for the slower corners, this is really important for turn 13 as it exits out onto the long back straight, that is over one kilometre, so having good speed as you leave the corner is vital. The final hairpin, turn 14, at the end of the back straight is probably the most obvious overtaking opportunity. You can get into a slipstream, as speeds reach nearly 330km/h, and the go for position under braking as you drop down to around 85km/h. Turn four is also pretty important, as you need to take quite a precise line through turn five, which is very long to be quick. So far in China I have finished in third and second and my aim for this year is to take the top step of the podium with Team McLaren Mercedes!”
2006 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW KIMI RAIKKONEN
“Monza is a great track, it is all about speed but not just on the straights. It has some fantastic corners such as Parabolica that are flat out and you really have to push the car. Parabolica is a really important part of the track, because it takes you back out on to the long start and finish straight, and so you have to keep your speed as high as possible through it. The track is also really hard on the cars, with the bumps and the long straights at full throttle. You tend to use the kerbs quite a lot and so have a slightly softer set-up so the car rides well over them. After my retirement from the Turkish race, my back was a bit sore, so we decided that I would rest to get properly fit for this race rather than test, but I am totally fine, there are no problems from the incident and I am looking forward to getting back in the car. It has been feeling really strong recently, so I hope we can have more of a race in Monza than in Istanbul.”
2006 TURKISH GRAND PRIX PREVIEW KIMI RAIKKONEN
“Although it is great for the team to have the short break, I am looking forward to getting back to racing, particularly as we are in Turkey this time out. The Istanbul Speed Park is a terrific circuit, it is demanding on the cars, but great fun to drive, with lots of different types of corner, some straights and elevation changes. All the ups and downs of the track don’t really affect the set up; they just make it more interesting to drive. There are some chances to overtake, a couple of examples are into the first corner, which I found to my cost last year, and along the long stretch that takes you into the low speed turn 12. The corner that everyone was talking about after last year’s race was the double apex left of 7/8. I think it was bumpier than we expected, and because it is such a long, fast corner if you don’t get the line exactly right or lift or accelerate at the wrong moment you will get bounced off the circuit. We exit the turn flat out at 310km/h, and it is vital to have been able to get to this speed as it takes you onto one of the short straights at the back of the track. I took the maiden pole and victory at the Istanbul Speed Park last year, and it would be fantastic to repeat it in 2006. The car again felt strong in Hungary and we had good pace, so we will all be pushing hard towards this.”
ターン8、面白かったですよねぇ。皆はみ出しまくっていて、ハンガリー優勝したから予選最後に出てきたキミがサーッと走って、見事なポールトゥウインだったなぁ、ってことは覚えてます。ティルケサーキットには賛否両論ありますけど、私は結構好きかなーなんて。初めて行われたF1レースで、ポールも優勝もキミだったからっていうのもありますけど。 モンテイロが2位走行中のモンちゃんを撃墜したりと去年は波乱もありましたが、縁起のいいサーキットなので表彰台期待しちゃっていいですかー?
(夏休みでネガティヴ思考が抜けてる)
キミのイスタンブール・ガイドはKimi’s flying lap of Istanbulで!
2006 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
The race marks Kimi Raikkonen’s 100th Grand Prix start and is also the one year anniversary of Team McLaren Mercedes’ Partnership with Johnnie Walker. To celebrate these milestones, Johnnie Walker is hosting an event for the media on the Saturday of the Grand Prix at the Hungaroring and on Sunday a commemorative helmet will be revealed that Kimi will wear for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The race helmet will have gold leaf incorporated into the design, alluding to the current centenary year of Johnnie Walker Gold. Kimi will also be presented with a pair of unique racing boots by Johnnie Walker to mark the event. KIMI RAIKKONEN
“The MP4-21 was definitely quicker in Germany than the previous race, and it had great balance. We have made a step forward and I am looking forward to getting back out on track again this weekend and racing for another podium finish. At the Hungaroring, the main factor is downforce, we don’t need to worry about aero efficiency or drag. This is as a result of all the slow, tight corners, and you will see all the cars running with maximum wing. Overtaking here is tricky, nevertheless I passed two cars on the first lap last year. It is a bit better since they modified the first corner, but qualifying is very important, perhaps more so than at any other race apart from Monaco. Along with Monaco the Hungaroring is the most demanding in terms of engine cooling, as there are no real straights and the temperature is always so high. So we will run with bigger radiators and apertures to increase the cooling within the car. The race has in the past been affected by the dusty track surface however they now have a truck that cleans up the dust beforehand so track conditions are more constant over the weekend, which makes set-up less tricky. The Hungarian race is like a home Grand Prix for me so I am always really looking forward to it, we get all the crazy Finnish fans that come down to watch the racing and I hope I can put in a great result for them. The car ran well in Monaco, so we will see. ”
2006 MOBIL 1 GERMAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW KIMI RAIKKONEN
“Our car has definitely been improving over the last few races, and we had another productive test in Jerez last week as the development process on the MP4-21 continues. Hopefully when we get to Germany we will be able to make the most of this on track. Since the changes were made to the Hockenheimring, it is now more about slow and medium speed corners than all out speed. As a result, it is really important to have good traction on the exits of corners to make sure you find the speed you need on the short straights in between. Also, this cornering means the brakes are put under quite a bit of pressure so we will run with bigger brake ducts than normal and for sure braking stability is key. I hope that following a result that was not what we were looking for in France, we are able to go to Germany and put on a great race for all the Mercedes-Benz employees and fans that will be at the track for the weekend, they are always very supportive so I hope they will get to see a good result for the team.”