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1. Kimi
RÄIKKÖNEN (McLaren), 1m20.878s
2. Juan Pablo MONTOYA (McLaren), 1m21.054s
3. Fernando ALONSO (Renault), 1m21.054s
TV UNILATERALS
Q: Kimi, a bitter-sweet day again, a beautiful-looking lap, particularly
through the second chicane and the Lesmos but sadly an engine change just
before qualifying, so starting ten places further back.
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yeah, it was not very good for the weekend but we’ve been
quick all weekend and the car is good. Unfortunately the engine let go just
on the last lap when I went out in the last practice but at least I did the
best that I could. We’re starting 11th now so I think we have the speed and
good tactics so we will see where we end up. It’s going to be a hard race
but that’s racing. Hopefully we get a good result.
Q: Of course, it’s not the first time that it’s happened this season. You
seem remarkably resilient to it and it was a great lap, you put everything
you had into it.
KR: Yeah, of course it depends what others are going to do tomorrow but I
think we are in a strong position again. It’s not the first time and
unfortunately it’s hurting us a lot in the championship but it’s nothing
that I can change and for sure everyone is working as hard as they can so
hopefully we can sort out the problems and we don’t have them any more. But
it doesn’t make our lives any easier for sure.
Q: What do you think about your opportunities from eleventh on the grid in
terms of overtaking on this circuit?
KR: Like I said, we’ve had a very fast car all weekend, also last week in
the test. I think here we have a better chance to overtake people than many
other places but there is a tight first corner and I’m in the middle of the
pack, so it’s not the perfect place to be but I think we will have good
speed and we just have to wait and see what happens in the race. But it’s
going to be difficult to try to win.
Q: Juan Pablo, well done, too. Effectively starting from the pole now and
with a bit of a margin over the guys behind you; a great-looking lap as
well.
Juan Pablo MONTOYA: Yeah, it was good. I’ve struggled all weekend with a lot
of understeer and I think we’ve still got a bit of understeer in the car,
more than I want. But it was a clean lap, there’s a bit more in the second
sector but I’m pretty happy. We’re clearly quicker than anybody else and if
we can get a good run into the first corner it should be good to try to win
the race tomorrow. It’s all we can do for the team.
Q: Talk about the build-up to this race, the events of Turkey and then your
focus, in terms of the Constructors’ championship, on the situation now as
the season draws to a close?
JPM: I think Kimi should be quite good tomorrow and should be able to get
into the points or even get on the podium, we’ll see what happens later in
the race but from where we stand, even if I wanted to help him, there’s not
much I can do at the moment, he’s too far back. I think the main goal at the
moment is to try to win the Constructors’ (Championship). The Kimi situation
today just made it a bit harder.
Q: And that first corner – as you say – a great place to be right at the
front, because it is a tight corner.
JPM: It is. I’ve been on the front row here four out of five times so it’s a
good place to start again.
Q: Fernando, quite a lot of pressure on you as you went out, the BAR Hondas
suddenly picking up speed and of course not a good run from your team mate
Giancarlo Fisichella, a ragged-looking lap. What were your thoughts as you
went out for that qualifying lap?
Fernando ALONSO: I was confident of having a good lap. I think the car was
not perfect this weekend compared with last week in the test, so we had a
bit more problems than we expected but we managed to do a good job this
morning and to prepare the car for the race situation. Some doubts about the
qualifying lap, whether we have enough speed to be on the front row, but we
did it, so for tomorrow even more confidence.
Q: It is very competitive behind you, but how did Kimi’s problem this
morning affect your approach to qualifying? Indeed, did it change it at all?
FA: Not really. I think for us we have to do our best which is finish all
the races, be sure that driveability-wise the car has no problems and I
think that’s what we are doing. From the middle of the season we have not
had the quickest car but we try to finish the races or get on the podium if
we can and for this race we didn’t change anything strategy-wise.
Q: I guess it’s encouraging to see how quick you are on the straights here,
this, the fastest circuit in Formula One.
FA: Yeah, we are OK. I think Fisi was the fastest car this morning. We have
to check in qualifying now, but for sure we have good straight-line speed so
for tomorrow, for the race, we have confidence in the possibility to
overtake or to defend our position. So I think front row for tomorrow to
start the race will be good.
Q: Kimi, just back to you, thoughts on coming from behind tomorrow.
Obviously the championship is still there in sight. How are you going to
sleep tonight?
KR: As good as ever. It doesn’t change my sleeping at all. It’s not going to
be easy but I think it all depends on what happens. As long as we get
through the first corner with no incidents I think we should be OK after
that. So many things can happen in the race. We just need to do the best we
can and I can push as hard as I always do. We don’t have anything to lose.
In that way it’s a pretty easy race because we just go as fast as we can.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Poor Kimi, you’ve been here before with this situation but I don’t
suppose you’re getting used to it, are you?
KR: It’s not a perfect thing but we cannot change it any more so we need to
make the best out of it.
Q: Was there a great change of strategy when that (engine change) happened?
KR: A little bit but not massively, but this is the best result we could aim
for and hopefully race up in the race tomorrow.
Q: Can you finish at least second to your team-mate tomorrow?
KR: We will try to win the race but of course it’s not easy and it all
depends really on what happens at the front of the race but I think we have
a quick car and as long as we get through the first corners without any
problems then for sure we have a good chance to fight for the race.
Q: Well I hope so. Juan Pablo, you must be very happy with the inherited
pole anyway?
JPM: Yeah, I had a decent, clean lap. I knew what sort of lap time we could
do. I made a mistake this morning on new tyres, so that was the goal –to do
a one minute 21 here but obviously if we could run a bit faster it would be
better. I made a mistake going into the first Lesmo and it cost me a couple
of tenths, but the car is good. It’s been good all weekend. A bit of
understeer, but I think that’s pretty good for the race.
Q: It’s a good circuit for you as we mentioned on Thursday.
JPM: Yes. I don’t know why but I always seem to end up on the front row. I
don’t mind.
Q: What happens if you see Kimi in your mirrors?
JPM: I don’t know. You tell me. I always want to try to help the team as
much as I can and, you know, help Kimi if I can as well at the moment for
the championship because I’m not completely out of it. It’s kind of normal.
I try to help the team in every way I can. In a way I really doubt it. I’m
sure he’s going to move up a lot but we’ll see what happens. It’s a long
race and anything can happen. We’ll see.
Q: Fernando, this hasn’t been a good track for Renault in the past so you
must be pleased with third. Certainly Flavio (Briatore) seemed to be.
FA: Yes, for sure it’s a good place to finish the qualifying and a better
place to start the race I the first row.
Q: So were you hoping for better?
FA: No, I think it’s the maximum we can do. From the fourth race of the
season we have not had the quickest car so we try to be as perfect as we can
in every single qualifying lap and every single race, pushing all the way
through the race and take the opportunities that McLaren is giving to us
sometimes so I think for me third place is the normal position today and the
first row for tomorrow is a little bit of a surprise. Obviously with Kimi’s
problem, and tomorrow, who knows? Strategy-wise we are okay and if we have a
good start we can even think about trying to win the race.
Q: It’s that consistency during the races that has certainly helped you
since, as you say, since the fourth race McLaren have had the quicker car
perhaps. Is that something you’ve worked on or is it something that comes
naturally?
FA: It comes naturally I think. All my career my strongest point was always
my consistency in the race. It’s maybe not there in the single lap
qualifying and this year even more perhaps I’ve had a good car, very
consistent in the race no mechanical problems in any of the races so I try
to score as many points as possible for me and the team in every race.
Q: Some drivers tend to go to sleep a little bit and their performance falls
off. Do you ever go to sleep in the car?
FA: No, no, I have Flavio on the radio, so it would not be easy.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Kimi, would you consider
this as bad luck?
KR: It is the same question you always ask if I have some problems. I don’t
know where it comes from but it seems to always hit us in the times when we
are gaining points to Renault. We always keep them away afterwards, but I
don’t know, but it’s something that shouldn’t happen.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, is this a better circuit to try to
win then it was at Magny-Cours and Silverstone?
KR: For sure it’s a better race to try to get on the podium and better
results because in here for sure it’s easier to overtake than at Silverstone
or Magny-Cours but for sure its still going to be very difficult and we are
just going to have to wait and see what happens in the race.
Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Fernando, when you see such
things happen like the engine failure for Kimi, are you starting to think
about the championship already?
FA: No. I think it’s not any feeling going on. You prepare your race and
sometimes you think that you are lucky because Kimi, my main opponent, is
starting ten places behind, and sometimes you think you’re unlucky because
with three laps less in practice yesterday, Kimi’s engine might have gone on
the first lap of the race and this would be even better for me. I think, you
know, I try to do my best always. Sometimes I can do it and sometimes not.
Sometimes I am happy with a podium, sometimes with a victory and I think
that for the last five races, I have had good luck in the championship and
of course I try to race with intelligence and I try to keep the gap with as
many points as I can.
Q: (Ottavio Daviddi - Tuttosport) Kimi, what did you think when the team
decided to change your engine?
KR: Not much really. Of course I was disappointed, but I knew pretty much
that when I went out in practice, the last laps, something had happened and
usually it is not a good sign when you lose power and the engine is not
running normally, so I knew already that this was not right and I had an
engine change, so it was bad for me.
Q: (Adam Hay-Nicholls – Two Paws Agency) In 2008, with these plans to try to
reduce the amount of dirty air out of the back of these cars to increase the
chance of overtaking, is it something you welcome or are you quite happy to
keep the guy behind you?
JPM: To be honest, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I heard Max was
saying something yesterday but to be honest I was with my kid so I had
better things to think about. Whatever you think, it doesn’t matter. Fifty
percent of the time it doesn’t even go through, but if it happens, it
happens, and it’s the same for everybody.
KR: Its too many years forward. Maybe I won’t even be here then, so lets
wait and see. |
