From FerrariWorld.com
Mixed Feelings
I don’t know if to be disillusioned or
glad after what happened on Sunday afternoon at the French GP.
Immediaterly after the race I was really disappointed, but now I have
to say that I’m satisfied with the result; and that’s what counts.
I
didn’t have any problem during the three Free Practice sessions: I
immediately had a good feeling with the car. I gained the Pole Position
and I was four tenths of a second faster in the second try in Q3, when
the Team asked me to come in to save some fuel. This was the 200th Pole
for Ferrari and I’m really proud that I was the one to gain it and
being part of the long history of this great Team, just like last year
in China, where I gained the 200th win.
Victory was close, but
unfortunately there was a good first part, while the second turned into
a nightmare. I had a good start and was able to build up a gap on
Felipe. Then, at around the mid-point of the race, I noticed a drop in
the engine’s performance and immediately noticed that the right exhaust
pipe was missing: I could see the piece flapping around ion my rearview
mirror. From then on I was really worried: I thought that I might not
be able to finish the race. Over the last laps the car seemed as if it
wanted to stop, so I can really be glad that I came in second.
I have to admit the it has never been better to see the chequered flag. Once again we proved that you should never give up.
The
Team still doesn’t know exactly what happened. They will do some tests,
but it’s difficult to find an answer without the exhaust pipe and with
an engine that has been under stress like that for half of the race.
Obviously
I’m sorry that I didn’t win a race where eveything went well in the
beginning. We have to look at the positive aspects: the Team did great
work and I gained 8 points, although I had a problem, which could have
made me retire. And now I’m closer to the top than I was after Canada.
It’s
a hard Championship with four drivers close together. We’re not even
half way through the season and there are still loads of points to
gain. Last year at this point I was 20 points behind!
We
expect to be really competitive at Silverstone. This week all the teams
will test there ahead of the British GP: I’ll drive on Thursday after
Felipe has tested two days. I like the track and I have fond memories
of it: it’s good to come here with a car that can fight for the win.
I don’t know if to be disillusioned orglad after what happened on Sunday afternoon at the French GP.
Immediaterly after the race I was really disappointed, but now I have
to say that I’m satisfied with the result; and that’s what counts.
I
didn’t have any problem during the three Free Practice sessions: I
immediately had a good feeling with the car. I gained the Pole Position
and I was four tenths of a second faster in the second try in Q3, when
the Team asked me to come in to save some fuel. This was the 200th Pole
for Ferrari and I’m really proud that I was the one to gain it and
being part of the long history of this great Team, just like last year
in China, where I gained the 200th win.
Victory was close, but
unfortunately there was a good first part, while the second turned into
a nightmare. I had a good start and was able to build up a gap on
Felipe. Then, at around the mid-point of the race, I noticed a drop in
the engine’s performance and immediately noticed that the right exhaust
pipe was missing: I could see the piece flapping around ion my rearview
mirror. From then on I was really worried: I thought that I might not
be able to finish the race. Over the last laps the car seemed as if it
wanted to stop, so I can really be glad that I came in second.
I have to admit the it has never been better to see the chequered flag. Once again we proved that you should never give up.
The
Team still doesn’t know exactly what happened. They will do some tests,
but it’s difficult to find an answer without the exhaust pipe and with
an engine that has been under stress like that for half of the race.
ObviouslyI’m sorry that I didn’t win a race where eveything went well in the
beginning. We have to look at the positive aspects: the Team did great
work and I gained 8 points, although I had a problem, which could have
made me retire. And now I’m closer to the top than I was after Canada.
It’s
a hard Championship with four drivers close together. We’re not even
half way through the season and there are still loads of points to
gain. Last year at this point I was 20 points behind!
We
expect to be really competitive at Silverstone. This week all the teams
will test there ahead of the British GP: I’ll drive on Thursday after
Felipe has tested two days. I like the track and I have fond memories
of it: it’s good to come here with a car that can fight for the win.
Wow, Kimi was four tenths of a second quicker on his second lap after he took pole!? Not all was lost in the race and Kimi realises that he was quite lucky to have not broken down before the race finished. Let’s hope for a smooth weekend in Silverstone, as there’ll be plenty of preparation there anyway. I’m sure Kimi will enjoy more good times this year! He’s on a roll, especially with the 5 consecutive fastest lap sequence…
FUCK ISRAEL 
Ahhh, glad to hear our man is happy after all! Hi Saima!!!It´s obvious that he wanted to win, but in the end he sees that not everything was lost and, that being the master he is behind the wheel, he scored important points for the championship. Honestly, who else could have driven that car the way he did? Absolutely no one! And now he´s hungrier than ever to win in Silverstone; Ferrari showed they had the pace in France, so they´ll be as strong or even stronger in Silverstone!Such a shame that you can´t go this year, hopefully next year, right? My dream is that one day all of us, the usual suspects here on this site (you, Marilyne, Ozdge, Yuss, Ram, Nicki, me, and everyone else) can meet and go to a GP together, wouldn´t that be something!!!KEEP KLYING KIMI-KEEP FLYING EVENSTAR-FORZA FERRARI!!!P.S: Looooved the wallpaper you made, so beautiful!
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Hi, Saima! Thank you so much for all the updated news! Immediately after the French GP, I have been eager to know how the Iceman thinks of his race. I am having such complicated feelings about his race.He seemed to be so close to the win he’d desired for so long and he has to put up with the disappointment which came in such a strange way.
However, in his post-race column, we can see that the always-can-turn-negative-into-positive Raikkonen,the man who never surrenders to the odds,the man who just keeps trying as long as there’s a slightest hope IS STILL THERE! and that’s exactly why he has always been so inspirational to me.
ps: I don’t know if I express the Iceman I feel exactly to you with my somewhat ugly English. I just want all of you who have been supporting him all the way can also share with me my feelings about Kimi. yes,We believe, He will only be ever more determined to winning GPs and eventually World Championship after all that has happened.
Keep Flying, Kimi! Keep Flying,you all lovely Kimi fans!
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By the way,can’t help adding that the picture you choose to go along with his column is so wonderful. Kimi with promising outlook!
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Thanks for the lovely comments Xiaoyu!You’re completely right, it still amazes me how Kimi is always positive no matter what. It certainly is a great inspiration for the fans especially. He’ll give us more to cheer about at Silverstone I’m sure :)In other news, just thought I’d give it a mention here: Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!1
FFSA confirms French GP entry for 2009
So, Kimi can take his win back next year! lol…Really, I love the track so much and was gutted to hear it would be the last time to visit it this year. This year’s race wasn’t that bad compared to it’s previous ones.
Hopefully it’ll improve, but the track itself is DA BOMB, fast hard
corners like F1 tracks should be and Kimi loves it too.
Also, about the Valencia GP:
New pics of the circuit building progress:
It has been announced that the track will be tested in the
last weekend of july, featuring races in Spanish F3 and the
International GT open.
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By the way Sol, that is a great idea indeed 🙂 Would be an awesome experience, definately have to give it a go. I was the only Kimi supporter in my grandstand at Silverstone last year…wasn’t ashamed to be in the middle of Lewis fans though, at least I was the one who got on tv lol Maybe next year, yeah!
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Good to hear Kimi’s philosophical about 2nd place in France. Considering what the car went through, and what Kimi probably had to to get it home, I still think it was a fantastic result. Can’t wait for Silverstone, as Kimi should know the track like the back of his hand by now, we’ll just have to hope the crappy British weather decides to be good for a change.Oh, and Sol, I’d definitely go for the idea of a meet up, but if it was to be at Silverstone I’d need at least 2 years notice to afford a ticket…and make that 5 years for a Grandstand ticket!!!! lolAlthough my aim for next year would be to go to Valencia, it looks awesome!
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forget the misfortune of gp de france and think the nextrace, I hope to win kimi silverstone and the new circuit valence as he did in turkish 2005,I hope this is the latest misfortune to kimi since it any career.
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Glacial is the word, when After reviewers say: "it does not behave as a
champion" is precisely what differentiates it from others, and so it
never had any confuses with no driver then it has always (or almost)
been claiming the title. (2 characters totally opposed, that’s the
strength of kimi and Ferrari, Kimi has always been reserved, even when
it was titled, and, as reviewers say, between mechanical problems and
others, nothing better to annoy a pilot. Ferrari will do nothing more
for a pilot for another, unless perhaps one of the two pilots has
distanced his équipié end championship.
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Here is Kimi’s Finnish version directly translated:Almost on fireI don’t know if I should be disappointed or satisfied about the Magny-Cour weekend. We had a fantastic car all the time. Everything worked from the start and I had good feeling in the car.I got the pole in the quali, it’s been a while since the last one and I could have gone faster at the last stint but I didn’t have to.In the race everything went from the start just as we wanted. I got the lead and it was good to control the race when nobody was in front of me.It would have been the easiest win for me in Ferrari and one of my easiest ones from my whole career. I had such a ride that the laptimes were ok really easily. The tyres worked well and I had nothing to complain about.Then it was like lightning had striked. The powers dropped, we wondered about it for a while before we found out why. From the right mirror I saw that something was hanging loose over the hood. They said to me on the radio that now you just have to take it easy and we will do our best so that it doesn’t burn altogether.The driving was more and more difficult in slow corners. In the end it felt like the car just didn’t get out of them but it did as it did get through the race too.A couple laps before the finishing line I saw in a corner when the exhaust pipe flew away. It was a miracle that the whole machine didn’t burn.I don’t remember the last time when seeing the flag felt this sweet. The hood and the things had all burned, all that was left was a big black hole where the main part of the exhaust pipe should have been. It was quite a miracle that the whole engine didn’t burn.In the end I have good feelings. 8 points is a good result when the threath was that we would be without a point for the third time in a row. We even cought up with the front which always is important. If everything would have worked out fine until the end I would now be only 1 point behind Felipe.For the team two in the front is a fantastic result. My pole was Ferrari’s 200th and although I don’t care about statistics it’s great to get this way too into the history of the greatest team.From here it’s good to continue forward. 10 races to go and now that we seem to have a good speed in the car it’s nice to go to the next weekend.I will test in Silverstone on Thursday. I dig the circuit and it’s always fantastic to go there when you can drive for the victory. We have to make sure in the testing that we are in a good position from where we can start a strong weekend once again.The fight for the championship is tough. 4 first drivers within 10 points. We are not even in the half of the season. A lot can happen and there are many points that can be taken. Last year this time I was 20 points behind. Now the situation is different. (Translation by nevercrywolf)
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Thanks for the translation Saima! The Finnish column is always better than the polished Ferrari one, we get to really understand his thoughts and not words put into his mouth by a press person.
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