After you left Ferrari you could have signed a contract with McLaren-Mercedes. Why you preferred to drive rally?No comment. (laughs) Well, I just didn’t get the cockpit I wanted.
Why?
Different reasons. I had some offers, not only from McLaren. But I also ever made it clear, that I will only stay in F1, when I get the chance to win races and fight for the championship. When the last door was closed I decided that the rally world championship would be the best option for me. Red Bull and Citroen give me that opportunity. Anytime in my career I wanted to do that anyway, now it just happened earlier.
When did Ferrari tell you that they don’t need you anymore?
Sometime in summer 2009 they told me that they maybe will replace me with Alonso. I don’t think that it was up to my performance on track. Rather some other things lead to Alonso driving there. For example some sponsors were not innocent.
You surely mean Spanish bank Santander, a sponsor of Fernando Alonso. What do you think now of Ferrari?
I had 3 great years there. I achieved my dream to be world champion with Ferrari. It is one of the best teams in F1. There is nothing negative to say about the team.
Which aims do you have for the rally world championship?
If I drive longer, the ultimate aim is certainly to be world champion. Nobody has won both championships in F1 and Rally before. But one after another. First I want to win a rally.
Which title would mean more to you?
To be the best driver around the world is always a great satisfaction, in rally as in F1.
You have a fantastic rival: Sebastian Loeb
He dominates the rally world championship since many years. 6 consecutive years he was world champion, that’s a bit similar to Michael Schumacher in F1. When you dominate your sport for such a long time you are something special. That’s why I can learn a lot from him. He is my benchmark, exactly like he could learn from me a lot in F1.
How much of your excitement for rallies is because you are a Finn and that the sport has a long tradition in your country?
Much. In the past I was driving rally-cross. Also I always liked to drive on snow.
Don’t you miss the power of a F1 engine?
Well, a F1 car is the fastest race car in the world. Everything else can’t be that quick unfortunately.
Do you still have contacts to F1?
Hey, I’m just away for some months now! There are still the same team principals like last year. Apart from those of the new teams I know them all personally.
You have very good connections to Red Bull. What do you think about a F1 comeback as Sebastian Vettel’s team mate?
Who knows? I will make my decision sometime later this year and will check what opportunities I have. Red Bull was very competitive 2009. When I would have a chance to drive a competitive car, that would be very interesting.
Why would you and your friend Sebastian Vettel be a good team?
That you must ask the team. They make the decisions.
What do you answer to critics who say you would not be motivated enough anymore for F1?
I still did try to stay there. That is fact. But it didn’t work. Now I will drive rally for a year. What will come after that has nothing to do with my motivation.
There are voices who say you didn’t do enough with your talent. Are they right?
I could have won 3 world championships in F1. It wasn’t my fault that it didn’t work.
Source: Sportbild
Courtesy: miezicat KRSF
