Kimi’s Column, more Sepang News, Pedro defends Kimi

Kimi’s thoughts ahead of the Malaysian GP
kimiraikkonen.com

"Chilling out for the hot race!

After the greatest season opening race of my career, I tested two days in hot Malaysia. The last few days here I have spent on a little island by the coast with just my nearest and dearest.

Right now we have a heavy program ahead, while we go to back-to-back races at Malaysia and Bahrain.

Just to get ready for the job, I have been chilling out with my usual routine, although the word chilly does not really belong in this climate. Usually, the weather feels like a Finnish Sauna – 24 hours a day.

We have been playing tennis and trained at the gym. I feel good.

The first race is just a memory. I will never forget, how it felt to finish it while seeing so many red flags of Ferrari everywhere and the team celebrating cheerfully after the job well done.

Personally, I celebrated fairly quietly. It was, however, a great day to start my life for Ferrari.

Now I focus fully on next weekend. Many years ago I clinched my first ever grand prix victory just in Malaysia. Since that, I have had some great wins in F1, but a driver never forgets his first victory. That is for sure.

Hopefully, also this weekend will be as good as we had in Australia. Last week we had a good test here. I worked for two days and we managed to collect all the information we were looking for.

Ferrari looks competitive on all types of the circuits. There is no plan to start taking it easy. The team is pushing hard all the time to improve the car. The fighting spirit is jus great.

We just started the season, but it is clear if we aim at fighting for the championship, we have to be able to score points everytime. To win championships you need to be a consistant points scorer throughout the whole season.

The circuit of Sepeng is demanding and rough. If one part of the package is not working, then you will not be competitive.

As I said, the Ferrari car feels good. But you never know what your competitors are doing until it comes to race weekend.

So I say once again, lets wait and see how it goes this time.

We have some worries with the engine in Melbourne. We found a minor water leak in the last part of the race, and while the radio was not working, the team advised me to slow down with the COOL-sign from the pit-board.

The engine has been checked down in the factory. There have been all kinds of simulations, and they have counted, how it should last.

We hope of course, that the engine will last and we do not have to change it before the qualifying. We want to call this card until the very finishing hour.

But if we have to change the engine, it is a different thing, then it will be much more difficult to score as much points as it would be possible without losing ten places on the grid.

In any case, we will fight. Wave the flags again all the fans!"

I certainly will!
< Keep Flying Kimi!

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Sepang Stuff

< Spectacular grandstands for shade from the searing sun and the best of Tilke’s circuits. It proposes a tough challenge for the F1 drivers.

A purpose-built facility, Sepang’s 5.543km lap provides a blend of medium and high speed corners interspersed with several slow speed sections and blisteringly fast straights. Such a dynamic track poses a particular challenge for the drivers and their engineers as a quick lap depends on a car with a well balanced set-up for the complex mix of corners, plenty of power for the quick straights and sufficient cooling capabilities to counterbalance the extremes of temperature and powerful humidity.

With temperatures reaching 40°C in Kuala Lumpur, climatic conditions can play a significant role in the outcome of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Coupled with the high humidity levels and the constant threat of heavy downpours, the drivers and their cars
will be pushed to thermal limits. As temperatures soar so will the heat in the cockpit, and the driver’s physical and mental fitness levels will be severely tested as they lose over a litre of fluid per hour in the race.
Engines will also be strained as they are fired up for a second outing in Malaysia. Sepang is not regarded as a power circuit, with the time spent at full throttle relatively low, but containing oil temperatures in the extreme heat, while not compromising aerodynamic efficiency, will be imperative for their reliability.

We have had 5 different winners in the previous races here from 2002:
2006 G Fisichella – Renault
2005 F Alonso – Renault
2004 M Schumacher – Ferrari
2003 K Raikkonen – McLaren Mercedes
2002 R Schumacher – Williams BMW

Source GMM- Teams are bracing for a rain affected Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend. After the Sepang test was hit by rain last week, the south east Asian country’s Meteorological Department now predicts that more showers and thunderstorms will coincide with round two of the world championship near Kuala Lumpur.

Interestingly, the bad weather is tipped to strike Sepang on the afternoon of all three days of official F1 action, with the mornings expected to be fine. The worst weather is forecast for Saturday, but Sunday is likely to also be affected by rain. Michael Schumacher won a wet Malaysian GP in 2001.

"We have to see how the field adapts to wet conditions," said Sepang boss Datuk Azmi Murad.

"I’ve experienced some incredible downpours before in Sepang," BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld commented last week. “Here, the rain is far from normal. When the heavens open, everything disappears under water in no time."

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Raikkonen remains cautious

Kimi Raikkonen is not getting carried away ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix, despite his dominant victory in Australia and impressive testing results last week.

The Finn set the fastest time of the week on the second day of Sepang testing, as Ferrari proved that their F2007 is as quick on the fast flowing circuit as on the tight confines of Albert Park.

But speaking from Malaysia, where Raikkonen has been relaxing ahead of this weekend’s race, he made it clear that his focus at the moment is simply on ensuring Ferrari score points every time out.

"We have hardly started the championship but it’s already clear that if we want to win the title we have to try to drive always in the points," he said. "The Sepang race track is very difficult and demanding: if not all the components of the package are working perfectly, one cannot be competitive.

"The car is running very well, but as long as we are not on the race track, everybody under the same conditions, you can’t tell. As I always say: let’s wait and see how it will work out this time."

Raikkonen has admitted that he remains worried about his engine situation, amid fears that his power unit may need to be changed after small problems at the end of the race in Australia.

"There is some concern," admitted Raikkonen. "We had a slight leakage of water during the last part of the race and the team told me to slow down, writing ‘Cool’ on the sign next to the pitlane, as the radio didn’t work because of a problem with a plug.

"The engine has since been checked in the works and they also did some simulations. Now the technicians have the data. Obviously we hope that the engine will make it through the whole weekend and that we don’t have to change it before the qualifying, because we want to completely use our chance.

"In case we have to change it, obviously it would be a bit different for us: everything would be much more difficult as we had to start ten positions back regarding the result of the qualifying. Then the aim would be to reach a good result, the best one possible. But in any case we will give it all."

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Pedro defends Kimi’s off track fun

Pedro de la Rosa has defended former McLaren colleague Kimi Raikkonen’s partying ways.

Referring to the Finn’s off-track reputation for occasionally enjoying
one too many alcoholic beverages, de la Rosa told a men’s magazine that
the media’s portrayal of 27-year-old Raikkonen has been "exaggerated".

"He likes to have a good time, perhaps even more than the rest
of us," said Spaniard de la Rosa, 36, who worked alongside Raikkonen as
a test driver at McLaren until the Finn switched to Ferrari for 2007.

He told FHM, "But what is written (about Raikkonen) is too much."

Alonso referring to Raikkonen, his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa
told a Brazilian newspaper earlier this year, "In a world like ours,
where there are famous people, the media can often exaggerate or even
make things up."

(Kimi Raikkonen Space)