Q. Kimi, to what extent is the season now finished for you personally?

For the Drivers' Championship, but there are still two races to try to win the Constructors' Championship but we will do the best that we can for the last two remaining races.

Q. Does anything change for you in these last two races?

Of course, in one way because were fighting hard for the Drivers' Championship and for me personally it is more important than the others but of course I want to do the best for the team also but it's not so exciting any more.

Q. So, what has been the most significant point for you this season?

I think once we got back to Europe, the package started to go better, we got the best out of the car and the package, so I think that was the important part of the season and then we started winning. Of course it was nice to win the races and we aimed to win the Championship also but anyhow we did the best we could and we will try next year again.

Q. So what have you learned this year?

I don't know what I've learned really. Of course, you always learn from mistakes from your driving in races, but nothing really significant.

Q. Your hopes for 2006?

We will try to fight for the Championship and try to win it but with all the new rules we don't know what's going to happen next year. But I think we will have a good package anyhow and hopefully it will be good enough for winning races and fighting for the Championship.

Q. And in ten years time, can you see yourself still racing?

I don't know. I think that is too far away. It all really depends what in the coming years. If you enjoy it then maybe you will keep going, but ten years is quite a long time so I don't know.

Q. Finally, there is continuous speculation about you and Ferrari. Can you make a comment?

They're not new rumours, they are already three years old. But of course, now, everyone knows that my contract is only to next year with McLaren so maybe it becomes more exciting to write those rumours but the fact is that I have a contract next year and I'm happy with the team and for sure the car will also be good next year and I don't see any reason to go anywhere else. OK, after next year, we will see again, but I'm happy to stay.

Q: Kimi, a sensational win from you from 17th on the grid, first of all talk us through the first lap, I think a bit of contact with your team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya.

“Yeah, there was quite a lot happening in the first and second corner so I was turning into the second corner and Montoya touched me on the rear wheel a little bit and got sideways and he got past me but luckily enough we didn’t damage our cars, so it was alright. The first lap was quite exciting but I ran wide in the chicane and then unfortunately for him he something happened to him and he went off but otherwise it was a good race.”

Q: Then some sensational competition and Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.

“Yeah, I was behind them but unfortunately we had a slight problem with the gearing and seventh gear was a little bit too short and every now and then when I got really close I started to hit the rev limiter so it was very difficult to get past people but in the end the car started to get better and better all the time and we were able to catch up in the later part of the race.”

Q: Well it looked like a phenomenal move at the end there on Giancarlo, talk us through that.

“Yeah, just before my last pit stop I was able to go fast and I pulled out a bit of a gap and I was not too far behind any more when I came out so I thought maybe I would have a chance to catch him up and try to overtake and just into the last lap I was able to get him on the main straight and then I started to hit the rev limiter again but I just went as quickly as I could outside on the first corner and luckily I made it through, so it was very good.”

Q: Obviously it was a disappointment not securing the Drivers’ Championship but how does this race rank in your mind in terms of enjoyment and achievement?

“Of course, it was much more difficult than any other of my wins but in one way it is much nicer when you have to fight for it. So it is one of the best ones. It was great, you know, with all the problems in practice with the engine, then the ten-place penalty and all the problems in qualifying with the weather. We were still able to win and now we have a perfect place for qualifying in the last race.”

Q: Kimi, what are your thoughts going into China. With the Constructor’ Championship as close as it is, it is going to be a tense finale to the season.

“Yeah, it is going to be a nice race for both teams I think. Last year our car was pretty quick there and I quite like the circuit, so for sure we will try to win the race and hopefully we can win the championship too for the team. We just need to do the best we can and we will see at the end of the race what happens.

Q: Kimi, how does that win rate for you?

“I think it is one of the best for sure, maybe the best one, because I really had to fight for it and after all the problems we had this weekend, it was very nice.”

Q: It certainly looked fantastic from outside, what was it like inside?

“Yeah, there was quite a lot happening during the race all the time. There was traffic and I was not really able to run at my own speed, in the clean air, only at the end. It was exciting with some nice overtaking and it is always nice when you can fight like this.”

Q: You and Fernando had fantastic opening laps, were you a little bit more held up than Fernando?

“Actually I went a little bit straight in the last chicane, I tried to overtake in some places and then the safety car came out. Montoya touched me a bit at the rear tyre, so I got sideways and lost a place from him but apart from that it was pretty okay.”

Q: And behind Michael as well.

“Yeah, after the pit stop I was able to get past him. He made a little mistake and I was quicker than him on the main straight but I had a little bit too short seventh gear, so I was hitting the limiter.”

Q: And then the vital later second stop got you past Webber and Button.

“Yeah, I was quicker than them but I was just closing up and I was not able to get a good run on them and I knew they were going to stop before me, so I had two laps to really push and try to gain time. I was able to pull a little bit away from them and then after the last pit stop I saw that he was not so far away and there were seven laps to go, so I went as quickly as I could and luckily I caught him on the last lap and got past him.”

Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA
Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren), Fernando Alonso (Renault), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari).

Q: Pedro, how much has your role changed this year? Are you still doing pretty much what you have always been doing?
Pedro de la Rosa: My role is pretty much unchanged. Obviously, we are very limited on mileage during the testing season and we have to maximise every mile we do and every set of tyres. From that point of view it hasn’t changed at all.

Q: So perhaps you can describe what that is.
PdlR: It is the normal work that a test driver needs to do. First of all you have to be at every grand prix as a reserve driver and that’s why I am here. Secondly at the test sessions I am testing anything that is required by the team, backing all that work up in the simulation facilities at Woking and being of any help for the team. It is very similar to before but basically doing less kilometres at the track and spending more time in the simulator, so it is great fun.

Q: You are not frustrated at not racing?
PdlR: Yes, of course it is frustrating not racing. I have to be realistic as I am at that point of my career where I don’t have many more years left. Not because of me but because of the other people’s perception unfortunately. Every year that goes by it is just getting closer to a point where I won’t be able to race again. I am aware of that. I am a realistic person and I am just hoping that something happens for me.

Q: Lewis had a little blip at the last race. How were you able to help him during that weekend and how have you been able to help him since?
PdlR: A blip? What do you mean? A blip could mean also to go up. We hope that the blip comes here. Yes, he had a bad weekend but all we can do from the team’s point of view is to make sure that we make it as simple as possible for him not to make any mistakes. That’s what we have been focussing on for the past few weeks, to make sure that this won’t happen again. Not that he has to change anything, but from our point of view we make sure that is simpler for him to activate everything he has to from the cockpit.

Q: Does your role include driver coach, giving advice to drivers or anything like that?
PdlR: That’s not a part which is included in my contract but obviously I am just trying to be helpful for everyone. I am just trying to listen as much as I can and know what the biggest problems are. For example this afternoon I will walk around the track and see if there is anything I can see. During test sessions I am driving around the corners on the side-road just to see with my eyes if I can help. If I see anything I don’t like I go to the guys and I just tell them. I am very open and they can rely on me fully. They know I will always help, that’s my role.

Q: Rubens, I think in Turkey it will be 257 times you have turned up to a race. Looking back at the last race you didn’t look like a driver about to retire, giving Fernando quite a hard time. What was that like?
Rubens Barrichello: It was bad. We were fighting for 10th place. I wish it were first and second. That would have been a lot better. He was having plenty of problems with his rear wing and I was having a lot of understeer on the car. Unfortunately in Formula One nowadays it is still very impossible to overtake. Hopefully in the future, if slicks really come into play, that will be the way to go. To play with a lot less aerodynamic devices and with a lot more grip from the ground and from the tyre that will give us the chance to follow other cars. As soon as I caught him I turned the revs down because there was nothing I could do. I was five kph slower on the straight. I feel very motivated. You talk to the young guys and they are all sort of fed up with F1, too much to do, PR. My life has kept on getting better and better. The first year with Honda I really did a lot of PR. But they put things in place and I am focussing and putting my energy on the car. I have been working quite hard. Last week I did 140 laps around Barcelona which I thought was phenomenal. I still feel young on that side. I am just going to prove Pedro wrong. I think I have many more years left.

Q: Going back to the car. Do you think you are close to scoring points?
RB: We had a god improvement last week and obviously the first race was what it was and we would have finished in the points already with the car. But the first race is always a bit crazy anyway. In Malaysia we were far out and in Bahrain we had the pace but we did not have the straight line speed to overtake. But I think we are very close to the points. I think Barcelona is open on that. The car is a good time better. I don’t know how much improvement the others made because last week was very difficult to read. It was slicks on the car, people with less fuel and more fuel, so it was really difficult to see. But the car is better – definitely better. We have made an improvement and hopefully that is going to put us on Q3 all the time and that will lead us to points and more.

Q: It would be a nice way to celebrate your record. Apparently the celebrations are going to last several races?
RB: There is a little bit of confusion. You ask everyone and the numbers seem to go up and down, so we decided to take Turkey because that is the races I have taken part in. The ones that are not happy with that, because it seems too early, then we have three races to celebrate – the Brazilian way.

Q: Fernando, the car has been modified quite a lot. Outward particularly – things that we can see – but obviously inwardly as well. How are you feeling about the modifications since Bahrain?
Fernando Alonso: I think we made a step forward in terms of competitiveness of the car and we will see this weekend what the result is. I think as Rubens said last week it was difficult to read times as it was a mix of slick tyre and more or less fuel between the teams, so you know we tried to concentrate on our performance and our car and I think we gained a couple of tenths in the car. We will see if it is able or not to make us easy in Q3 and not have the problems we had in the first few races and hopefully regularly get in the points. Obviously we were in Australia, we just had one point in Sepang and were not in the points in Bahrain. This is not possible for us, so we need to raise our level and hopefully here is the starting point.

Q: You have been in the top four here for the last five years including a win from pole position. What are the chances of maintaining that record?
FA: Very difficult this year. It is true that every time I come here to my home grand prix I had always the possibility to fight for the pole position and fight for the victory. If not, the podium was a real possibility always. This year I don’t think it is a real possibility, just a dream as it was in the first few races. Something strange needs to happen during the race if we want to reach the podium now. Hopefully this will be the first step we need to do during this season to be close to the podium. Sooner or later we need to start improving the car and I think this race will be the first opportunity to see if we are going in the right direction.

Q: The President of Ferrari had some interesting comments to make about your chances of joining Ferrari in the near future it would seem. Did they come as a surprise to you?
FA: No. I have nothing to say. People talk about me, normally very often, which is good. It seems I am quite famous here. Part of that I respect everybody.

Q: A lot of the press thought that you would be going to Ferrari next year. But you weren’t expecting to?
FA: I don’t expect anything. This is only the fourth race of the championship. I try to be better and better every year – a better driver. This year will be a tough season for me. It seems I will race in the middle of the group always, so at the end of the year I will be a better driver and for next year we will see.

Q: Kimi, what does it mean for you to be leading the championship at this time of the year, coming here for the start of the European season?
Kimi Raikkonen: Of course it’s nice but the season is only a few races old. It is a long way to go and it doesn’t help if you are leading now and you can’t keep it up and lead when it really matters. But so far it has been pretty okay. It could have been better at the start of the season but we are leading in the points, so I need to be happy.

Q: You won here in 2005 but it hasn’t been a fantastic circuit for you this one, has it?
KR: No, last year we didn’t finish. I think we only did nine laps in the race. I can’t remember all the things that have happened here but usually they are not very good results. It can turn around. Hopefully this year we can be strong and finish the race at least. We will see how it goes tomorrow.

Q: How do you feel about the modifications made to your car since Bahrain?
KR: I don’t really have a clear picture about it. I did four or five laps in the dry and it was a bit damp. The team is happy how we improved the car and we brought some new parts and they seem to work. It should be better. I tried the new front on a few laps on intermediates, so we will see how it goes over the weekend, how the car goes. It should be better than it was in previous races.

Q: So tomorrow will be a real discovery for you in comparison?
KR: I have been here before in dry conditions and every time you improve the car it should make it better. We have some work to do but I think for sure we can be fast here.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To Alonso, can you confirm you are using the mass damper here? If you are, is it a new motivation for you and your team to improve in the championship?
FA: No, we are not using the mass damper. We are using a different concept of suspension but most of the teams are using it already, so we just will be similar to everybody from this race.

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) Kimi, how do you see the hierarchy between Ferrari, McLaren and BMW? Is the fight between the two of you or is BMW also a threat now?
KR: I mean they were second best in the last race, so for sure they are there. I think it all depends from race to race. If you look at the last couple of races they are very similar and we are a little bit ahead of them. I don’t know how it is going to be here. We need to wait and see really but it is going to be close between all the three teams.

Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) Pedro, has your role this season with two quite young drivers become even more major than it was last season with Fernando in the team?
PdlR: No, it is exactly the same really. The only thing for me that changes, that is more demanding every year for a test driver, is that you have very little kilometres available to you and whenever you are sat behind the wheel driving you have to be fully prepared. There is no room to have a run to feel warm and feel the car again. You have to prepare very well physically outside of the car because you are not that often in the car. That for me is the biggest challenge and maximising every kilometre you have. Every kilometre is a jewel you have and you have to use it. That’s why I think my experience is important. But from a driving point of view, the fact that they are young and Heikki being new to the team, it hasn’t changed much really. Fernando was new to the team last year, so it was a little bit the same.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, were you expecting some bigger improvements from the test?
FA: No not really. We had what we were expecting and we are quite happy with the car and the improvement we did. But, as I said, maybe we will not be happy anymore tomorrow when we see the others and they are quick as well. I think we did a god job and probably the others teams did a good job as well. It is just a matter of which team took the biggest step and we are optimistic we can improve, but we must improve what we did in the first few races. So let’s start from this race.

Q: (Toni Lopez – La Vanguardia) Question for Pedro and Fernando, today, the FIA has launched a campaign against racism. Do you agree that it starts here and now in Barcelona?
PdlR: He’s a two-time World Champion, he should take…
FA: He’s from Barcelona, so…
PdlR: I don’t really know what to say. I was not aware of that and all I can say is that the Spanish people will show to the world how good they are this weekend, and how good historically they’ve been. We’ve never had any problems here before and we will never have (them again). Wait and see. But I was not aware of this campaign or anything to be honest.
FA: Same. I was not aware but this weekend it will be OK and it will always be OK here. Everybody will be able to see that.

Q: (Jerome Bourret – L’Equipe) To Kimi and Fernando, can you imagine, during your career, racing two hundred and sixty GPs or will you be fed up with the PR etc before that point?
KR: What, whether I will do two hundred and sixty something races? I don’t even know how many I have now but probably not.
FA: I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t think so either. I don’t know how many I have at the moment either, but 260 seems too many years.
RB: By the time that I finish I will have three hundred anyway, so…
FA: The problem is Rubens. Without Rubens you can go for the record but with him it will be tough.

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) After the test here there was a lot of discussion about the coming ban of tyre warming blankets. A lot of series don’t have tyre-warming blankets and have pit stops. Is that going to be a problem for F1, to have this ban?
PdlR: My personal point of view is that obviously it’s a matter of safety. Running without tyre warmers, tyre blankets, obviously increases the chances… or makes the speed difference between the car that comes out of the pit lane and the car that is on a flying lap much greater, so the possibility of an accident is higher. We have seen the bigger accidents over the past few years happen when one car is slower than another, not necessarily a car is stopped on the track. The speed difference is a safety issue for me, that’s my point of view, so that’s what I am saying. I’ve raced all my career without tyre warmers but it’s quite different in Formula One, mainly because the compounds or the compound-operating window is very narrow in Formula One. So until they are at a very high temperature, they do not work at all. In other categories you have a much more progressive build-up of temperature and grip, so it’s easier. I find it more difficult here.
RB: Well, I think there are good and bad points to be honest. On the one hand people want to see some overtaking which is fair. We all want to see that, but the problem is that I think Formula One could become quite boring. People will invent a car that has a big tank again and whoever stays on the track gains the advantage of that one pit stop. I think at the end of the day it will become a little bit too much like IndyCars or something like that which is fine, but I think Formula One is about the competitiveness of what’s going on on the track. To add to that, I’ve also raced throughout my whole career before Formula One without tyre blankets but I never saw something like this. You go out of the pits and you already have a chance to spin out of the garage, and when you get to the first corner, it’s like an ice rink and so with that, if you get conditions like we’ve had at Nürburgring in the past or any race that is very cold and we take the wrong tyres, then it’s going to be very, very dangerous.
FA: Yes, same thing. I think it’s dangerous. As Pedro says, the speed difference between the cars and as Rubens said, the races will become boring because you need to stay on the track. When you pit, over the next two laps you will be eight seconds slower, so you cannot be creative with the strategy or anything like that, so it will become more boring. I know that in some other categories they don’t have tyre blankets like IndyCars, but they don’t have any corners either, they go around. I think Formula One is different, the compounds are different and as Rubens said, we should look for the maximum performance in the car. We are in Formula One, so it needs to be the peak of motor sports. And (the notion of) saving costs is a little bit ridiculous.
KR: I haven’t run the tyres at all, so I don’t really have any idea how it will be but I heard that, as Rubens and everybody else said, it’s going to be very difficult, so I’m not really in the right place to say. But if it’s purely for saving money, it’s the wrong place to save money. It’s not much and they are going to spend the same money somewhere else anyhow, so…

Q: So Pedro, is the GPDA planning to do anything about this?
PdlR: Well, first of all we are going to talk between ourselves to see what is the majority agreement of the GPDA and then we will act accordingly. We are very relaxed about it, we are not in a hurry. We were waiting until this week, because I tested the tyres at Jerez back in early December, I think, and it was extremely dangerous. It was very cold and I nearly put the car into the pit wall, just coming out of the garage. The car didn’t turn and I nearly hit the wall, so it would have been quite embarrassing if I had done so, but I just avoided a stupid accident. And then, when we came here, Bridgestone has made some further steps and now the tyres are easier to warm up, so they are working at a lower temperature range. They are still difficult; we were waiting for these tests to happen, so that we could have a meeting between the drivers who had done the tests with the tyres and then decide accordingly. We are pretty relaxed, we just know that the FIA will listen to us and we just have to be sure that we all have the same criteria, that’s all.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all of you, considering the information about the 2009 aerodynamic package that you have, do you think it’s a good direction for Formula One? Will it be easier to drive, easier to overtake?
RB: I think it follows the rule that I think all drivers want which is less aero and better mechanical grip, but whether it will be good or not is a bit too far ahead to know. But I think it is, it’s a step that… Honestly, I don’t know how we got into the grooves. We raced go-karts, formula cars and everything on slick tyres and all of sudden, for a boy who dreamed of racing in Formula One, they have this tyre that is just ugly. Of course, Bridgestone has done a super job with the tyres because we are going faster and faster, but you saw last week that when we put slick tyres back on the cars, even though it was a hard compound, we went 2.5s faster. That’s the way it should be: slick tyres.
PdlR: I would add that where we are, or where we think that the regulations should be for next year, or what I am aware of, is that it’s definitely in the right direction. These new regulations come from a thorough study by the technical working group and everyone involved in the FIA and there’s some scientific proof that less downforce and more mechanical grip will improve overtaking opportunities. Still, Formula One will always be Formula One, it’s going to be more difficult than motorbikes – here in Spain there’s always this tendency of comparing both – and we just have to be aware of that. It’s definitely in the right direction. I am very comfortable with that.
RB: Back in ’98, when I first tested the tyre, I had a crash that I really thought I was going to stop, but because of the lack of mechanical grip caused by the tyre, I kept on spinning and crashed. So I think we depend a lot on the grip level of the tyre. If we have the whole tyre on the ground, it’s going to help a lot on the safety side as well.

Q: (Carlos Miquel – Diario AS) Kimi, do you agree with Montezemolo when he says it might not be good for Ferrari to have Fernando Alonso as your team-mate?
KR: (Laughs) It’s better that I don’t say anything.

Tra domande succulenti e quesiti brillanti, ecco Alonso, Hamilton e Raikkonen
di Ronny Mengo

Come antipasto della conferenza una e trina del pomeriggio c'è un estemporaneo faccia a faccia tra Raikkonen e un giornalista australiano in un incontro stampa mattutino. "Qui l'alcolismo è una piaga sociale, ha dei consigli da dare lei che, insomma, se ne intende?" Faccia allibita: "Io bevo solo se c'è un motivo, se ho qualcosa da festeggiare - risponde Kimi - non credo sia associabile a quello che dice lei". Il primo rilancia, il secondo risponde seccato: "Io non devo gestire il mio rapporto con l'alcool e non ho intenzione di perdere altro tempo parlando di cose inesistenti". Poi tutti in circuito per l'appuntamento da non perdere. Eccoli lì. Ore 15 spaccate, saletta ufficiale, tre microfoni Fia davanti. Sono un Raikkonen particolarmente svogliato, un Alonso piuttosto cupo, un Hamilton sovraeccitato.

Sopra ognuno dei tre: cappellini d'ordinanza. Partono delle domande standard (posta dall'addetto della Federazione) che stroncherebbero un bue, perché sentite più o meno durante tutto l'inverno: come cambia la guida senza traction control, come la partenza, e con la pioggia come la mettiamo? I ragazzi invece di mettersi a ridere e cercare una candid camera buttano lì educatamente il minor numero di parole necessario. Sappiamo ad esempio che (per Kimi) l'assenza di elettronica potrà essere un vantaggio ma anche un rischio, bene. Ma dichiarazioni degne di tal nome? La svolta arriva alla domanda doppia "Come sarà la stagione senza il tuo ex compagno di box?" rivolta ovviamente a Fernando e Lewis. "L'anno scorso è stato un privilegio lavorare con lui - parte l'inglese provocando risolini soffusi in sala - e ora è semplicemente diverso come diverso è ogni stagione rispetto alla precedente".

"Sì anch'io ho imparato da Lewis - replica lo spagnolo con un ghigno -: da debuttante ha portato freschezza e nuove idee, un po' come succede oggi con Nelsinho". Mesto uno a uno. Delusione per i registratore-muniti in attesa di fuochi d'artificio. Poi tra un "Daremo il massimo" e un "Aspettiamo e vediamo", frasi preferite dal campione del mondo, vola una confessione alonsiana pure questa già sentita: "Da un po' non mi capitava di non essere nella condizione di vincere la prima gara, ma comunque non mollo". E aggiunge: "La determinazione che ho io e quella che hanno loro ci farà tornare competitivi molto presto". La chiusura va alla solita chicca furba di Hamilton: "La McLaren non può esistere senza Ron Dennis: quelle su di lui erano tutte voci senza senso". Sorrisone, occhiolino.

DRIVERS: Fernando ALONSO (RENAULT), Lewis HAMILTON (MCLAREN MERCEDES), Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (FERRARI)

Q: Fernando first of all. Back with Renault again. How different is it from the last time you were there?
Fernando ALONSO: Not very different. The technical group is exactly the same, most of the mechanics as well. Not very different to be honest.

Q: After last year do you think they have lost a little confidence?
FA: Maybe a little bit. Of course after winning two years in a row when I left in 2006 they were confident and they were believing in themselves a lot. Now for sure you know no good results last year, maybe a little bit lacking in confidence now but I think they know that were are able and they are able to do good things. They have nothing to prove to anybody, so it is just a matter of time and good work with everybody to put in a better place again.

Q: How much do you feel it is your job to pull them up and get them motivated again?
FA: I will try to do the best job we can. For sure coming back to Renault for me is a great challenge and for them too I think because they are extra motivated this year to have the success we have had in the past and I am extra motivated as well so we all have the same goal and the same target.

Q: What was the biggest difference initially in the cars without engine braking and without engine braking when you first experienced it?
FA: Less than I thought to be honest. The first time I test was in Jerez and I was expecting more problems than we had. Okay, in the long run you feel the drop in the tyres and you feel the loss of traction and the braking stability but nothing too big, similar with some times we had last year as well, so as I said not a big difficulty. But it still does change circuit to circuit and at some circuits there is nearly no difference compared to last year and at some others it is a little bit more, so I imagine that every circuit will be different and maybe Monaco and places like this will be a big difference compared to last year. But we will see.

Q: Has development diminished the difference?
FA: Yes, all the teams are working in that direction to try and get the mechanical side and the aero side to what we lost in terms of electronics, so for sure with the set-up and all the other things around the car we are trying to deal with the loss of the electronics.

Q: And have you changed your driving style to compensate for that as well?
FA: Not really.

Q: Lewis, if I can come to you. First of all tell us about the kayaking yesterday.
Lewis HAMILTON: It was cool. We had some fun.

Q: Give us a race report.
LH: Ok, well Heikki (Kovalainen) got off to a bit of a head start and he looked to be leading the race but he then took the wrong route. The only reason I was turning was someone was turning next to me and helped me turn and somehow I came out in the lead. It was good fun.



Q: Was it cold?
LH: Initially it was but then afterwards it was fine.

Q: Competitive?
LH: I am.

Q: How are you getting on with Heikki?
LH: Really well. Really well. He has settled into the team very well and he seems to be enjoying it. He has been playing tennis and he has been on the fitness trip recently and we seem to get on really well.

Q: Having him as a team-mate the two of you have actually only got one year’s experience each. Has that been a problem so far and will it become a problem in the races do you think?
LH: It’s not been a problem and I don’t think it will be. He has got a great career under his belt already, lots of experience as have I. We are both coming into our second year in F1 and we both have the same hunger for winning and pushing the team forward. I think it is quite good that we are both aiming in the same direction.

Q: Is it a different preparation this year from last year?
LH: No. I think it is better. Better preparation. Last year I and my trainer were both rookies and we did the best job we could which was good but there were areas we could improve on and we have done.

Q: Tell us about the different emotions from a year ago to now. Was there a certain nervousness last year or eagerness? What is it now? Is there more pressure now?
LH: I don’t think there is more pressure, I think there is less pressure than last year. Last year there was a huge build-up and just a lot of weight hanging on my shoulders really because no-one really knew if I was going to do well or what. And neither did I really. It is a slightly different feeling. I think I know even more now knowing what a season feels like. I am even hungrier and I feel even more determined and just more excited about racing. It has been too long a break. It really has seemed to drag along even though the race is a little bit earlier. It just seems forever since we raced last.

Q: Same question to you about traction control. The biggest difference initially in the cars and engine braking. How big was that difference?
LH: It was not really too much of a problem. As I said when they tried to introduce it I thought it was a good idea because all the other categories I have driven in we did not have traction control. I am not going to say if I prefer one to the other because they are both quite different to drive but this one is a challenge and everyone is in the same boat. I think they have done a really good job in working with all the controls but I am sure we will keep on improving.

Q: And development has minimized that difference has it?
LH: It has definitely. So time wise I think you will see that we will all do similar times to when we had traction control.

Q: And driving style?
LH: The same.

Q: You haven’t changed it.
LH: No.

Q: Kimi, again a year ago it was your first Grand Prix for Ferrari. What’s the difference in feeling this year?
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: For sure it is much easier to come now. It is different because I know the team, know the people, so ... (inaudible) . Last year went very well for us. Now it should be easier as I know the team.



Q: But you are favourite for the championship this year already. Does that put pressure on you?
KR: No, but I think we have not even started the championship yet, so let’s see what happens. We will do the best job we can but for sure we expect to do well in our team. I think the two main teams seem to be a bit ahead of the others and four drivers, so anything can happen.

Q: And of course your team-mate is relatively more experienced than the team-mates of Lewis and Fernando but at the same time you are the most experienced pairing. How does that weigh up? What is the balance in advantages, disadvantages?
KR: I think we have a good team and a very good atmosphere and everything worked well last year, so I think it is going to be similar this year, so I don’t know if we are going to be in a stronger position than the other teams because we have more experience. I don’t think it is going to make much difference but like I said we should be in a good position but it is too early to say really.

Q: And same question about traction control. Was there a big difference in the cars initially?
KR: I think there was a big difference when we tried before Christmas for the first time with last year’s car. It was a lot more difficult but then with the new car we improved in the areas where it was less good and it helped a lot. Now with new tyres you do not feel the difference on the one lap whether you have traction control or not. I think when it is a difficult condition, wet or slippery, then it will be much more tricky but you don’t really notice.

Q: And have you changed your driving style at all to compensate for it?
KR: Not really, no.


QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) For Lewis, last year you always took time out to sign a few autographs, go to the front of the garage and wave to the crowd. Given that you are much more well-known now and that there are more demands on your time will you still do that or will it be more difficult?
LH: I plan to still do it. I did it this morning and I don’t particularly see why I should change. There has to be a limit otherwise it will go on forever but you just have to know when to say that’s enough but I am still planning to do the same.

Q: (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for the three of you. With the new rules do you think that the start is the main issue at the moment? We don’t exactly know how cars will react and you may lose or gain more positions.
KR: ... (Inaudible) see at the moment much more chance to lose some places now. Before it was more or less automatic. You had a good start or not so good but it was always very close. Now it is up to you and if you make a mistake you are going to be very slow off the grid and you can gain but you can also lose. I think when it is wet conditions it is quite tricky to get a good start.

Q: (MC) Do the track conditions change a great deal, say between the pit-lane exit and the grid itself, especially the amount of grip you get? How much of a difference does that make? Do you know when you arrive on the grid how much grip you are going to get?
KR: It is always a bit different especially (inaudible) ... At some circuits you have better grip on the exit of the pit-lane and at some it is the opposite. You get some idea when we do the warm-up but you just try to make a good start.
Q: (Oliver Holt – The Daily Mirror) Lewis, how disappointed are you that Fernando is not going to be in the team this year, and in what ways is it going to be different without him?
LH: I don’t feel there’s a huge difference. Heikki’s been welcomed into the team as Fernando was. Obviously it’s different; when you have a two-time World Champion, when you come into your first season and someone you’ve been watching for so many years, you come and you work against them - work with them - it’s a privilege. From that point of view, it’s a shame he’s not there but it’s a new challenge for me and Heikki. Having another guy in the team, you always learn something new from a different driver, so I’ve got that opportunity.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Fernando, to turn it the other way around, how disappointed are you not to have Lewis as a team-mate this year?
FA: Well, more or less the same answer. I have Nelsinho and for sure with new drivers you learn new things. It was the same last year. When I changed and I joined McLaren, Lewis was arriving in the team as well as in Formula One, so always giving fresh ideas and a fresh way to do things and you always learn from everybody. We are not together but we are still racing each other in different teams and with Heikki as well and Nelsinho, with the drivers who have been in Formula One for a long time, now new drivers are coming. Every year is a new challenge.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) A few days ago there were comments by Flavio Briatore – I don’t know whether you saw them, Fernando – saying that he believed that Lewis didn’t show you the respect that he should have done, as a double World Champion. What’s your response to that?
FA: I’ve no response to Flavio’s comment. Flavio will arrive tomorrow, you can ask him.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Do you agree with him though?
FA: I didn’t see any of these comments.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Do you believe Lewis did show you the respect he should have done?
FA: I don’t know. I will not answer this question because I never saw that in the paper, I didn’t speak with Flavio about this and I don’t know if it’s true or not. It’s just speculation or rumours about some destructive things before starting the first race so, nothing.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) This is to all of you: It’s going to be very hot during this weekend and especially race day. How different will it be compared to long runs in testing if it’s 39 degrees or something?
LH: I think it’s going to be challenging. In most of the winter testing we did it was quite cool. Coming here, obviously the climate is quite a bit different, so I think it’s going to make it a bit harder on the tyres but easier to warm up and perhaps we will see more graining but I think everyone’s in the same boat. We just have to try and manage it as good as possible. It’s good preparation in this weather for next weekend.
KR: Nobody really knows how it’s going to run. We’ve got a little bit of an idea, it was a little hotter in Bahrain but it’s a completely different circuit, different tyres, so we will do the best that we can and tomorrow we have some idea. I think it should still be OK.
FA: Yeah, we’ll see, we’ll see because normally on a hot track it’s a little bit different, the long runs, the drop of the tyres always seems bigger than in the winter and we will see. We have the same tyres than last year here, but last year was much cooler, so maybe we don’t know how these tyres will work in this temperature on this circuit, so we will see tomorrow. It’s the same for everybody.

Q: (Marco Degl’Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, today Ron Dennis said that he misses you and considers you a very great driver. Are you pleased about that?
FA: I really don’t care too much. It seems that Flavio speaks every week, now Ron as well. It’s all OK but it’s not very important to me at the moment. I’m very concentrated on this first race. We still have to do a lot of work on the car if we want to be competitive enough to fight for races, victories, so I really don’t care what people say.

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speedsport News) Fernando, as you said, you have a lot of work to do. For the last three years you’ve had a car that could win races and championships. What does it do to your motivation now to have to take this step back?
FA: Yeah, we will see. I think we need to see where we are because it’s not so clear after the winter tests which are the best cars out there. It seems that, OK, Ferrari, McLaren and maybe BMW are very strong, as they were last year but there is Williams, Red Bull, Renault, Toyota. At some tests, some of the teams look better; at the next test it’s the opposite, so I’m really looking forward to Saturday afternoon to see all the qualifying and see where we are. After that, we will see what we can do. For sure the last three years, as you said, I started with maybe a more competitive car and ready to win races from the first Grand Prix. It seems that maybe that’s not the case this year but I will not give up. It’s a very long championship and there’s time to recover. I have full confidence in our possibilities.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado do Sao Paulo) The question is to all drivers: Even if this season didn’t start yet, everyone is discussing 2009 when we will probably have a severe limitation on budgets, probably forty percent of what the teams will spend this year. Do you agree with the way Formula One is going?
FA: I really don’t know. I’m not very interested in these rules or these budget cuts or whatever. I think if it’s the best thing and all the teams agree on this matter it’s because they think it is the best for our future. That’s all. I think from the driver’s point of view, as long as we have a car in our hands and we are able to drive and enjoy our racing, the rest is not very important.
KR: I don’t know anything about the whole thing, so I can’t really comment.
LH: Similar to what Fernando said. I think every year we face a change in the regulations and if that’s what they feel is the best way to go then we can do nothing about it, we just have to deal with it and as Fernando said, as long as we’ve got the car, as drivers, we don’t mind. We deal with it whatever you throw at us.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kimi, do you think McLaren without Fernando is weaker than last year and it could be an advantage for Ferrari, or do you think that Lewis, even though he only has one year, has the experience now to make the car develop?
KR: I don’t know. For sure, I don’t see that Fernando is any quicker. He probably won’t have as good a car this year as he had last year. McLaren, I don’t know how good they are, it’s difficult to say from the winter, so we will see in the first two races. I think there are a lot of people who know what they are doing, so I don’t see that there is any limit why they shouldn’t lose something, or not be able to make the car faster. It’s a big team, it’s one of the best teams, so I expect them to be strong and giving us a hard time.

Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Germany) There is not a lot that the driver can do from the time when the last winter test was over to the day racing starts here. How did you spend those days between and did you have any holidays?
LH: I left Switzerland and stopped in Hong Kong for two days and just did a little bit of shopping just to break up the trip – bit of sight-seeing. Then I went to Brisbane for a day as my trainer is from Brisbane, so we spent a day with his family. We had a barbecue and just relaxed and then I went to the Gold Coast. I did some training up there, it’s really good weather, like it is here, so running along the beaches, playing tennis and just having fun, and then I came here on Monday.
KR: I was at home, to see my friends and family, and then came here on Monday, that’s about it.
FA: Same thing. I was at home with family and came here on Monday.