Monaco, 21 May 2008 – Instead of the tidy order of a normal race
track, the motorhomes and hospitality units are dotted around the
Monaco harbour in whatever way can be found to make them all fit in to
a very small space.
But the world’s press had no trouble finding the
bright red beacon that is the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Media
Motorhome. Inside it, they found Kimi Raikkonen holding his first press
conference of the Monaco GP weekend.
And the first question
looked back to the previous race in Istanbul and the fact that Kimi
regretted the loss of the first free practice session due to a gearbox
problem:
"If you want to get the car right, then you miss one and a
half hours of practice, and if the weather then changes, it is very
hard to catch up," said the Finn, making a statement that applies even
more to a track like the street circuit here in Monte Carlo.
Last
year, this famous race did not go famously for the Scuderia, even if
Felipe Massa managed to make it to the podium in third place. And
generally, it is fair to say that for a team that has won so many races
so many times, even when on top form, the Prancing Horse has often
stumbled here, not winning since 2001. However, Raikkonen feels
progress has been made:
"I think we are in a better position than we
were in here last year," he maintained. "We had a good test last week
in Paul Ricard. Let’s see how we go tomorrow. Hopefully, this year we
are in a position where we can challenge for the win. We have some new
parts just like we would at every other race and of course the car is
running in high downforce configuration, which I was able to test at
Ricard, even though it is impossible to perfectly simulate Monaco at
that track, but it is still the best convenient option to prepare for
this race."
Kimi is not known as "The Iceman" for nothing and
rarely shows too much emotion. But when asked, even he admitted that a
victory around this famous venue would be special.
"A win here gives
you the same ten points as any other win on the calendar, but for sure
it is nice to win this race, especially because of the atmosphere you
have here, its unique position and the crowd being so close to the
track," he says.
Asked who he felt had been the best driver he had seen
lapping the Monaco circuit, Kimi took the diplomatic approach:
"Maybe
someone who has already retired! But among the current ones, I think
Alonso, Hamilton and Felipe, who was third here last year, all have the
ability to do well on this track. In past years, I have had some very
nice battles with Alonso, which were fun. The other aspect of this
circuit that I like is that, in a sport where the technical side has a
very big influence on the final result of a race, at this circuit, a
driver’s ability has a greater influence on the outcome. But all the
same, if you do not have a good car you cannot win."
Felipe does
not like it and you? "I think every driver has his own favourite
circuit. It is a matter of personal taste. I like Monaco."
Kimi likes Monaco then and enjoyed the battles he had here in the past. Do you think it’ll be easier this time round? Or is there much more to lose now that’s he’s leading the championship?
Wallpaper Monaco Special – Saw the original photo as inspiration. It looks like he’s looking at himself in the reflection and it comes across quite metaphorical, as if looking into his future. But I thought of his past instead, and how he’s matured now that’s he’s a world champion. So I added in reflections of his McLaren days:
FUCK ISRAEL 