DRIVERS: Timo GLOCK (Toyota), Robert KUBICA (BMW Sauber), Nelson PIQUET (Renault), Kimi RAIKKONEN (Ferrari) Below are selected quotes from Raikkonen.
Q. Kimi, you qualify in the top 10 but then it all seems to go
away from you. A best of 10th so far. What are your feelings about it
so far?
Kimi RAIKKONEN: I mean definitely not what we wanted or what
I wanted either but we don’t have the speed right now in the car
unfortunately. We are going to get some new parts at the next race but
this race probably can be a bit difficult again. Hopefully the testing
here helps a bit and it will be slightly better for us but I don’t know
yet. We need to wait and see.
Q. Kimi, when are you likely to be using KERS again?
KR: I don’t use it tomorrow. The other car will run it and
then we will make the decision which way we go. We either take it and
use it if we don’t have any issues with it and we will put it also in
my car but really we want to look a little bit and compare the two cars
with and without and see a little difference. That’s our main thing
tomorrow.
Q. You have never seemed to be a massive fan of KERS.
KR: It is probably faster in quite a few places but the car
was not too bad the last race in qualifying. I think we could have been
faster even there but we had an issue with it. It is not much different
driving with or without it for us.
Q. The diffuser modifications. When would you expect to get that?
KR: Hopefully we will have the new parts for the next race in Barcelona.
Q. You have been second and third here in the past and you tested
here as well, so are you feeling a little bit more confident about this?
KR: Like I said, hopefully the testing at the beginning of
this year will help us this week. It has usually been okay for us. Of
course we are not in the position we were the last few years right now
but I still think we should have a better chance here than maybe at
some previous races.
Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) You were just talking about the Red Bull performance in China. Were you surprised by it?
TG: For me they were quite strong already at the tests and at
the end they developed from race to race. The race in Australia showed
already the pace. Sebastian (Vettel) was in P2 in the race and in
Malaysia as well they were quick, so for me it is not a big surprise
but I think they made a little step or they were maybe just a little
bit better sorted out. The temperatures in Shanghai were quite cold
compared to the other races and maybe that is part of the difference
but for me they looked strong in testing.
Q. Kimi?
KR: Yeah, I mean they have been looking fast every race. Like
Timo said they were a bit stronger in the last race. I don’t know if
they got some new parts or not but they have definitely been strong all
year.
Q. (Bill Johnson – The National) Principally to you, Kimi: are
you surprised at those who are making the early running in this
season’s drivers’ championship and if so do you welcome the so-called
new kids on the block getting onto the podium that you used to regard
as your own territory?
KR: It’s normal for them to be there. I don’t think that they
are new in Formula One. It’s not a big surprise. Those teams were fast
in the winter testing. We are missing speed right now. Hopefully we can
turn it around pretty quickly, I expect at the next race. They are
welcome. For sure we would rather be there but right now we are not in
a position to fight for those positions, so we just need to make the
best (performance) as we can here and then hopefully get back to where
we should be in the next race.
Q. (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) For all of you:
we’ve had four races in five weeks. In the past you would all be going
testing next week. Are you looking forward to the time off or would you
prefer to be going off and trying lots of news parts?
KR: When you have a situation like the one we are in, it
would probably be nice to try the new parts before the race but that’s
how it is, we’re having some time off, so we go to the next race and
sort it out there.
Q. Robert, Kimi, does it mean you will probably go to the factory and go through everything and maybe some simulation?
RK: We go to the factory, of course, but I think the problem
for everybody is known, so you don’t need additional input from the
driver. We don’t have simulators, so there will be no simulation but of
course we try to help the team as much as we can from the driver point
of view but as I said, I think the problem is known by everybody and
there is no need for additional meetings or things like that.
KR: Similar story, all the people are working one
hundred percent, they know what they’re doing. It’s more the time
that’s against us than anything else. I have some other work to do
anyhow. I don’t know if I will go to the factory or not. If they need
me, yes, but people know what they’re doing. We usually plan the
meetings if we need something but we are here and we always discuss all
those things, so it probably won’t be necessary to go there.
Q. (Sarah Holt) Kimi, do you feel under extra pressure,
personally or from within Ferrari, to score points for the team or for
yourself this weekend?
KR: For sure I want to score points but I don’t feel any
pressure. We try to do our best every time and unfortunately we haven’t
managed to score any points so far. We are all one team and we all
don’t feel so good when we have bad races but that’s how it is right
now unfortunately. We do the best that we can here and hopefully we get
some points.
Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Kimi, can you believe you
are in this position after three races without a point compared to 18
months ago when you were World Champion?
KR: Things change quickly in Formula One, we know that. There
are new rules. Of course we had pretty good winter testing. We probably
saw in the last test that we were not where we wanted to be, exactly,
but it hasn’t been the start of the season that we were looking for as
a team but we just need to work harder and improve the situation and
get back to where we want to be. We know that we can do it but it takes
a while. That’s unfortunately the situation where we are.
Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) Do you think you are far away from Red Bull and Brawn GP?
KR: We are probably one second behind them, so I
think it depends a bit from circuit to circuit but that’s more or less
where we are and we know that, so we are aiming to catch them up and of
course, when you’re once behind, it’s not easy because everybody is
also going forward, so it’s hard to catch up completely but for sure we
are going to get much closer next race.
I think that wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, I thought Kimi was going to be attacked or have shoes thrown at me, which seems to be the trend lately. According to a Finnish MTV3 report, in the same press conference Kimi was asked about David Coulthard’s recent criticism towards him and Kimi replied:
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4304502&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1
Video and Translation courtesy of Vakie
Finnish: "Emmä vielä yhtään kuljettajaa tiedä
ketkä suunnittelee auton, että tuota, hauska sitten aina.. kova
kommentoimaan kaveri, kun ei oo ikinä voittanu mitään formula ykkösissä
oikeestaan, että.. sen oma asia, aika erikoinen kaveri."
English: "I don’t know of any driver so far who designs the cars,
so it’s quite funny.. to always hear these comments from a guy who has
never really won much of anything in F1, so.. that’s his business, what
a peculiar guy."
Whitmarsh: "Kimi doesn’t always show it but based on my
experience from the time Kimi was here Kimi was a very committed driver
when it came to development work. When he spoke his few words, they
were always valuable. He is very sensitive when it comes to getting the car to go faster
and to what happens to the car."
Anyway, that’s the end of that then. Sand gusts are predicted this weekend but shouldn’t be a problem during the race unless we get more reports. It’s just as well that Kimi won’t be using KERS as it’ll be humid and sandy, and the KERS hasn’t proven to be that reliable in the Ferrari yet. Check out all the photos from today in Bahrain GP 2009 album!
There’s another interview today but this time it is actually mine! Octeto Racing Team Blog is a brilliant Portugeuse motorsport fan blog, based on eight drivers (Octeto) and Kimi is one of their favourites. Ludy considers me to be the most famous Kimi fan in the world, and I admit that’s really overwhelming actually. Bizarre. Octeto regularly share KRS updates with their fans too, particularly the highlight videos. They’re a great bunch of girls and very intelligent and like me – fans of Kimi. So it was a pleasure for me to be part of their work, which was a serie of interviews of other readers, and I think the questions asked by Ludy are really good so well done to her. So I hope you enjoy what is my first interview. Obrigada, Ludy!
Octeto entrevista: Evenstar Saima
in London and have been here all 21 years of my life. I’m in my final
year at university, studying Journalism. I chose Journalism mainly
because of my passion for writing and particularly following Formula
One. I’ve been watching it for the past 12 years or so. I hope one day
that I could become a reporter and meet all the drivers and stars in
the pit-lane and paddock, and get to go to all the races and be close
to the action! I’m a huge fan of Kimi since 2002 and use my fan-site
blog dedicated to him and his fans to keep my interest in both F1 and
journalism fresh.
Kimi is a really special human being. Not only
in regards to his job but he has this energetic light in his eyes, that
shines in anything that he does. He is the fastest driver on earth and
I can say that easily. Watching him ‘grow’ in F1 has been an amazing
experience as a fan, because although he has matured and become wiser
than he already was, he hasn’t let fame or success or defeat affect
him. His talent is something I really admire, not just for being really
fast but he has his values and he puts them first and will not
sacrifice them no matter how much the media and what people think. They
try to break him but he somehow manages to completely reject any
interference in his life because he loves his family and friends and
his privacy. He may be the fastest guy on the planet and extremely
popular, for both positive and negative reasons, but he has never let
it climb over him. I think that’s a very admirable attitude that he
carries. I’m very lucky, that I’ve been able to get to know so many
people all over the world just by being a Kimi Raikkonen supporter. I’m
only ‘famous’ in the fan community because I try to give what the fans
deserve and I’m really happy that I’ve reached a lot of them through
doing so. As I’m a fan myself I know what I’d like to see and
experience and because I enjoy it so much it’s even a better feeling
being able to do it for the rest of us. It has brought a lot of good
things to everyone, including myself and I treasure it. I have to thank
Kimi!
3. When and why F1 came into your life?
Well
I used to watch F1 anyway with my brother as a kid, he was the reason I
got hooked on motorsport, as no one else I knew did! I remember every
Sunday afternoon when my mum would make a big lunch, my brother and I
would just watch those red and silver cars fight for the win (Hakkinen
and Schumacher!) I was too small to understand the racing, all the
tenths of a second and the pitstops and things – I just liked watching
the cars. But only during the 2000s, I became more active in following
the sport, reading F1 magazines and using the internet to see news and
stuff. I think as I was growing up, I wasn’t the typical girl who did
girly things, who liked to gossip and talk about boys and wear make up.
That wasn’t me. So when I was seriously interested in a sport like F1,
I really did feel like an alien, especially at school! None of my
friends cared about it. But I’m grateful for my brother and my family,
who let me enjoy what I wanted and not criticize me. I’m an even bigger
fan than my brother himself now!
Saima and her Kimi flag at the British GP 2007
4. How
hard is for you to live in the land of Lewis Hamilton being Kimi’s fan?
Do you suffer some kind of prejudice because of that?
It’s natural, all the countries are somewhat ignorant to the other
country’s drivers. So I don’t get too angry or question it. What can
you do, apart from write and share about it! I had a funny experience,
during the British Grand Prix in 2007. At that GP, Hamilton was the
man, obviously. The race was sold out, with more fans coming than in
recent years, all because of Hamilton and the excitement he brought to
the sport. But as one of the few Kimi fans, I didn’t mind. I had my
Kimi flag and was proud. I did get some strange abuse from
British/Hamilton fans, on both Saturday qualifying and Sunday race day.
Someone would say “who would want to see that banner” or “get that
f*cking flag out of my face”. But I just laughed. And you might already
know I did come on TV both days with my Kimi flag. Kimi won that race,
so I was extremely happy and didn’t care what others thought. Spanish
anti-Hamilton fans get in the news for being racist and things, but the
British fans can be just as rude and insulting just because they’re a
Hamilton fan. I know because I’ve experienced it first-hand. It’s not
that hard to deal with though in general, because there aren’t many F1
fans I know here anyway!
I think learning to deal with
disappointment is one of the most hard and common challenges a sport
like F1 can bring. Just as the teams and drivers can get really
disappointed, the fans also feel the same. Especially as Kimi fan,
because he had a lot of bad times especially at McLaren (with poor
reliability and sometimes just fate it seems). It’s very frustrating
and hard to accept at first, but I think each time it gets easier and
the same applies to personal lives. A good example is what happened at
the Belgian GP in 2008. Kimi already was having a hard year but he did
really well and was just a few laps away from winning the race, at his
favourite circuit. It ended very bitterly; it rained and the duel with
Hamilton got too messy (although great to watch), and then Kimi crashed
out. It was like going to heaven and hell all in 5 minutes. It was
really bad for Kimi, which meant I felt bad myself. But I coped with it
much better than I did with his disappointments in 2005 and 2006. You
get disappointments in life, if something does not go your way. But the
thing I’ve learnt is that it happens and you just have to keep moving
and be mature about it. Kimi, in this case, is a great role model for
me. He’s very strong, mentally. And that’s why I always cheer him on
with the motto “Keep flying Kimi”. I also told my brother the same
thing recently, when we had some big disappointments at home. I told
him to keep moving, and he does.
6. What about the British champions? Do you have a favorite one?
wasn’t watching F1 when we had our previous British champions
unfortunately! Lewis Hamilton is the only British champion I’ve
witnessed and although his achievements are very impressive indeed, I
won’t say anything else as I can’t compare him with older generations,
with the different cars and what not.
worst moment…oh there are too many! The worst event has to be the US GP
at Indianapolis 2005 when only 3 teams raced. The worst ‘moment’
though, as in a very short time, is Kimi’s last lap front suspension
failure at the Nurburgring in 2005. The best moment is still Kimi’s
last lap overtaking manouvre on Fisichella at the Japanese GP in 2005.
I would have said when he became champion at Brazil in 2007 but that
was so unbelievable that it didn’t sink in until a few days later, even
though I cried when he accepted his trophy on the podium!
I
think it’s generally good for everyone involved. Women have been
working in F1 more than ever in the past decade or so. Although the
majority of women work mainly in public relations, most female fans of
the sport certainly are just as hardcore as the males when it comes to
the racing. I have seen that some men can’t handle a women’s opinion,
which is a bit surprising. It’s like being back at nursery. Boys have
their toys and when a girl wants the same to play with, the boys go
extra defensive. I think it’s just nature!
9. What are the skills a driver needs to be a world champion?
to be champion are the same as what they needed to get into F1 with!
Quick, smooth and aggressive all in one. And a lot of the time, it
depends on the car more than the driver nowadays. The driver can have
all the skills in the world, but the car isn’t able to serve the
driver. I think the drivers have to be quick in all conditions (wet and
dry), to make sure they’re the most competitive candidate for the
championship. And a bit of luck!
Again, I have only witnessed
less than a third of F1’s history. So from the drivers I know, it has
to be Kimi Raikkonen. Closely followed by Fernando Alonso.
11. What do you think about Felipe Massa?
He’s
good, real good. But nothing special, in my opinion! He is really
quick, but so are 19 other drivers on the grid. It’s just the
racing-nature of Massa that I believe is very weak compared to the
others. He has pulled off some great moves though!
My world. I can only be
honest about it. You know, those blank spaces between everything in
your life, your family, your friends, your job/study? Kimi fills up
those spaces for me and he affects everything. There hasn’t been a
single day I haven’t supported him or mentioned his name, since I
became his fan.
13. How you discover Octeto’s blog?
I
think it was when Octeto mentioned my blog and so I was eager to see
what Octeto was! I visited Octeto and was amazed with how much
information there is on eight great drivers – Kimi being one of them!
14. When you visit Octeto’s blog, how hard for you is the factor foreign language?
Not
too hard. I only speak English but over the years after knowing a lot
of Kimi fans all over the world, I get familiar with different
languages. Octeto comes across really simple I think – so I don’t get
scared or overwhelmed with the language barrier!
15. What do you think about Octeto Racing Team’s blog?
a very refreshing motorsport fan-blog. Definitely the best I’ve seen,
and it is created by intelligent girls who aren’t afraid to show their
passion, and also stay true to themselves and love a bit of glamour!
FUCK ISRAEL 
What a great interview, Saima!!! Proud of you!! My favorite bit: Who is Kimi Raikkonen for you? – My world. 😉
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great saima great really u are great person and im proud to be your friend i wish that in a very sooner time u will achieve you dream just keep flying
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Saima, you’re great my friend!!! Kimi is really lucky to have such a dedicate fan as you! Well, Kimi has the best fans int the world!!!Kisses, Ludy (Octeto Racing Team)
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Hey Saima, excellent interview. I was at Silverstone 2007 too, I know exactly what you mean ! When Hamilton lost the atmosphere was like a funeral – but not for us eh! :o)
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Saima, what am awesome interview by Octeto…Apart from your blog, theirs is the next one that I always visit! Both blogs are really great, created by Kimi’s fan….who are ladies, not to offend anyone, but not many ladies appreciate F1. Brilliant answer by Kimi on DC’s criticism! Keep flying Kimi…..Keep flying Saima and also Ludy!!!
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A BIG CONGRATS!! to you Saima.. like Ludy mentions.. there is no doubt.. that you are "the most famous Kimi fan in the world".. and i really hope Kimi gets to find that out someday.. or may be he does.. who knows.. and carry on that dream.. which i believe would be a reality.. u will get an exclusive interview of Kimi.. wow that sounds super LEGENDARY!…. we are super grateful to have u run this blog for us.. Kimi fans… as u mention.. being a Kimi fan has never been easy.. we had to cope with one disappointment after another.. and that in Nurburgring in 2005.. was the one that hurt the most… but its amazing how Kimi keeps soo cool about it all.. Keep flying Kimi! Keep flying Saima!
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Im speechless Saima. What a wonderful interview. Congratulations. I already knew what made you tick – Kimi and F1. But now I also know more about the story behind it. Great answers. Loved it 🙂
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hello saima. i have been reading your blog for a little while and thought now was a good time to congratulate you on it – it’s simply excellent for all F1 news, being both passionate and objective – qualities often missing in other journalists, so kudos to you for showing both at once! i was (am?) a career long fan of schumi, but when people ask me what drivers i like, i always answer ‘the best ones!’, hence my particular interest in kimi. i can never understand why people confuse his composure with indifference; how unfortunate that a (former) driver of DC’s intellect has made that mistake. personally, i find it impressive that kimi can explain things in a succinct and clear way; Martin Whitmarsh seems to think so too – a great contradiction of DC! kudos to the kimster for his cool responses. BTW during the offseason Ron Dennis had some good words to say about Kimi and his current motivation. i wonder if during this tough time at Ferrari his current team will realise his value; on track skills aside, Kimi’s way of dealing with the crisis has been highly impressive. fingers crossed for some points this weekend!"
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BRAVO!!! that’s a great interview!!! I enjoy reading it!!! i feel like i know better about u now!!! :D"12. Who is Kimi Räikkönen for you?My world. I can only be honest about it. You know, those blank spaces between everything in your life, your family, your friends, your job/study? Kimi fills up those spaces for me and he affects everything. There hasn’t been a single day I haven’t supported him or mentioned his name, since I became his fan."—i esp love this cuz i feel the same like u do
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Great answers, you know your stuff.
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