Thursday At Brazil – Interview With Kimi & More…

From Autosport.com

Kimi Raikkonen arrives in Brazil ready to help teammate Felipe Massa
in the championship, but aware that the Brazilian will need the same
amount of luck he had in 2007 to clinch his title.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Interlagos race on Thursday,
however, the Finn made it clear everything is possible, as he found out
last year.

Q. What can you do to help Felipe this weekend?

Kimi Raikkonen:
In the end it is not up to us, we can only try to be 1-2 and it’s up to
McLaren if they have a problem of finish third, there is nothing we can
do. The first aim is to try and be 1-2 and see what happens. There
needs to be a bit of luck involved but we will see where we end up.

Q. Do you expect the same performance and result as last year?

KR: Definitely last year we were strong and the year before
strong also, this year has been slightly more difficult. We have a
little bit different tyres this year so probably not as good as last
year, but I expect our car will be strong here anyhow and we should
have a very strong race.

Q. What are you feelings about the weather?

KR: I don’t know. Somebody local knows more very well, last
year seemed sometimes very hot and sometimes quite cold, it changes
very quickly. You just need to get the best out of it and make the
right decisions when it comes so we will see where it comes.

Q. There are lots of youngsters now like Lewis Hamilton and
Sebastian Vettel. In F1, is there space for drivers below 30 years of
age?

KR: I am 29, so not so old! There are others older and I have
been many years in F1 but I can easily have four of five years if I
want in F1. There is no issue if you are 30/31, if you are good enough
you will stay there, even now we have a couple of guys who are 35 or
36, it depends which teams you are at and how you do. It is not a
question of how old you are.

Q. Are you impressed by the new generation?

KR: For sure they are good, they seem to make good races all
the time. You always going to get the young guys going and if you get
in a young team they will get strong races.

Q. What do you think about the new regulations for 2009?

KR: New rules, new tyres and different things that are
unknown for teams and drivers, it is difficult to say where we will be
next year and how close the teams will be. For many we have had same
regs so smaller teams caught up with big teams. Next year the big teams
have an advantage and next year who makes the best job with the new car
first will have a big advantage. There will be a bigger difference
between the teams than in the past.

Q. Do you think Ferrari have overcome the qualifying problem with the tyres?

KR: I don’t think there is an awful lot of difference to come
here or the the last couple of races, it is more how the weather will
plan out. I was pretty happy in the last few qualifyings so definitely
for myself it has been better but we need to see. There is a lot to do
with the weather and the surface of the circuits, last year we were
strong here so we will see what we can do.

Q. Have you any idea how many times you have been asked if you are going to help Felipe, and does it bother you?

KR: Every time every race lately they ask and I think it is a
normal thing, I know what I need to do for the team and in the end we
try to win two championship. I am not interested if people don’t like
what you say or how it pans out, that is what I am here to do.

Q. McLaren seem faster in colder temperatures, do you see that as a problem and do they have a weak spot?

KR: I answered the tyre question already, it all depends on
the weather and surface. Sure McLaren are often very fast on the one
lap but I haven’t been in McLaren for two years so I don’t know if they
have weak points, they seem to be strong they don’t seem to have man
mechanical problems and doesn’t seem to be a weak point now. We don’t
think about it much, we try to do our best and if that is not enough
there is nothing we can change.

Q. Will the change to slick tyres next year change your driving style?

KR: The rules have changed in the past and still more or less
everybody drives the same way because you need to change a different
way of driving but you try to get the car working for you and then you
drive as you want. Like I said before it is new rules and new tyres so
it’s difficult to say how it is going to be. We need to wait until we
get the new cars and in the winter you get a bit of an idea with new
car and new tyres and teams will change cars to suit next year’s rules,
the first answers we get when we get new cars.

Q. How quickly will it take you to adapt?

KR: I don’t think it takes a long time, now we have new tyres
and new parts but we get a little bit of an idea over the winter. We do
a few tests and we are learning all the time new things about new cars
and new things but should not take too long.

Q. You worked with Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard. Do you believe Massa is the strongest of your teammates?

KR: It all depends on many different things, the cars and in
the past years who has been happy with what. For sure he is definitely
one of the strongest I have had, it is only a good thing you push each
other and help the team go forward but definitely he is one of them.

Q. Last year you came here fighting for championship, this time you don’t have any chance. Have you learned something from 2007?

KR: Like I said I don’t have a chance this year, last year we
had a small chance and were able to win it. For sure this year we
learned from small mistakes that we did and we tried many things and we
will have a better understandings on a few things next year and it
definitely helps us.

It’s too early to say how it helps us but I am expecting next year
to be strong as well. We had a bad moment in the season and that is why
we cannot win the championship but we had good bits before and
afterwards, I am not worried about next year at all.

Q. Who is your tip for the championship? who has more pressure Felipe or Lewis?

KR: Felipe in the end does not have anything to lose, even if
we are 1-2 it is not up to us any more, McLaren need to make mistakes
so they need to be fifth, in the end they have more to lose than us,
they have more pressure but we need to have a little bit of luck and if
they have a very bad weekend then it is not too difficult, we see every
race this year they are more or less there, top four of top five, it
will be difficult but you never know.

Q. Is this your worst season since racing for McLaren and Ferrari?

KR: No, I would not say that. I would say the first McLaren
season I think I finished only six or seven races all year, sometimes
you have a bit more difficult season and after last year when I won the
championship you have a little bit more difficult season and they look
more closely, for sure we have had some good races and good plans, the
overall results is not what we want but it is one of those years that
is not easy and we made some mistakes, it hasn’t been good but hasn’t
been the worst of my life.

It’s
really satisfying to read this interview and see Kimi so relaxed and
positive, especially after having you readers sending in your messages
about this season and what to look forward to in the next few years.
Kimi isn’t 30 years old yet – he pointed that out which was funny! He
has no problem with driving an extra 3-4 years, he’s said. I guess
rallying the will be the ultimate last run for fun before he retires!

There’s been a lot to talk about today from Interlagos. It’ll be David
Coulthard’s last F1 race ever, as he retires from Formula One, you can
read his comments in the Thursday drivers’ press conference. Massa looks calm ahead of his home race
with the huge pressure of having the chance to become world champion
there, but he’s adamant that he’s improved a lot anyway ths year and
that’s a positive regardless who wins the title. There’s also been some
unpleasant news where the FIA have condemned the abuse Hamilton has been receiving
from a Spanish website. I’m just shocked at the high levels of
ignorance, nowadays. Racism is as bad as ever. Fernando Alonso has made
it clear that he has nothing against Hamilton personally,
but rather it’s just his dislike for the McLaren team that drove his
comment on prefering Massa to win the title. Nonetheless, Alonso should
take some responsibility on this racism issue the Spanish ‘fans are
bringing into the sport. It was indeed because of Alonso that a Spanish
market in F1 suddenly appeared due to his success throughout 2004-2006,
therefore he should speak more to the Spanish media about this. Anyway,
we can be glad that our Kimi never receives this kind of abuse, as it’s
very upsetting. Let’s hope Hamilton is victorious over this, as we fans
of Formula One and any sport have zero tolerance for boundless
discrimination.