FORUMula1.com

[sagi58]

The only point that counts is that, TODAY, Kimi is a Ferrari driver!

[Hammer278]

Uh ok if you say so.

[sagi58]

[spankyham]

 wrote:">Kimi: “It’s wide open in Australia”

Maranello, March 5 – There are now only a few days to go to the start of the 2014 Formula 1 season and this year, like never before, there is a great sense of anticipation to see the cars take to the track on Friday in Albert Park. For Kimi Raikkonen, there’s an extra reason why it will feel special, because he will be starting his second stint at Ferrari. Most recently, the Finn won this race in 2013, but he also did it back in 2007, when he made his Ferrari debut, thus joining a select band who triumphed first time out for the Prancing Horse, drivers of the calibre of Juan Manuel Fangio, Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell. Only one other driver managed it after Kimi and that was his current team-mate, Fernando Alonso.

“I remember very well my first win with Ferrari,” Kimi told www.ferrari.com. “it couldn’t have been a better start to my seventh year in Formula 1, with a dominant win from pole. Winning always feels great for me. Nothing could be better. Last year, we also managed to win, which certainly surprised people because unlike 2007, at Lotus we weren’t favourites. So, if I had to compare the two Australian wins, somehow, winning it last year for the second time felt even a little bit nicer after such a difficult pre-season testing period.



“Australia is a great place to start the season, Melbourne is a wonderful city and, for us Europeans it always feels a bit special to be in this different part of the world. Only the weather is not always that nice,” added Raikkonen. “I can remember only one GP here where there was sunshine all the time. Of course, I’d prefer dry and hot weekends, especially this year with a completely new car and so many technical aspects still to be understood completely.”

Kimi ran the Albert Park track programme on the simulator today, to try and anticipate unusual situations that could arise because of the characteristics of the 2014 car. “The track is not that difficult and it’s a combination of a street circuit and a permanent race track and the event is very well organised. Sure, if your car is not well balanced then life can get difficult because you can lose a lot of time compared to those have got it right. If it rains, then the track is very, very slippery and the white lines can be really treacherous.”

The Espoo man won’t be drawn into what could be the possible outcome of the race: “Making predictions has never been my habit and this year there is even more reason not to. We are heading Down Under with brand new cars and I reckon it is wide open and anything can happen. In Maranello, we have worked hard and the F14 T seems to be a good car, but the track will tell who is quickest. When we start running to see where we are, we will at least have some data to give us a starting point.”

[sagi58]

Here's hoping

[spankyham]

 wrote:">Australian GP – Raikkonen: “a new beginning”

Melbourne, 13 March – Last year, Kimi Raikkonen won this Grand Prix, but with a different team and this weekend marks his return to the circuit where he also won on his debut for the Scuderia in 2007. “A new beginning of a season and we’ll just have to see how it goes,” is how the Finn summed it up when meeting the media today. “I’m with a new team but I have been here before which definitely makes life easier.”



Familiarity with the track and the team doesn’t mean the man from Espoo has a handle on how this weekend might go. “Every season there are question marks and how many depends on how the testing has gone,” he affirmed. “This year, with quite a lot of rule changes it’s a bit harder to know where we are and what’s going to happen, even if everyone has a rough idea of where we are going to be. We will have to wait until after the first few races to get a clearer picture. But there is no point guessing where we are now. Some teams have looked a bit faster than us in testing, but here we are in a different place, a very different track to Bahrain and different things can happen. Obviously I want to win and hopefully we can be up there and fight for the championship. The weather could be a bit tricky this weekend and with the new rules there could be a different scenario to the days when we raced with more fuel.”

With his usual matter of fact view of life, winning twice in Albert Park doesn’t endear the track to Kimi. “I don’t think this circuit is particularly special, although it’s a nice place for everybody to come,” he says. “As it’s the first race of the season, usually something happens and it makes for exciting racing, but just because I won here last year, it doesn’t mean this year will be just as good. You want to score as many points as you can. Hopefully we won’t have too many issues and can have a clean weekend and then we can see where we end up compared to the others.”

As for Kimi’s approach to the weekend, it’s straightforward: “there are a lot of areas where we still need to improve all the time and I hope we will be happy with the car right from the start of tomorrow’s practice.”

[What's Burning?]

Here's hoping

Wait I'm confused, dumb question. Which history 2007 or 2009?

[sagi58]

Here's hoping

Wait I'm confused, dumb question. Which history 2007 or 2009?

Here's a hint: You're in the Kimi thread!

[racechick]

Love this!! On twitter.

@iceman7news: Reporter. "Kimi, could You not do anything about the crash?"

Kimi: "no, or i wouldn't have crashed
(Via @theFakeKimi)

[What's Burning?]

That fake Kimi is such a jokester.

[Hammer278]

Magnum boy melted today. Very uncharacteristic, I hope he puts up some sort of fight tomorrow. He's been kinda average in qualifying since his comeback anyway so there's some hope for tomorrow.

[LewEngBridewell]

Magnum boy melted today. Very uncharacteristic, I hope he puts up some sort of fight tomorrow. He's been kinda average in qualifying since his comeback anyway so there's some hope for tomorrow.

I seem to remember Raikkonen binning the Ferrari during qualifying for Melbourne some time ago... 2008?

[stonemonkey]

It'll be like his steering rack with Lotus, once he gets his brakes to his liking he'll be on it.

[sagi58]

If what's being predicted/suggested/opined about the Mercedes vs the Ferrari power unit,
then Kimi did a damned fine job of scoring point in Australia!! He and Alonso crossed
the finish line, so the car is obviously fairly reliable.

At the end of the day, this was race one of the season! Anyone writing off any driver that
scored points should consider writing off the drivers who didn't score any points.

To finish first, you must first finish.



Juan Manuel Fangio

[racechick]

You mean like Lewis?

Not that I'm writing anyone off, that would be foolish after one race.