Raikkonen happier with F2008
Kimi Raikkonen believes Ferrari made good progress with its F2008 car during this week’s Jerez test and is hopeful it will have the pace to challenge McLaren in Hungary.
The Finn was in action for two days in Spain as the Italian squad, unlike the majority of its rivals, focused exclusively on 2008-specific work as it bids to resolve the problems that blighted its performance last week at Hockenheim.
Raikkonen in particular struggled with both handling and grip issues on his car and feels the team has at least established some of the reasons for his struggle this week.
When asked by reporters at Jerez if Ferrari had managed to cure its problems, he said: “It is always difficult to say.
The Finn was in action for two days in Spain as the Italian squad, unlike the majority of its rivals, focused exclusively on 2008-specific work as it bids to resolve the problems that blighted its performance last week at Hockenheim.
Raikkonen in particular struggled with both handling and grip issues on his car and feels the team has at least established some of the reasons for his struggle this week.
When asked by reporters at Jerez if Ferrari had managed to cure its problems, he said: “It is always difficult to say.
“We tried many things and we have a better understanding at least of what is going on.
“The car is better now than it was yesterday, but then it’s not necessarily the same thing in the next race.
“There are many question marks, but we are happier and more positive after the last race.”
The speed advantage that McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton enjoyed over his two main Ferrari title rivals last week came as a big surprise to most, given that Raikkonen’s team had been consistently strong all season.
The Woking squad is favourite to consolidate its new-found edge at the Hungaroring next week – especially as it beat Ferrari convincingly there last year.
But although Raikkonen concedes its rival has pulled ahead, he is optimistic that, as the team proved in dry conditions earlier in the year in Monte Carlo, the F2008 is a big improvement over its predecessor on slow, twisty circuits.
“The last race definitely they were stronger, but it can change quickly,” he said.
“Last year they were very strong in Hungary compared to us.
“But the Hungaroring is more like Monaco and we quite strong there, so hopefully we can challenge them and try to win the race.”
Hamilton’s dominant victory, coupled with difficult races for both Raikkonen and team-mate Felipe Massa, allowed the Briton to move clear at the head of the drivers’ standings.
But Raikkonen insists Ferrari should not be written off, especially if it can quickly resume normal service.
“We are not in the lead any more, but it was only one race and hopefully if we can get things running as we want and the car like we had in the previous races I think we should be okay,” he said.
“There are still many races to go, but certainly McLaren have been pretty strong in the past two races so we need to get our package right again and try to win the races."
“The car is better now than it was yesterday, but then it’s not necessarily the same thing in the next race.
“There are many question marks, but we are happier and more positive after the last race.”
The speed advantage that McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton enjoyed over his two main Ferrari title rivals last week came as a big surprise to most, given that Raikkonen’s team had been consistently strong all season.
The Woking squad is favourite to consolidate its new-found edge at the Hungaroring next week – especially as it beat Ferrari convincingly there last year.
But although Raikkonen concedes its rival has pulled ahead, he is optimistic that, as the team proved in dry conditions earlier in the year in Monte Carlo, the F2008 is a big improvement over its predecessor on slow, twisty circuits.
“The last race definitely they were stronger, but it can change quickly,” he said.
“Last year they were very strong in Hungary compared to us.
“But the Hungaroring is more like Monaco and we quite strong there, so hopefully we can challenge them and try to win the race.”
Hamilton’s dominant victory, coupled with difficult races for both Raikkonen and team-mate Felipe Massa, allowed the Briton to move clear at the head of the drivers’ standings.
But Raikkonen insists Ferrari should not be written off, especially if it can quickly resume normal service.
“We are not in the lead any more, but it was only one race and hopefully if we can get things running as we want and the car like we had in the previous races I think we should be okay,” he said.
“There are still many races to go, but certainly McLaren have been pretty strong in the past two races so we need to get our package right again and try to win the races."
0 comments