Pre – Belgium GP Q&A with Kimi

Q. How was qualifying?

Kimi Raikkonen:
For sure the car has been better, so it is a positive thing. I ran wide
in one corner, but apart from that it was okay. We could have been in a
better position, but from where we are we can do something.

Q. How is your knee after Friday’s accident?

KR: It is okay.

Q. What do you expect from the race?

KR: For sure it is not going to be easy from fourth place,
but we need to wait and see how the weather is first of all. It is a
long race, so hopefully we can get some more positions. It will be
difficult but we will see.

Q. Do you prefer a wet or dry race?

KR: In the wet race there are always more chances but I think the car is pretty good. Let’s wait and see.

Q. Are you worried about the engine problems?

KR: No.

Q. Is the pace of the car still troubled by the cold weather?

KR: The car was okay. Like I said I ran off the circuit a
bit, which didn’t help. But it depends a lot on the fuel loads; there
is a big affect if you have more or less fuel. So, probably it is not
the ideal conditions for us but it was not so bad.

Q. You have won three times in a row here. How are you feeling for the race?

KR: I feel a bit better. For sure it was not nice, and
disappointing, to have made a mistake but that is part of it. At least
the car has been better. The car is more like I want, which is a nice
thing. I made a small mistake, which hurt a bit. It will be difficult
to get positions in the race but the weather can do anything, so we
will see what we can do.

Q. Do you feel you have made a bit of progress in setting the car up for qualifying and getting it more to your liking?

KR: Yeah. I am happier with the car now, but the mistake I
made didn’t help. So we didn’t get exactly what we wanted but at least
the car feels better.

Q. Do you see the race as your last chance in the championship?

KR: I don’t know. There are many races to go and many things
can happen. For sure if the guys in front of me in the championship
finish in front it doesn’t help, but there is a long way to go still.

Q. Looking at the performance of McLaren, do you feel with race pace you have a chance to win this race?

KR: They seemed to be quite fast in qualifying. They were
faster than us with no fuel but I don’t know how it will be in the
race. It is quite often they can get their car working better in these
type of conditions, so maybe in the race they will have a similar kind
of pace.

That’s great, that Kimi is happier with his car! Thank God for that. Still, long way to go yet an I’m sorry that he hut his knee in Friday’s accident. From what he said about the chance of having a wet race, it seems Kimi may indeed have been a lap lighter than Massa in qualifying as he mentioned fuel loads. Unless he was still heavier and targeted position 3, then he needs to get infront of Heikki as soon as possible.

Autosport.com have reported the track is now becoming wet, and in these cool conditions it will take some time to dry out. 
The rain is becoming slightly heavier again and the circuit is
now fully damp. Any more of this and we will move towards a lightly wet
condition. The track temperature is 15 degrees with air temperature being 13
degrees Celsius currently, very chilly conditions with humidity at 83
percent.

So, wish the best for Kimi! I’m wishing for just a fun race for Kimi at least. He deserves a break. Keep flying Kimi ~