Kimi Raikkonen is predicting more Ferrari domination at the British Grand Prix, following their 1-2 finish in France last weekend.

The Finn triumped in last year's race at Silverstone and, although seeing a win slip through his fingers at Magny-Cours on Sunday thanks to a broken exhaust, he is simply happy that his car's performance looks so promising for next weekend's event.

"We expect to be really competitive at Silverstone," he wrote on the Ferrari website. "This week all the teams will test there ahead of the British GP: I'll drive on Thursday after Felipe has tested two days. I like the track and I have fond memories of it: it's good to come here with a car that can fight for the win."

Although Raikkonen was disappointed to not claim victory in France, he says now that he is happy because the points he scored were vital for his championship ambitions.

"I have to admit it has never been better to see the chequered flag," said Raikkonen. "Once again we proved you should never give up.

"The team still don't know exactly what happened. They will do some tests, but it's difficult to find an answer without the exhaust pipe and with an engine that has been under stress like that for half of the race.

"Obviously I'm sorry that I didn't win a race where everything went well in the beginning. We have to look at the positive aspects: the team did great work and I gained eight points, although I had a problem, which could have made me retire. And now I'm closer to the top than I was after Canada.

"It's a hard championship with four drivers close together. We're not even half way through the season and there are still loads of points to gain. Last year at this point I was 20 points behind."

Q. Did you test something new today?


Kimi Raikkonen: Yes, we tried some new stuff - and the team had tried them earlier in the week. But I tried it for the first time today, and it was okay.

Q. How did the car feel here?

KR: I thought it was okay. We tried some things and didn't really put too much effort into setting up the car. Overall it was good. It was quite windy in the afternoon but I think we have a good car here, and it is hard to say from testing what fuel loads everyone is running. But the feeling is good here and we will see where we are next week.

Q. Did you talk to the engineers about the failure in Magny-Cours?

KR: No, we didn't have time. They are still checking what it was. My guess is it was just an unfortunate thing and broke the exhaust. It happens sometimes.

Q. What is your forecast for the race after this test?

KR: I was pretty happy with the car. We need to wait until next Friday to see where we are against the others, but we should have a good car. We were strong here last year, and the car is good, so I expect us to be in with a good chance of being able to win the race.

Q. You are still stuck on your 17th victory, which in Italy is an unlucky number. What do you think about that?

KR: For sure we can change it this year, so it won't be an issue. We would rather have won last time around, but we still got good points and we should have a strong car here. So hopefully we can have a good result once again.

Q. Last year the win was important because it showed you were strong for the championship. What will it mean to win at Silverstone?

KR: A win is always a nice thing. We are going to try and do our best, but like we saw in the last race there are many things that can go against you, or can help you. I expect to have a good car here, and for sure it would help with the points if we could win, but we need to have a good strong weekend and see where we finish. It will be a close fight. We will try to do another good weekend and hopefully one without any problems, and then have a good result.

Q. Felipe Massa is leading the championship, but the bookmakers still think you are favourite. What do you think about that?

KR: There have been many leaders this year, and there is still a long way to go. It doesn't really matter who is leading right now, or who was leading before. It only counts at the end of the last race. Everybody is pretty close and, as we have seen in the last few races, it can change pretty quickly. Hopefully we can come back and lead the championship when it really matters.

Q. Many people think Ferrari will show a similar level of speed at Silverstone as they did at Magny-Cours. Do you agree?

KR: I hope it will be. McLaren are always strong here, and I'm expecting that next weekend. I think it's going to be quite close between us and I don't see the other teams being close enough for the win, but with them (McLaren) it is going to be a tight fight.

Q. Is this championship coming down to consistency?

KR: It helps for sure if you are consistent. If you are not fast enough then you still need to try and win the races, and get there. If you can score points in every race, then you are always going to be in a strong position.

Q. Does last season's victory in the British Grand Prix help you in your approach to this year's race?

KR: Not really. We've won at many places, and we know how it should be done, but every year is different - sometimes it can be easier, and other times more difficult. We saw in the last race you can be fast, but it doesn't always go your way. I hope to be in a position - we should be at least in a position - to win the race, and we will see if we can achieve it or not.

Q. You know McLaren very well. Are they suffering from a lack of experience with both drivers?

KR: I don't think so. There are a lot of people who know what they are doing. Sometimes you have a difficult car; sometimes you have a better one. That's normal for everybody.

Kimi Raikkonen stayed philosophical after losing what looked like a sure victory at the French Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Finn, starting from pole position, was leading the race comfortably ahead of teammate Felipe Massa when he suffered a mechanical problem, with one of his car's exhausts becoming loose.

The problem meant Raikkonen lost the gap to Massa, who could overtake the Finn easily to win the race.

Raikkonen admitted he was disappointed, but felt lucky he managed to finish in second.

"It was disappointing in the end. We had a good car all weekend. I was on pole and leading quite easily and then I had problem with the car," said Raikkonen.

"That happens sometimes. We were still lucky to finish the race and score eight points.

"On the last couple of laps the car almost stopped a few times. So even if it's disappointing not to win I still took eight points... and I'm in a more confident position (in the championship). A great the result for the team, just an unlucky situation."

The Ferrari driver said his car was just lacking power.

"We car was slow in the straight line and out of the low-speed corners so it was difficult," he said. "But luckily we were fast enough in the beginning to go away from the others, and we had a big enough gap.

"Two more laps and we would have not finished the race. As I said it's disappointing but still eight points is good for the championship and good for the team."

He also claimed the late rain did not make much of a difference to him thanks to his problems.

"It was like having traction control. I didn't have power out of corners so it didn't really affect me at all."

Raikkonen in now third in the championship, five points behind Massa.

World Champion Kimi Raikkonen does not believe that Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen's respective inexperience has cost McLaren too much this season.

The ex-McLaren racer was speaking at Silverstone where he was testing for Ferrari and insists that there is enough expertise within the Woking squad to combat any potential issues.

When ask if the pair's lack of track time in Formula 1 was affecting his former team, the Finn replied: "I don’t think so because there are a lot of people [at the team] who know what they are doing.

"Sometimes you have a difficult car, sometimes a better one. That’s normal."

And, having watched Hamilton in action on Thursday, Raikkonen predicted a tough battle between the sport's top two teams at the next race.

"McLaren are always strong here, and I’m expecting that next weekend.

"[But] we were strong here last year, so I expect us to be in with a good chance of being able to win the race again.

"I think it’s going to be quite close between us and them. I don’t see the other teams being close enough for the win.”

[via Setanta]

Kimi Raikkonen anticipates that Ferrari will once again be fighting for top honours at next weekend's British Grand Prix.



The defending World Champion lies five points behind team-mate Felipe Massa in the Drivers' Championship after backing up a Scuderia one-two in Sunday's French Grand Prix.


Raikkonen had been set for victory until an exhaust problem at half-distance had forced him to relinquish the lead to Massa.


The Finn is now confident Ferrari can follow up their dominant display at Magny-Cours with another such at Silverstone.


Raikkonen, who won last year's British Grand Prix, told Ferrari's website: "We expect to be really competitive at Silverstone.


"This week all the teams will test there ahead of the British GP: I'll drive on Thursday after Felipe has tested two days.


"I like the track and I have fond memories of it: it's good to come here with a car that can fight for the win."


Massa was quickest on day one of the test on Tuesday.



Relief


Raikkonen also admitted he was relieved to cross the finish line at Magny-Cours after his troublesome afternoon.


"I have to admit the it has never been better to see the chequered flag. Once again we proved you should never give up," he said.


"Obviously I'm sorry that I didn't win a race where everything went well in the beginning.


"We have to look at the positive aspects: the team did great work and I gained eight points, although I had a problem, which could have made me retire.


"And now I'm closer to the top than I was after Canada," added Raikkonen, who failed to score points in both Montreal and the preceding Monaco Grand Prix.

World champion and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen believes the team can repeat their French Grand Prix success at Silverstone.

Ferrari recorded a one-two finish in France, and the Finn hopes he can replicate last year's win at the British Grand Prix.
He said: "We expect to be really competitive at Silverstone. This week all the teams will test there ahead of the British GP. I'll drive on Thursday after Felipe has tested two days.

"I like the track and I have fond memories of it. It's good to come here with a car that can fight for the win."

The Finn was pragmatic about narrowly missing out on victory in France, adding: "Obviously I'm sorry that I didn't win a race where everything went well in the beginning.

"We have to look at the positive aspects: the team did great work and I gained eight points, although I had a problem, which could have made me retire. And now I'm closer to the top than I was after Canada.

"It's a hard championship with four drivers close together. We're not even half way through the season and there are still loads of points to gain. Last year at this point I was 20 points behind."

Q. Congratulations Felipe with a win from the front row. Kimi led early on until his problem but you were a conclusive winner by the end.

Felipe Massa: It was fantastic, I did not expect that. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck and today I had a little bit of luck with what happened to Kimi and his exhaust. Fortunately he could finish the race, but it was, for sure, a good present. I was already quite comfortable in the second position as he had a very quick pace and I am sure it would have been very difficult for me to pass him. It was a great race and we showed our performance here.

For sure, we don't know the performance from our competitors because they were a little bit behind. But I think we are in the right direction. The team did a fantastic job - all the suppliers, Shell especially, because all the time we need to bring good fuel and good lubricants as well, so it was a great job from everybody. I am very happy because now we are a lot more in the championship. We still need to work a lot but we are in the right direction.

Q. It did start to rain towards the end. Tell us about the track conditions.

FM: It was very difficult over there because sometimes there were some drops and you could feel straight away that the track was not the same anymore, so I was always slowing even more than I needed because I had a very good gap, so I was not risking anything. At the end of the race it was not raining very heavily, so anyway it was a good drive and a fantastic job from the team.

Q. You said Kimi had fantastic pace but from the outside looking in, it looked like you had a couple of laps in hands in terms of fuel. How do you think it might have gone?

FM: I mean I had two laps difference in terms of fuel but in two laps you cannot be three-tenths slower. I was always kind of three-tenths slower, so I saw that it was going to be difficult to beat him as you need to be a similar pace or maybe one-tenth slower. That was not the case. I saw he had a great pace and a bit better balanced car and I didn't want to risk. Even second was a great result, but first is even better.

Q. Kimi, I guess you are delighted to score points in a race where you had a relatively serious mechanical failure on the car.

Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, it is disappointing in the end having a good car all weekend, being on pole, leading it quite easily and then having a problem with the car. But, unfortunately, that happens sometimes. In one way we are still lucky to finish the race and get eight points as in the last couple of laps the car almost stopped a few times. I mean even though it is disappointing not to win when we should still have, I still take the eight points and it looks much better now in the championship. I am in a more confident position and it was a great result for the team, just an unlucky situation.

Q. We could see problems with the exhaust just from the half distance. What was it like from your point of view driving the car in terms of what you felt?

KR: We just lost massive power. That was the biggest problem. Sometimes you just lost all the power and then it came back. It was slow in a straight line and especially out of low speed corners it was difficult. But luckily we went fast enough in the beginning to go away from the others and we had enough of a gap in the end but I expect a few more laps and we would not have finished second.

Like I said before it is disappointing not to win but eight points is good for the championship. It is a good result for the team and everybody did their best but unfortunately things didn't go right but that happens as we have seen in races before. We still had a one-two which is great.

Q. How bad was the problem when the rain started towards the end of the race? What was the response from the car?

KR: It was like bad traction control with no power out of the corners. It got a little bit slippery in some places but it did quite a lot of damage to the car, so it is good that we finished the race.

Q. Jarno, Toyota's first podium since Australia 2006. You were under pressure right from the first corner to the end and the wheel banging incident with Heikki Kovalainen in the closing laps.

Jarno Trulli: It was a difficult race but it was a great result and a great weekend for the whole team. We were pushing really hard because we wanted to dedicate the podium to Ove Anderson (former Toyota team principal) who did a lot for the Toyota Motorsport team and it came at the right time to be here with all the Italian flags because tonight Italy is going to play.

It was a great race, hard and tough. We had quite a good pace but obviously some other cars were still quicker than us but we managed to do a very good weekend from Friday and Saturday qualifying. We had a very good start and my pace was obviously reasonable but I had to fight really hard which is anyway what we expect.

Q. It looked like you were in difficulty when the rain started and Heikki closed the gap. Talk us through that battle with Heikki.

JT: It is obviously difficult to judge how bad the rain is when you are in front. It is easier to be behind someone else. I was taking a bit of care as normally our car struggles a bit on the colder conditions but I managed then to get back into the right condition and after the rain stopped I did my job.

Q. And that wheel banging incident with Heikki?

JT: I don't think we touched at all. It was wheel-to-wheel like in go-kart, so it was a dream come true as obviously it is many years since I did such a nice fight. I would love to fight every race to fight like that. We know the problem with our car and we need to get more pace and that is what I am asking of the team. But we are doing a great job compared to last year and the car is much more competitive, everybody is much more together and everybody is more motivated. Things are moving on.

Q. Felipe, you are the first Brazilian to be leading the World Championship since the late, great Ayrton Senna. And a great run for you here – third, second and now first in three races. And the fourth leader of the championship in four races. We go to the British Grand Prix now, things could not be tighter.

FM: We are still in the middle of the championship and we still have a lot of races to go. We cannot think differently than what we always think until now. We need to do our job and we need to think about scoring points race by race, even if it is not possible to win. As I have said I was happy with second, first is even better, so we need to take all the opportunities we can to be at the front all the time if it's possible. But it is always nice to lead the championship, so hopefully we can stay in that position.

Press Conference

Q. Felipe, tell us about the start and about the opening laps when you were behind Kimi.

FM: Well, it was a little bit tough to be honest to follow him as he was very quick at that moment. I was like two or three tenths slower than him but I had two more laps of fuel which is understandable but I think I would have liked to have been one-tenth slower per lap and then it would have been possible to fight for the position in the pits.

But when I saw that the gap was already six seconds I said 'okay maybe it is better to concentrate on the driving and finish second' as that already was a great result for the championship. But then I saw that he was slowing down and I heard that he had a problem with the exhaust but sometimes you need the luck. I am just happy for Kimi to finish the race because usually when you have this kind of problem you cannot finish the race, so I think he was not too unlucky to finish second.

Q. Now you are leading the championship as well. How important is that?

FM: It is always nice, for sure, to lead the championship. It is always a great pleasure but at the moment we have won nothing, just some races. The championship is still 100 per cent open and we still have many races to go. We need to do our job race by race, thinking about the points, thinking if the win is good, otherwise second place is also good or maybe third. We need to think like that about the championship until the last race and then we are sure if we did the right job or if we had the right luck or did everything right to win the championship or not. But it is always nice to be leading the championship.

Q. You were suggesting that the track conditions were different with the rain showers.

FM: You could see the drops and sometimes they were very small drops and you don't feel the track changing. But sometimes it is coming a little bit stronger and the grip is a little bit lower than you expect. When I saw some big drops I said ‘okay it is better to slow down more and lose time instead of risk and maybe go off in the corner', so sometimes I was even slowing down more than I needed to but I think if was the right decision looking at the gap we had and also looking at the conditions as we were suffering with these small drops.

Q. Tell us about the start and those early stages as your car was phenomenal?

KR: It was good. It has been good all weekend, so it is a bit disappointing not to win, but that's racing. Things go wrong sometimes and luckily enough we still got second place, so it is better than nothing.

Q. Was there anything you could do with the car? Was there anything you could change with a setting like that?

KR: Not really, no. The exhaust broke and it changes all the setting and you burn a big hole on the side of the car. In the last few laps it almost stopped a few times so I think a few more laps and we would not have finished the race. Luckily the car was strong enough and it lasted, so even with the broken exhaust we were still fast enough and we had enough gap to the third place, so we were able to keep the second place.

Q. Even after you lost the lead to Felipe you managed to match him on times.

KR: Yeah, I don't know if he was full speed or not. For sure we could have gone much, much faster without the problem. But like I said, luckily enough we were fast enough in the first place, so that even with the problems we could still match the other people's speed and get a good second place. It is a bit disappointing but a good result for the team. We were a bit unlucky but still a good place to finish.

Q. You needed the points?

KR: Yeah, it is not ideal but for the team it is good. It is a long championship and we have been in worse positions, so we will see what we can do.

Q. Jarno, how important is this podium to you and the team?

JT: It's important for many reasons. It's important for the team, for the motivation, for the fact that we wanted to pay tribute to Ove Andersson who did great things for Toyota Motorsport in general. It's a shame that we lost him right now, he couldn't see us, cheering us up on the podium but anyway, it was great for the team, for me as well, because I think every year I'm driving better and better and now I'm driving better than ever, thanks to the fact that the team is moving on with the car which seems more balanced, quicker than last year, more competitive. We still have a lot of things to improve but in general, every race we can fight and we can take some chance to score points. This time I can say we did a perfect weekend, from me and from the team, the engineers, my mechanics in the pit stop, it was just fantastic. This gives everybody a great boost for the rest of the season.

Q. And a great start too...

JT: You know, in Formula One nowadays unfortunately you have to get everything extremely right, every single detail, it's so important in order to finish as high as possible, especially in our position because we're fighting in mid-field. We know that Ferrari, McLaren, BMW are sometimes… are often quicker than us. Sometimes we can close the gap.

Our main rivals are normally Renault, Red Bull and Williams. This time I think we had nothing to do with them and I was just fighting for the top and it was great to fight, wheel-to-wheel with the car because I've wanted to do that for a long time and I wish I could do it every race. At the moment, I just keep pushing with the team and eventually one day we will get there.

Questions From The Floor

Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Felipe, it was mentioned earlier that you are the first Brazilian to lead the World Championship since Ayrton, we believe since Monaco in '93. Does that mean anything to you, is that significant?

FM: As I said, it's nice but my dream is not just to lead the championship, my dream is to win the championship and I'm going to do the best I can to try to achieve that. That's my dream and hopefully one day we can celebrate that. But for sure it's a nice feeling.

Q. (Tomas Richtr – TV Nova) Jarno, your fight for the last podium place was very nice with Heikki and Robert Kubica. What was the reason behind your success because even Timo Glock fell out of the top ten?

JT: I think the results come from a perfect weekend from everybody: the team, from my driving, from everyone in the team, our suppliers, our supporters as well, because as I say, today you need to get everything completely right in order to get on the podium, especially for us. I think we've done a great job. What can I say more than that? I drove very well. I fought very hard and this is what I'm supposed to do. I'm born to fight and I enjoy fighting. Sometimes I get it wrong, we can get it wrong because it did happen here for a few years. I've been criticised but I just learned from my mistakes and carried on pushing again.

Q. (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Germany) Kimi, what did you feel in the car at the moment when the exhaust broke and what did the team tell you? Did you think the race would be over already?

KR: Basically I just lost power. Then I told them that I had lost power and basically then I told them what was wrong because I saw in the mirror that the exhaust pipe was hanging on one of the cables at the back of the car. Usually when that happens it doesn't take too long before something else goes wrong but luckily the car was strong enough, the engine was strong enough. Even with a big problem like that we could still do pretty good lap times and finish second.

Q. (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) Jarno, tell us about that last battle you had with Heikki when you got alongside each other. I think you even banged wheels, just run us through that part.

JT: I think we were very close but we didn't bang at all. I did my job, I kept the inside line as I was supposed to do and obviously I was quite slow on the straight, it was so obvious, but all I had to do was to fight. I could see the podium there but I didn't want to lose the position. Everybody knows me, I'm hard to pass. I fight until the end.

Sometimes I can also get it wrong but this time I got it right and I did a perfect job, but nevertheless, it's not only my driving, it's also down to the team who have done a good job with the pit stop, perfect pit stop, perfect strategy, all weekend was perfect. Obviously, the fact that we had a very good qualifying position and then a good start has given us the chance to fight those ahead. It's quite clear that we don't yet have the pace to fight Ferrari and to fight McLaren and BMW but obviously today we could take our chances and we did it.

Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto Moto und Sport) Kimi, when the problem started, you had lap times of high 1m19s and 1m20s and then you dropped down later on to 1m18s. What did you change in your driving style to drive that fast with your problem?

KR: Basically the problem kept changing. Sometimes it was a little bit worse, sometimes a bit better. It really depended on how the engine behaved. Luckily enough, after a few laps it started to work a little bit better and then in the end it got really worse again and it almost stopped, but we made it to the finish and that was the main thing.

Q. (Alexandre Avril – Radio NRJ Nevers) Felipe, it's probably the last Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. You won the race, do you have a special feeling?

FM: It's special, for sure. Magny-Cours was a nice traditional race. For sure, if you see the town it's not very exciting but I think the track is alright, the track is better than many tracks we race on. I don't have any problems coming here to race. I like the track which is the most important thing for the driver. The hotel is nearby, so that's not a problem. It's nice to win, to be the last winner of the French Grand Prix. Maybe we're going to have a French Grand Prix again.

I don't know if it will be here or somewhere else but it's nice to be part of this story. Also, my manager is French, so maybe he will be even happier than me because it's special for him, because we worked together and it's important for him to win his home Grand Prix.

Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Jarno, is this podium more important than the first one you got for the team in 2005?

JT: I think so, because in 2005 we had a very competitive car, especially at the beginning of the season and also it was easier to fight for the podium. This one came from an extremely good weekend from every single person, from the engineers, from the suppliers, from myself, from the mechanics at the pit stop. We know that today we cannot realistically fight for the podium but after yesterday's qualifying, inside my mind, I had the feeling that I had a little chance and I had to play it.

With the experience I had, and with the hard head that I have, I just went for it. I really wanted to give the best and I want to show that people are wrong when they say that I'm not so strong in the race. I've been doing so many good races in the past but unfortunately we don't have the pace in the car. Sometimes I've been very unlucky, but nevertheless I'm focused in front of me to achieve the target I wanted.

I believe now I'm driving very well with a lot of experience, so I can get things together much easier and much better and I think the team today has a very good atmosphere. Timo is extremely quick and is pushing me harder and harder. He's closer to me every race. We have a very good relationship and we especially have extremely similar comments which make the team improve. So in general, this result is a team result, coming from every single person, even from the factory.

Q. (Marco Evangelisti – Corriere dello Sport) Jarno, what were you shouting at the end during your parade lap, and that gesture was like Luca Toni? Was it good wishes for today?

JT: Well, first of all I called for a tricolore flag, the Italian flag, because I kept it for a long, long time, since 2005, in my bag and unfortunately I couldn't get it out. Today was the time to get it out and it was a perfect day because we are all Italian here, I think, because Ferrari and me are Italian and so I wanted to celebrate. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to get it.

And then I made a couple of gestures. The first one I was doing in the car was an old gesture that me and Fernando were doing a few years ago when we were at Renault together and similar to the one that Luca Toni makes. So I hope that today's result, all from Italy, will help the Italian football team to get into the semi-final.

Q. (Asen Stoyanov – Monitor) A question for everybody: what do you think about the idea of having a French Grand Prix on the streets of Paris, in 2010 maybe?

FM: The hotels will be much better, that's for sure! The track I'm not sure. I think they need to do a great job on the track because this is a nice track. To do a nice track in Paris is not so easy. We need to wait and see if it's going to be the case or not.

KR: There is always a lot of speculation where the races are going to be in a few years but there's no point in really talking about it before we get the green light and it's going to happen. It's just wasting time really.

JT: As Kimi said, there's been a lot of speculation and it's not down to us to judge. Personally I like coming to France, I have a lot of supporters, I get on very well with French people. I like this track but as a driver, I will drive wherever Formula One will go.

Q. (Thierry Wilmotte – Le Soir) Jarno, when you were battling with Heikki, did you remember the podium you lost in the last corner a few years ago, were you thinking about that?

JT: Yes, it was my revenge. It was my revenge because I was probably even slower but as I say, I'm a big fighter and I'm hard-headed and I didn't want to give up. I would have been really disappointed.

Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) To Kimi and Felipe: Lewis has failed to score in the last two races now. Do you still see him as a main rival for the title or do you feel that as a team you're too strong or you will be too strong over the second half of the season for him and McLaren?

FM: Well, I didn't score in the first two races and I'm leading. Kimi didn't score in the last two races as well and he's completely fighting for the championship, so we cannot take anybody away from the fight at the moment. It's only the middle of the championship and it's a long way to the last race.

World champion Kimi Raikkonen received a 5,000-euro fine on Friday for arriving late at the scheduled drivers' meeting at Magny-Cours, following free practice.

The French Grand Prix stewards received a report from the race director over the matter after Raikkonen failed to arrive at the specified time of 17:00 for the briefing, which was followed by the Grand Prix Drivers' Association meeting.

The Ferrari driver was determined to have breached article 37.1 of the FIA sporting regulations.

[via Autosport]

Kimi Raikkonen - 2nd: "Obviously I am a bit disappointed because I had hoped to win. Unfortunately, the right exhaust pipe broke just before half-distance and the engine lost a lot of power, especially on the straight after the slow corners. After a few laps, the situation seemed better, but towards the end of the race, I ran the risk of stopping. This sort of thing can happen in racing and I have to try and look on the bright side: eight points are still a good amount and the one-two finish is a great result for the team.

"Luckily, I had built up quite a good lead in the first part thanks to a car that was really very competitive. The F2008 is definitely very strong because usually, when you have this sort of problem, retirement is almost inevitable. There is still a long way to go in the championship and I am in a better position than I was at this stage last year: let's see what I can do in the next part of the series."

Stefano Domenicali: "A really great result that came at the end of a very tough race. We had started with the aim of securing the double and we managed it, despite the exhaust problem that put Kimi's race in danger around lap 35. It proves we have all the potential to do very well, but it also confirms that we cannot allow ourselves not to be perfect in every detail, especially on the reliability front.

"I am very sorry for Kimi, who was going really well today and did a really good job to get the car to the line in these conditions. Now we will have to check on the condition of the engine on his car and evaluate what should be done for the race at Silverstone. I am very happy for Felipe, who drove majestically, without putting a foot wrong. It is the first time in his career that he leads the world championship and I am sure that is a great satisfaction for him.

"We have pulled out more of a gap in the Constructors' classification, which also give us a bit of breathing space, but we cannot afford to ease up. There is still a long way to go and our rivals will do all they can to beat us. We must keep our heads down and work in a determined fashion. It is a special pleasure to celebrate with a one-two finish the one hundred and fiftieth win in partnership between Ferrari and Shell. Behind our victories are some extraordinary partners."

Luca Baldisserri: "A fantastic one-two! This weekend we demonstrated all our potential, securing the maximum result possible, both in qualifying and in the race. The race was very difficult because we had to try and adapt to the very changeable weather conditions and also because, on Kimi's car, we had to manage the serious problem of a broken exhaust pipe for more than half the race.

"The team did an impeccable job under very difficult conditions and both drivers were excellent. We knew we had great potential, which for various reasons, was not translated into points in the two previous races. Today we did it, but these eighteen points must not go to our heads. There is still a lot of work to do and we must never drop our guard."

Participating: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

TV UNILATERALS

Q: Kimi,(inaudible), tell us all about your qualifying.

Kimi RAIKKONEN: Yeah, it is nothing new for me not being so quick in Q1 and Q2. The car is so much different when you have low fuel than when you have more fuel, so we have been working the whole weekend with the normal fuel load, so it is not always exactly how you want it when you take the fuel out. The main thing is to be the fastest at the end and that worked out very well for us.

Q: It was a good lap from what we saw. Talk us through it from what you saw. Was there anyway it could be improved? Was it perfect?

KR: I mean I could have done quite a bit faster lap, the lap I came in, as the team told me to box because in the end I was fastest anyhow, so there was no point to waste one lap of fuel. That lap was actually at least two tenths faster but just on the last moment I pulled in when I was supposed to turn into the last chicane, but they told me to box.

We have had good speed all weekend and the car has been working well and this has been a great weekend so far but tomorrow is the one we need to finish and hopefully we can win as we need some points.

Q: It is quite a technical circuit here, demanding of the car and the driver. There is a lot of indecision it appears about the Bridgestone tyres here, though, whether to go with the hard or the softer tyre?

KR: I don't think there is much in it on one lap on the softer or harder tyre. Over the race I think the harder is definitely the way to go. For us both tyres have been working well, so in that way also we are in a good position.

Q: Felipe, congratulations, the third Ferrari lock out of the grid we have seen this season. Very quick in Q1 and Q2 and very close there with Kimi in Q3.

Felipe MASSA: Yeah, I was overdriving a bit too much in Q3 trying to get the best out of the car and I lost a little bit of time on the track at a couple of corners just trying to push too hard. But we also had a lot more fuel in the car compared to Q1 and Q2, so I just lost a little bit of time. But anyway I think the front row is good and I am looking forward to the race tomorrow.

Q: How would you quantify Ferrari's pace here? How does the car feel relative to other tracks you have been to with this sort of downforce level?

FM: It feels very good. We have had many good races this year starting in Malaysia and even though I didn't finish the race the car was very strong. Then when we went to Bahrain it was even stronger. Then we had a strong car in Barcelona as well, so on this kind of track the car works very well and I think we got the best out of the car today and the team did a great job as well.

Q: You had a sore neck yesterday. How are you feeling today?

FM: It was a stupid thing. I was just on the elevator and had a moment and felt my neck. I was not even driving. It was a little bit strange and I had a little bit of pain yesterday. The same this morning a little bit but it is getting better and better, so I am sure tomorrow I will be okay.

Q: Lewis, a bitter sweet moment for you. You are in the top three but we know that you have that 10 place penalty on the grid, starting 13th. But I guess you will be interested to know that in 2005 Kimi Räikkönen had a similar situation. He qualified third, had a 10 place penalty but finished second on the Sunday.

Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, obviously he has shown that you can do it. It was quite a disappointing qualifying for us, well for me. I have to apologise to the team as I did not do a great job at all. On my first and second lap I had the same mistake on both of them at the exit of turn seven, went wide and for sure lost at least three tenths or something there. But that's life. I was pushing and I was trying to get the best out of the car. I believe I did in most areas except that one, so we just missed out but nevertheless we will push very hard tomorrow.

Q: How much has the penalty hanging over you affected the way you have approached the race weekend with the strategy and indeed your driving?

LH: It doesn't help obviously. It doesn't hang over you but you know entering the weekend that you are coming here to win and you feel comfortable and you feel confident. You know the team has done absolutely everything they can to get you there and make sure the car is the best and then you arrive there and you automatically have a10 place penalty. Rules are rules, I guess, so we will just do the best job we can. We will take it on the chin, learn from it and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Q: Putting all that to one side, how do you feel the McLaren Mercedes compared here to the Ferrari?

LH: I think it is quite good actually. It is obviously not the same as it was in Montreal which is a slightly different circuit. We generally have very similar pace to them but I think in the last sector they seem to be pulling a little bit more than us in the middle of the last sector. But I generally feel we have got quite good pace and we are definitely right up there with them but somewhere in the last sector they have a little bit more time than us.

Q: Kimi, there was a little bit of a discussion in the drivers' briefing about the exit of the last corner and how much road can be used on the exit there. Can you just talk a little bit about that and how that affected qualifying and your thoughts on the race tomorrow with the tyres and possible weather changes?

KR: I guess in here there is always talk about the white lines and who cuts too much and runs too wide and if you get an advantage or not. If you make a mistake, especially in the last corner, it doesn't help too much and if you get it right you are fast and still on the circuit. If you hit the kerbs you jump wide sometimes. I don't think it's the place where you should complain too much as the next lap you will be very slow because you don't get any traction, but it's the same for everybody.

Like I said for the race the car this weekend has been working very well. I don't know how the weather will be. Some people say it is going to be hot, some say there might be some chance of showers. For us, it has been very good. We have the best starting position, so hopefully we can have a strong race for the team.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Kimi, as you were saying just now, this is a fairly crucial race for points, and surely this is the best start you could have had.

KR: Yeah, definitely. It's the best possible chance to win the race from first on the grid. The car has been good all weekend, so hopefully we will get some good points here.

Q: You've finished every one of your seven races at this circuit.

KR: That's good! Hopefully we don't do anything differently tomorrow but it's going to be a long race. I'm pretty sure we've got a good race car, but as we've seen before, anything can happen, so hopefully we get good points and we can gain on the others.

Q: You were talking just now about the kerbs, particularly those down here at Lycee. What's it like hitting those kerbs from a driving point of view, seventy times as it will be tomorrow, and what's it like from the car point of view? Do you ever worry what it must be doing to it?

KR: Not too much really. The cars are pretty strong enough. Of course, if you really hit them hard every lap you might break something but it's not too bad when you hit it right, but when you get it wrong it's quite a hard hit and for sure it's not healthy for the car. You more or less always try to get it right and most of the time it's not too bad.

Q: Felipe, disappointed not to be on pole?

FM: I don't think so. It was a good qualifying anyway. We were quite strong in Q1 and Q2 and then I just tried to over-drive a little bit in Q3, I lost a little bit of time but I think we have a good car, the race is going to be long, so I think it's good to start on the front row anyway.

Q: You missed pole by 47 thousandths of a second. Do you think you might have been on pole?

FM: That's not important. The position is important. Even if it was a thousandth of a second it wouldn't count. We are there, we have a strong car, the team did a great job this weekend and I think we can be very competitive tomorrow.

Q: What about the tyre choice during qualifying and the race?

FM: It was not easy, definitely, because if you see Q1 and Q2, I did exactly the same times on both tyres. The hard (tyre) is working very well, especially in circumstances like that, in the qualifying, so it will also not be easy to find the right choice for the race.

Q: Lewis, did you find a similar situation with the tyres?

LH: It was very close. I felt more comfortable on the prime, on the harder tyres, so I opted for them, but they were very close. Whether or not we made the right choice... for me, I felt we did.

Q: You were talking just now about the mistake that you made in Q3, both times, we saw you briefly go off, is that where you had the problem both times?

LH: Yeah, I made a mistake and went wide on the exit of turn seven, where you have to have a big lift, twenty or thirty meters before you have to normally brake, so I was off on the astro-turf and had to try and work my way back to the track.

Q: Was that a major problem?

LH: I'm sure I lost a good chunk of time.

Q: To what extent is the car set up for overtaking, knowing that your grid position was going to be down in double figures?

LH: Well, we've set the car up, so we can obviously qualify as high as possible and they know that I'm able to overtake. Overtaking is going to be tough in the race, I think, but I think we're quick enough to be able to do that, so I'm quite confident for tomorrow.

Q: And preparations so far have been perfect?

LH: Preparations have been very good, yeah, apart from yesterday when we had the problem in P2 with a small off. I think it's been quite a smooth weekend, and I still feel very good. Unfortunately I didn't get the best out of my lap but it was still not such a bad lap and qualifying third is not such a bad thing, but obviously we start thirteenth or so, so it's going to be hard work back there, but I look forward to it.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Frederic Ferret - L'Equipe) Lewis, how difficult is it to build your race strategy when you have known since the beginning of the weekend that you have a ten place penalty on the grid?

LH: It's tough, for sure. But we're here to race, we're here to compete for wins and when you know that you don't particularly have a chance of doing that, then it puts you on the back foot but the great thing is I've got a very enthusiastic team with a lot of confidence in me and my abilities and vice versa, and so whatever problems we have, we try to come up with the best solution and move forward and this weekend is going to be tough, but if we can pull out some points from this weekend it will be a major bonus.

Q: (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Kimi, nice pole and as a bonus you could save some fuel at the end, so would you be disappointed if you
didn't win the race tomorrow?

KR: You are always disappointed if you've been quick all weekend, if you're on the first place and cannot win but the most important thing is to get to the finish, get some good points and go from there, but we should definitely have a good chance to win.

Q: (Tomas Richtr – TV Nova) What is the biggest difference in car handling from a driver's point of view, between Q2 and Q3 in regard to a racing amount of fuel because we saw quite a few mistakes in Q3?

KR: There's more fuel, so it makes the car sliding much more, not so quick in changing direction and just heavier, so it's easier to make mistakes, the tyres are getting a harder time, so that's probably why people are sliding more and going off more.

Q: (Alberto Antonini – Autosprint) Lewis, let me get this clear. You entered Q3 but you will still be back below the top ten because of the penalty. Are you allowed to vary the amount of fuel that you have on board to start Q3?

LH: No, you're not allowed to. It's parc ferme.

Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) Kimi, this is Ferrari's 200th pole in Formula One, does it mean anything special to you?

KR: It's very nice for the whole team, for Ferrari, but I'm just a small part of it. I'm happy to achieve it, the 200th one, it's good for the team, for this race and a nice thing, but nothing else really changes.

Q: (Tomas Richtr – TV Nova) Fernando Alonso was strong all weekend and he's right behind you two Ferrari drivers. Do you consider him a threat for tomorrow's race?

KR: They've been quite good all weekend but it all depends on how much fuel everybody is running, how fast they're going to be in the race. We need to be careful with everybody but I think we have a very good race car, very good speed in the race, so as long as we get in front of him at the start it shouldn't be a problem.

FM: Well, I remember Renault have always been very quick on this track, even in the past, so they probably will be very strong here. They seem to be better here than on other tracks. For sure, as Kimi said, it depends on the fuel but he can be stronger than at other races.

Kimi Raikkonen - 3rd: "I am happy with the way things went during these two free practice sessions. We got through all our usual Friday job list, working mainly towards the race. Of course we don't know how much fuel our main rivals were running, but I get the impression we are very competitive.

"Maybe I did not get the most out of the first lap, but I am happy with the balance of the car. We tried out this new system for a Safety Car period and I think it could be a good solution because it puts everyone in the same situation and that way,you can't be penalized just by unfortunate circumstances."

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen says he has never had such a "great lust" to win as he seeks redemption at the French Grand Prix.


Raikkonen, who has failed to finish in the points in the last two races, said he had put his difficulties in Monaco and Montreal behind him.

"I don't carry bad thoughts with me, because that would just make me lose time, as you can't change the result anyway.

"I don't remember when I had such a great lust for winning."

However, he admitted being disappointed with first crashing out in Monaco and then being shunted out -- by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton -- in Montreal.

"The last two races were a disappointment, caused by different problems. But I know that Ferrari has taken a great leap forward on this track [Magny-Cours] compared to last year.

"It's a shame that the points we were able to gain [to date] do not reflect our real potential, but I think that'll we'll be very competitive on the upcoming street tracks at Valencia and Singapore."

The Finn believed Magny-Cours would provide a much different race than in Montreal.

"The smooth surface of the French track, its demanding corners and the quick changes of direction will underline the characteristics of the F2008.

"It was here in France last year that my season practically started all over again, and that is what I need now after the two races with no points."

Raikkonen said although Hamilton was starting 10th on the grid -- his penalty for crashing into the Finn in Montreal -- McLaren could not be underestimated.

"We have to give our best to keep them behind."

Meanwhile, Renault's Fernando Alonso also said Montreal had been a frustrating experience.

"It's clear we missed an opportunity to score some big points, but we must remain positive and keep moving forward.

"Our level of performance there showed the progress the team has made and we must continue our efforts because we can see the rewards."


Alonso said Magny-Cours provided some specific challenges.

"There are some quick corners and direction changes... the temperature is usually quite high, so you have to find a set-up that allows you to make the most of the tires and optimize the general balance of the car."

Formula 1 World champion Kimi Raikkonen will return to France this weekend hungrier than ever for victory after two consecutive races without points.

Magny-Cours marked the turning point of Raikkonen's 2007 season and he needs another French GP win on Sunday after slipping to fourth, seven points behind new championship leader Robert Kubica.

He said: "I don't remember when I had such a great lust for winning. The last two races were a disappointment, caused by different problems."

Raikkonen was shunted out of the Canadian GP by championship rival Lewis Hamilton in a pit-lane collision and himself smashed into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India in the closing stages of the Monaco GP while in fifth'I think things will look really different at Magny-Cours compared to the last GPs' - Raikkonen.

Raikkonen was 26 points behind McLaren's Hamilton when they arriving at Magny-Cours in 2007 and hadn't been on the podium for four races. His French GP win was followed immediately by another in Britain and at the end of the year Raikkonen took the title by a single point.

He said: "I think things will look really different at Magny-Cours compared to the last GPs.

"It was here in France in 2007 that my season practically started all over again – and that's what I need now after the two races with no points.

"I like this track and I think it's perfect for our car. I think we'll be competitive and that we can go for the maximum result."

Raikkonen's main rival is likely to be his team mate Felipe Massa, who started on pole position at Magny-Cours in 2007 and is now three points ahead of him – and level with Hamilton - in the standings'Nobody gets to the top of the F1 Drivers' World championship by accident' - Thiessen.

Kubica, the first Pole and the first BMW Sauber driver to win a GP, won't give up his lead easily and will also be a podium contender.

BMW Sauber team boss Mario Theissen said: "Nobody is at the top of the F1 Drivers' World championship after seven races by accident – we certainly won't be taking our foot off the gas now."

Hamilton led the championship until his embarrassing gaffe in Montreal but will be less of a threat at Magny-Cours after stewards imposed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for ploughing into Raikkonen's stationary car while the Finn waited for the pit lane exit light to change.

Despite that, he believes he can still win on Sunday.

He said: "Mentally it's just something that you learn to overcome quickly.

"It certainly won't affect my preparations; we've already looked at the best ways of optimising the strategy to help us move up the field.

"I guess I'll just have to pass some cars if I want to get into the points." – Reuters

Sir Jackie Stewart had laid the blame for Lewis Hamilton's embarrassing collision with Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane at the Canadian Grand Prix partly at McLaren's door, saying the team should have discussed the pit stop with Hamilton beforehand.

Hamilton ploughed into the back of Raikkonen's Ferrari while the defending World Champion and Robert Kubica were waiting at a red light in the pit lane, taking both the McLaren and the Ferrari out of the race and earning Hamilton a 10-place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix.
And although Stewart concedes that Lewis' inexperience - it is only his second season in F1 - did play a role in the accident, some of the responsibly lies with the McLaren team.

"It comes down to inexperience. It could only be expected. He has only been in Formula 1 for 15 months," Stewart told the Daily Mail.

"In Canada it was all about the failure of mind-management. I understand the team told him over the radio that the red light was on and the pit-lane closed on exit.

"If you are in the lead, the pace car comes out and you need to go into the pits, all sorts of things go through your head.

"Inexperience means you don't have the focus, the single-minded, clear-headed through process when something like that happens.

"I don't know precisely what they told him over the headset. Given his lack of experience, they should have talked him up the pit lane. Not just 'the red light's on' but 'slow down, slow down, Kimi has stopped'.

"McLaren are used to having experienced drivers, so maybe they assumed more of Lewis than was fair. The fact that he had been passed in the pits by Kimi and Robert Kubica might have taken his concentration away.

"He will make mistakes. And this one cost him the grand prix of Canada. I believe the race was his. His pace was such, and even by the time his and Kimi's race ended on lap 17 he had established a useful lead."

[source]

Kimi Raikkonen in focus - the future explored.
Sat 14 Jun, 09:42 PM


Ferrari F1 star Kimi Raikkonen analysed, and the key question posed - just how much longer does he intend to continue racing in the top flight..?

Will he stay or will he go? That is the key question swirling around defending Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen at the moment, with paddock whispers continuing to suggest that the Finn may no longer be a member of the grand prix fraternity come 2010.

Raikkonen has long been a difficult one to fathom - nicknamed the 'Ice Man' for his nerves of steel inside the cockpit, and widely lauded for his on-track commitment and verve, yet remaining strangely monosyllabic outside of the car and developing an equally glacial tone should he begin to lose interest in an interviewer's questions.

Indeed, the 28-year old is famously averse to anything PR-related, shunning sponsor appearances wherever possible. He has been labelled something of a free spirit in this increasingly politically-correct age - a man out of his era, perhaps, in the mould of a James Hunt, Eddie Irvine or Jacques Villeneuve - who devotes as much time and effort to his extra-curricular activities as he does to his racing, joking after his victory in Malaysia that: "We should put it [the podium champagne] in the mouth, not in the eye…"

Equally, however, it has been argued that, as long as he does the job on the day - which, with 17 grand prix victories, 15 pole positions and 52 rostrum finishes from 127 starts at the time of writing, he quite clearly does - then what he does privately is his own business.

F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone famously commented in a pre-season interview with British newspaper the Daily Mirror that: "Every time I've been out to dinner with him, he has been as good as gold - and he's even better when he's pissed!

"There's nothing wrong with that. He doesn't embarrass people to the extent they say: 'my God, he shouldn't be doing that'."

Interestingly, Raikkonen was the only leading driver to give his support to Max Mosley following the News of the World's allegations about the FIA president's private life back in March, insisting in an interview with ABC News that 'it's his personal life'.

"For me, he can do whatever he wants and it's not really my business or anybody else's to put their nose in it," he added.

Raikkonen made his Formula One debut for Sauber-Petronas back in 2001, as a bright-eyed 21-year old plucked straight out of Formula Renault UK by Peter Sauber, who has also put his talent-spotting abilities to good use over the years in discovering such stars as Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen - both during their pre-F1 World Sportscar Championship days - as well as Raikkonen's current Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.

There may have been concern in some circles that the youngster from Espoo in the far south of Finland was not ready to be granted an F1 Superlicence - being only just over a year out of karting and with a mere 23 car races to his name when he made his grand prix debut in Melbourne - but his potential spoke for itself, having triumphed in an astonishing 56 per cent of his Formula Renault starts in 2000.

He would go on to join an exclusive club of drivers to have made the points on their maiden appearance in the uppermost echelon by taking the chequered flag sixth 'down under' and, over the course of the remainder of the season, he would notch up eight further points en route to tenth position in the final standings - with highlights of fourth-place finishes in both Austria and Canada - and out-qualify infinitely more experienced team-mate Nick Heidfeld on seven occasions along the way.

Indeed, such an impression did he make that, by the start of the 2002 season, Raikkonen was already a member of F1's elite teams, having been signed up by McLaren-Mercedes. Whilst that year was a frustrating one - with no fewer than ten failures to finish from 17 races, depressingly eight of them mechanically-induced - the fact that he finished six of the remaining seven outings inside the top four, and four of them up on the podium, hinted at great things to come. And so it was to be.

Victory in Malaysia and nine further rostrums would bring Raikkonen agonisingly within just two points of the 2003 world championship laurels, and no-one would have believed that it would take him a further four years to finish the job off. Though there would be eight more wins over the course of his three subsequent seasons spent at Woking, both the 2004 and 2006 campaigns were desperately disappointing in terms of car performance and reliability and, whilst he again finished overall runner-up in 2005, that year Fernando Alonso and Renault were not to be denied.

With both sides suffering from a loss of motivation and clearly becoming disenchanted with each other, it was time for a clean break, and thus - in the immediate aftermath of the post-Schumacher era - beckoned a move to Ferrari. There followed a fraught three-way tussle with Alonso and star rookie Lewis Hamilton over the course of the 2007 season - McLaren having somewhat ironically regained its form in the wake of the Finn's departure - and, though he may have entered the final two meetings on the calendar 17 points in arrears of the latter and a rank outsider in terms of the championship, it was indeed the man from Maranello who would walk away with the crown.

Which brings us back to our current dilemma once more. Raikkonen's agreement with the Scuderia runs until the end of next year, but he has repeatedly refused to confirm whether he intends to carry on or not. Whilst he has produced his usual sublime performances on the majority of occasions so far in 2008, there have also been times - Melbourne and Monaco most prominently spring to mind - when he has barely seemed to be there, raising question marks about his long-term desire.

Those close to him have intimated that they would not be at all surprised to see him walk away from the sport at barely 30 years of age, regardless of whether he succeeds in defending his laurels this year or not - and regardless too, it would seem, of the rumoured US$40 million per year deal being tabled by his employers in order to retain his services beyond 2009.

So what does the man himself have to say on the matter?

"There have been rumours like that for many years," he stressed. "I always say that I still have a contract until the end of next year. I haven't made any decision as to whether I will keep going or not. So far, that's the last contract that I have and we will see during this year and next year what happens.

"I wouldn't stop if I thought I would miss it. I think I'm going to race as long as I enjoy it - as long as I think it's the right thing for me - and, when the day comes when it's no longer fun, then for sure I will stop. It's purely about if I like it or not

"I would find something else to do, something maybe at that time I'd enjoy even more. Maybe we will make the decision this year or maybe not, and then we will look next year. It's too early to say - it can be the end of next year, it can be in four years' time. I don't know what's going to happen after next year."

As to those aspects of F1 for which Raikkonen cares little - and, presumably, those that will ultimately prove the catalyst for his decision to walk away - he was typically forthright.

"Everybody probably knows," he stated. "I like the racing, and all the other stuff is not always the best thing. There are many reasons why you like Formula One or not. For sure, many people only like the driving and the rest can be something that you don't enjoy.

"I think everybody in Formula One is here because of their love of racing. When you've found something which is not good for you or that you don't want to do, when there are too many things that you don't enjoy or things that don't work out anymore for some reason and you think that the whole thing is not what you want anymore, then it's time to stop."

One thing that Raikkonen has conceded is that he has 'kind of' opened talks about renewing his contract with Maranello and, though he does not rule out the possibility of switching to another team, he admits that should he carry on, it will 'probably' be with the scarlet concern.

In the meantime, he acknowledges, he has the more pressing task of a world championship to fight for and, having surrendered his advantage in the title standings following his Monaco and Montreal débâcles, Ferrari are all of a sudden on the back foot.

"People make mistakes," he underlined. "That is normal in F1 or any part of life. I think we lose together and we win together and we learn from the mistakes. Of course, we always try to improve, but sometimes things don't go as planned and then you usually give up points or have bad results, but it doesn't really worry me.

"I don't feel any pressure. If you look at Australia, we had a really difficult first race and the team was completely different in the second race, so for sure we can improve and learn from things and I don't see that we should have similar problems again. We were in a much worse position a year ago and we still won the championship - one bad race doesn't really make any difference.

"It's close now, and most often it ends up very close between the top drivers and top teams. Hopefully, we can come back and be in front when it counts. We are still there, very close to the championship lead. If I don't win, then I have still won once and it is not the end of my life, but for sure I am here only to win."

by Russell Atkins

Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer remained on top of the timesheet on the second day of the pre-French Grand Prix test at Barcelona.

The Italian continued the world champion team’s programme of assessing new aerodynamic developments on its F2008 car and set a best lap time of 1m21.013s during his 95 laps.

Pedro de la Rosa was over three tenths of a second behind for McLaren, topping over a century of laps, as the Woking squad also prepared for next weekend’s Magny-Cours race

Kimi Raikkonen believes Lewis Hamilton got the penalty he deserved following their crash at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The British McLaren driver will lose ten places on the grid in France after crashing into the back of his Ferrari rival's car at the end of the pitlane in Montreal.

Although Hamilton said the penalty was harsh, Raikkonen in fact reckons the Briton deserved it.

"I still can't believe it, that someone can hit you while you are standing at the red light next to another car," said Raikkonen. "I can't imagine how Hamilton could not see the red lights and the two cars standing in front of him.

"I think that Hamilton deserved the penalty. He loses ten positions on the grid for the next race in France, which will make it more difficult for him at Magny-Cours."

He added: "Anyway we lost the possibility to have a good result in Canada. At the moment when the safety car came on the track, my car was running very fast: we could have won, or, in the worst case, come second.

"I was ready to fight and overtake Kubica, once the lights were green. But I didn't have the time, as Hamilton crashed into my back and the race was over. I'm not angry. Just disappointed, surprised and frustrated at the same time. He knew that the lights were red.

"Accidents happen, but it's difficult not to see two cars stopped."

The Finn has not scored a point in the last two races and has dropped from first to fourth in the standings.

But Raikkonen is adamant that Ferrari are strong and that he will return to winning ways soon.

"I came back from Montreal with a really good impression of the F2008 and I'm sure that we can win again very soon," he said. "Because now we go to circuits where we are usually very strong.

"You know that I don't like to look behind: I'm concentrated on the French GP, where I want to repeat last year's result, when we brought home a wonderful one-two win."

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Kimi Raikkonen has lambasted McLaren's Lewis Hamilton for the pit-lane accident that ended both of their races at the Canadian Grand Prix.


Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is far from happy after Lewis Hamilton pushed him out of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton's McLaren rammed into the back of world champion Raikkonen's Ferrari as the Finn and Robert Kubica, the race's eventual winner, were waiting at a red light after the safety car was forced into action on lap 17.

Raikkonen, while claiming not to be angry, was clearly far from impressed.

"There's not much I can say. My race was ruined by Hamilton's mistake.

"Obviously, anyone can make mistakes, as I did two weeks ago in Monaco, but it's one thing to make a mistake at 200 hundred [miles] per hour but another to hit a car stopped at a red light.

"I'm not angry because that doesn't achieve anything and does not change my result. I am unhappy because I had a great chance of winning."

Raikkonen, who has failed to score points in the previous two races, said he had to start winning again.

"There is still a long way to go in the championship and it is still very close and we have everything we need to regain the ground we have lost."

Ferrari team sporting director Stefano Domenicali said Hamilton had made a "serious mistake."

"I think the penalty imposed by the FIA [Hamilton was given a 10-place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours] is in line with it, even if it does not restore what was a lost opportunity for us.

"Kimi was in an excellent position to fight for the win"

Hamilton, for his part, was apologetic.

"I don't know what happened to be honest," Hamilton said. "I was comfortably in the lead, it was looking like an easy win. Then I went in for the pit stop. It was not a good stop and I saw the two guys in front of me battling in the pit lane.

"I saw the red light but by that time it was a bit late. It was not exactly a racing incident as such, it was unfortunate. It was one of those things. It is different to if you crash into the wall and you are angry. It is not like that. I apologize to Kimi for ruining his race."

Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen have retired from the Canadian Grand Prix after the McLaren crashed into the rear of the Ferrari in the pit lane. Raikkonen had stopped for a red light at the pit exit when Hamilton piled into the back of the Finn. Williams' Nico Rosberg then ran into the rear of Hamilton.

Rosberg was able to rejoin the race, pitting for a new nose a lap later, but Raikkonen's and Hamilton's cars were too badly damaged to continue. The incident is being investigated by the stewards.

The three drivers were among several who had pitted when the pit lane opened during an early safety-car period to clear the stricken Force €ndia of Adrian Sutil. Hamilton had been leading the race up until that point.

The current world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, is rumoured to be quitting Formula One in 2009 when his current contract with Ferrari expires.

Sources close to Raikkonen have been saying that the champion no longer has the passion to fulfill his commitments off-track and therefore will not be renewing his contract after 2009.

Are we to believe that Kimi has gone as far as he can? I think not. Unfortunately for Kimi, there would not be many options open to him for a career beyond an F1 driver. Fair enough, his money has been made he doesn't need to work to pay the bills, but for someone who has a strict regime day in day out, how easy will it be to slip into a life with no goals and no purpose?

I don't think we are seeing the last races from the Finn just yet. Maybe the prospect of Fernando Alonso as a team mate is not ideal in his eyes and maybe therefore a change is on the cards. That change? BMW Sauber.

As I understand it, Kimi would relish the chance to prove he is the best driver and going back to his roots would be the ideal option for him. BMW Sauber have proved this year that they are fast becoming strong title contenders in the making, but for that they need a world class driver.

Enter Kimi, the Finn would love the chance to return to BMW Sauber. Whilst driving for Ferrari is a dream for any driver, it is now a dream that Raikkonen has lived, and for a man that hurtles round a track at 200mph for a living the challenges and goals need to be there.

Kimi know he can drive a Ferrari to another five world championships, but where's the challenge in that? He is no different from any Joe Bloggs, he want to feel pushed to the limit, he needs new goals to stay interested and driving for BMW Sauber would give him that.

So will the Finn be retiring? I think not.

Fernando Alonso walked through Silverstone's paddock gates wearing a bright red shirt, but he insists it was not a hint about his preferred Formula One team.

"No, I'm not about to sign anything," the current Renault driver told Spanish reporters when asked about the lingering Ferrari rumours on the verge of the British Grand Prix.

The red shirt, incidentally, was the jersey of Spain's national football team, which, with Alonso watching from the stands in Vienna, recently won Euro 2008.

Back to Formula 1 matters, the former double world champion said: "After the summer I will have some time to think about what I am going to do. So far I have not talked to anyone, nor has anything happened. I am focused 100 per cent on doing good races."

Elsewhere, the German publication Auto Bild Motorsport is reporting that, backed by sponsor Marlboro, Ferrari could launch an awesome €60 million Euros bid to lure Sebastian Vettel to the Italian team for 2009, just in case Kimi Raikkonen retires.

"Me retiring?" Finn Raikkonen said at Silverstone. "I have a contract for next season."

Kimi Raikkonen: "Good enough speed to win here" : -

In a new Media Centre, part of a major refurbishment of the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Montreal, Kimi Raikkonen was one of the first drivers to meet the press, in this afternoon's official FiA Press Conference. In typical Kimi style, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver quickly dismissed the last race, when asked about the Monaco Grand Prix. "As I said before, it's one of the races that didn't really work out. I got no points from there. But, it's in the past and hopefully we will have better results here."

The Finn was far more forthcoming when asked about the challenge of tackling this unusual and low downforce circuit in the post-electronic aids age. "I guess it's going to be more difficult than in the past years but probably we at Ferrari have a better car than last year," reckoned Raikkonen. "It really depends on how well you get your car working but I don't think it's going to be quite as different as everyone expects. People thought that every circuit this year should be more difficult, but there hasn't been a major issue, nor much difference speed-wise. I guess the first few laps on Friday are going to be quite slippery but once we get some rubber down it should help."

One journalist pointed out that Raikkonen has finished every race here in the points, including one tough drive from twentieth to sixth and the Scuderia driver admitted this track suited him: "I like the place but usually something always goes wrong or happens, but still we have been able to finish the races and score points, but hopefully we will have a good weekend and not really have any mistakes or problems. I would expect that we should have good enough speed to try to win here so we will see what happens."

Although Kimi failed to score in the last race, thus slipping off the top of the Leader Board, he did not feel that this made this race particularly important. "Of course we would rather score maximum points than losing any more points to Lewis but there's still a long way to go and we've been in much worse positions before," he maintained. "It's not vital but for sure we want to have a good result.

The championship always ends up very close between the top drivers, top teams, but nobody knows. It's close and hopefully we can come back and be in the front when it counts. But I don't feel any pressure. We won the title last year and this time last year we were in a much worse position. One bad race doesn't really make any difference. OK, we lost the lead, we could have easily taken a few more points but it didn't happen, so we come here and try to do better and try to get back in the lead."

Raikkonen also felt that his lack of points in Monaco did not mean the team were in a similar situation to this time last year. "For sure we were much stronger in Monaco, but with all the circumstances that happened for us and all the things didn't really go the way we were planning," he explained. We expect to be stronger here again than last year. Things can easily go wrong or right. If things go right, I don't see any reason why we cannot win here. It's too early say, but that's what we're aiming for and then we will see what happens after this race."

And the inevitable final question about rumours that the reigning world champion would hang up his helmet at the end of next year. "There's been rumours like that for many years," said Kimi with a smile. "I always say that I still have a contract until the end of next year. I haven't made any decision as to whether I will keep going or not after that. So far, that's the last contract that I have and we will see during this year and next year what happens."

Kimi Raikkonen has admitted that his failure to score points in Monaco came as “a staggering blow”, but the Finn claims that he has put his Principality pain behind him ahead of Sunday’s Canadian GP.

Reigning world champion Raikkonen was replaced at the top of the Drivers’ standings by Lewis Hamilton after only managing ninth place in Monte Carlo last Sunday week.

The pressure is now on Kimi to bounce back in Montreal and, happily for Ferrari fans, he is confident of doing just that.

”Monaco has been left behind: it was a staggering blow, but there's nothing we can do about it,” he mused.

”I had a lot of trouble to find the right grip on the wet track and we have to find out how that could happened, because usually I like driving under these conditions.

”I didn't like it at all to come in ninth, hence without points. It was the first race of the season where I couldn't gain any points and we can't have another one like that, because the fight for the championship is extremely fierce.

"The preparations specifically for the Canadian GP were planned for the last day at Le Castellet, where we had some tests. Unfortunately it rained that day and we couldn't do much - but we're all on the same level now. Ferrari has a great tradition in Canada and I expect that it will be really balanced there,” he reasoned.

Indeed, Raikkonen does nothing think there will be much to choose between Ferrari and title rivals McLaren for the rest of the season.

"I said at the beginning of the season that I expect the title to be assigned at the last moment,” he pointed out.

”A third of the season has passed, we have 35 points and we are on the second place. It's more or less what I expected.

”Nothing has been won and nothing has been lost. There is no point in panicking after the race at Monaco, because compared to last year the situation is much better.

”I won't change anything in my approach for the upcoming weekend. The designated target is to win and we will give our best."