Kimi’s Column: Pre – British GP

New Engine, Same Aim

I always like coming back to Silverstone. It’s a great track and it has
always been working out for me since the beginning of my career. I’ve
raced the first time here when I was in Formula Renault and it was my
preferred track: fast and demanding. Winning at Silverstone gives you a
great feeling, because to get there you have to do everything
perfectly. I did it with Formula Renault and last year with Ferrari.
It’s one of the fastest and most difficult tracks on the race calendar.
I don’t know why, but I’m a bit nostalgic every time I come back. I
like being here whatever the weather is like. At least that’s the same
for everybody.

We’ve done some tests here last week. There was
lots of wind and it was quite difficult to test all the new parts we
brought with us. But I think that we’ve taken a small step ahead and it
seems to me that the car is very competitive.

Last year it
went very well for us at Silverstone and obviously I’d like to repeat
that result! I made a small mistake in Qualifying, when I took the last
corner too wide and I lost the Pole Position, but once we had
considered the fuel on board I was still faster than Hamilton. Then
with the empty track ahead I could give it all and win the race.

As
far as we can tell after our tests last week there will be a tough
fight between us and McLaren. That’s not a surprise because
traditionally these two teams always went well here in England. It will
be about tenths of a second again. We’ll fight for Pole Position and
this time we need to use the track to our advantage.

I’ll give
it all to stay ahead in Qualifying. Starting from the Pole does make
the race much easier, as we could see at Magny-Cours. I didn’t win
there, but I’ve already archived the disappointment. I’ll arrive with a
positive approach at Silverstone, because I know that I should have won
in France. I’ll use a new engine because the Team doesn’t want to risk
anything, although the rules say that you will not be punished if you
have to change the engine.

It’s almost half way through the
season now and there were ups and downs. That’s quite normal and we are
in a good position to fight for the title. I hope to win more races in
the second half of the season, because we have a great car, able to
fight for victory everywhere.

The Finnish translated column will be posted below, but for now we have the confirmation from Kimi himself that he’ll use an new engine for this weekend. This is the best decision and probably the only logical one. He needs to be able to continue to fight in this championship, any further hindrance will most certainly make life harder for him. But his performance in France is worthy to note in any analysis of Kimi’s talent and capabilities, he drove as a world champion proving his worth by maintaining his position and composure with a damaged car, and the Ferrari team would have been very pleased about it. I’m sure Kimi gave himself a pat on the back in private too!

His mood is positive as always, but he says he feels nostalgic coming to England – that’s nice to hear! Afterall, his early career was proven here with Formula Renault and then his managers, Steve and David Robertson, known as his ‘English Family’ raised him up into the Formula One world. I hope they too have a great time this weekend. Pity that Kimi’s biggest fan  (me, hehe!) won’t be in Silverstone this weekend, but hopefully another lucky fan will get their moment of fame on television and give Kimi all the cheering he deserves!

Great Place
(Finnish Translation)

I always feel really good going to Silverstone. It’s a great place.
Somehow I’ve always done well there. I first raced there back in
Formula Renault. It immediately became my favourite track, as it’s so
fast and demanding.

Winning at Silverstone is just great, because then you know you’ve
nailed it. I won in Formula Renault and last year I won with Ferrari.

The track requires a special kind of rhythm, and to get a good lap
you need to be quite smooth in finding the right line. Of course it
helps a little to have raced there before entering F1.

I don’t know, maybe there’s a bit of nostalgia about the track, since I always seem to like it there so much.

In England the weather can be anything, but it’s the same for everybody, so it doesn’t matter.

We did a bit of testing there last week and I drove for one day. We
had some new things for the car, and although the wind made it
difficult to test them, they felt good. We think the car will once
again be strong in both qualifying and the race.

Last year we had a good race. At the beginning of the race we had
to just sit tight and wait, because I had gone wide in the last corner
and lost pole. I would have still been quickest on equal fuel loads.

Now we need the same result as last year, but hopefully I can
improve in qualifying and keep the car on track. When you can get to
the lead in Silverstone and drive in clean air, you can go very fast
lap after lap.

If the tests are any indication, we’ll have a really close fight
with McLaren. It’s nothing new really. I know they can always put
together a good car for Silverstone. I’m sure the difference between us
will be minimal, and I’ll have to be able to use every last centimeter
of the track.

We’re going to be fighting for pole, that for sure.

Although I didn’t win in France, I was still pretty pleased
overall. I left France behind when I went home. We know we would have
won the race. Now the team has made sure the same failure won’t happen
again. I also have a fresh engine now, just to be sure.

This season has been such a rollercoaster. We’ve had some really
good times and some really bad time and everything in between. But
that’s normal.

In motorsports you never know what’ll happen in the next race.

We’re now halfway through the season. We’re in a good position in
the championship, but of course I hope we can get more wins in the
latter half, just like last season. I have a good feeling, at least
about the car. I think it’ll be very strong in the remaining races.
With a car like this we can fight for every race win and ultimately the
championship.

Webber: Räikkönen hard to defeat
From MTV3.fi | Translation: Leijona (Official KR Forum member) 

"We have seen some mistakes from Lewis Hamilton and McLaren this
season. Lewis has pressure at making good results, but he knows as well
as the others that the best thing he can do is hop in the car and
drive," Webber said.

Webber’s spot on! And he isn’t the only one who thinks the pressure on Lewis is what may be the crucial factor in all this, Sir Jackie Stewart feels drivers need coaches to deal with the pressures of being an F1 driver. I completely disagree with that however, because it’s just another excuse to defend Lewis. Pressure is part of the game and it’s up to the drivers and their managers to overcome it, not be nursed.

This is probably the most inspiring attribute of Kimi Raikkonen – having not a care in the world apart from driving as it’s his job and the rest will come into play itself. It’s a shut up and drive kind of thing Lewis needs to do and I fear that this weekend, the hype around Lewis and all the ‘support’ will be more distracting when really he needs the peace and quiet he can get, no matter if he says the fans spur him on. He should be able to do it without the fans, he needs to do it for himself. As Kimi’s manager David Robertson put it last year:

"I remember reading a
book about how to stop worrying and start living and I thought after I
had known Kimi for a very short time that he could have written that
book himself. It just comes naturally to him."