Raikkonen not making predictions for '09

by Kally - 12/11/2008 03:54:00 p.m.

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen believes new regulation changes next year make it virtually impossible to make firm predictions about the form of any team in 2009.

A major aerodynamic revamp, the return of slick tyres and the introduction of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) have provided a host of challenges to teams in preparing for the new season.

And that has left Raikkonen unsure of what impact it will have on each team, or even how much it will open up the field.

"There are many more question marks compared to last year, everything is very different," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"If you do everything well you can have some advantages, while if you do things wrong it can cost you a lot. But this is no time for speculation."

Raikkonen is also unsure yet of how big a challenge the new slick tyres will be - having tried them out extensively at Jerez on Wednesday.

"I think in the end the tyres will work well, but it takes time to get used to them," he said. "In general I prefer slick tyres, but if I think back at the grooved tyres, thanks to the competition between Michelin and Bridgestone they became very good.

"When we moved to a single supplier, the push from competition ended. So it's better to wait and see."

[via Autosport]