Kamis, 30 September 2010
Massa's Blog: At Singapore the gamble did not pay off
I stayed in Singapore until Tuesday night, mainly because I was making an appearance for a personal sponsor, Richard Mille. I was pleased to stay on, because I enjoy visiting Singapore as the people are very welcoming and also the city is developing very quickly so there is always something new to see. I then returned home to Monaco and later this week, I will spend some days there just relaxing, after which it will be time to head off for Suzuka and the next important round of the championship.
As the Singapore Grand Prix was one of the races I had to miss last year, recovering from my accident, I was really looking forward to this year’s race, as a chance to try and get the result that escaped me in 2008. Two years ago, I produced what I consider one of my best ever qualifying performances to take pole position with a very big gap to the second placed man. Then, in a chaotic race, there was that infamous mistake at the pit stop, when I ended up driving down pit lane with the fuel hose still attached to the car.
Unfortunately, there was to be no making up for that unlucky weekend this time. Pole in 2008 was replaced with last on the grid and effectively my weekend was pretty much over from Saturday afternoon, when a problem on the car left me stuck out on track without even having completed one flying lap. But I’m not the sort to give up and in the debrief with the engineers on Saturday, we decided to go for a similar strategy to the one used by my team-mate Fernando in Monaco this year when he could not qualify either: as Marina Bay is also a street circuit, we felt there was a good chance that a Safety Car could come into play and at least let me move up a few places through a strategy gamble. That gamble did not pay off on Sunday evening, because having come in immediately to switch to the hard tyres, the Safety Car did come out, but really it was too early by maybe just one or two laps. Without that, I might have got in front of Hulkenberg and had a different sort of race. But, as it turned out, I had a rather boring, but very tough race. I was stuck in a train of slow cars with no possibility of overtaking and the heat and humidity feel even worse when you are in someone’s slipstream all the time. On top of that, I had to do almost the whole race on the one set of tyres, so that in the later stages, I really had to concentrate just to keep the car on track. You only had to see how fast Kubica was going after he switched to fresh tyres, to understand how difficult it was on the old ones.
In the end, I made up a few more places thanks to a couple of Stewards decisions after the race and although personally, it does not mean much to me, given that obviously my own hopes in the Drivers’ championship have gone, it did mean I got a couple more important points for Ferrari in the Constructors’ classification.
Source: Massa's Blog - Ferrari.com
Fernando Alonso: I'm just a normal guy
Often reported to be cold and arrogant, Fernando Alonso insists he's just a regular guy
The Ferrari driver does not have the best reputation of the track, with fellow Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari calling his compatriot 'very cold'.
However, Alonso has hit back at such suggestions, insisting that the way in which he is perceived in the media is not a true reflection of who he is.
"In the media we read again and again things about ourselves that are not right," he is reported as saying in the Spanish press.
"People are making judgements from the outside, but that's the business.
"I am very calm and relaxed, even romantic. Actually, I'm a normal guy. I'm a little bit shy, but when everything's right, that's when the Spaniard in me comes out," he added.
Source: Planet-F1
The Ferrari driver does not have the best reputation of the track, with fellow Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari calling his compatriot 'very cold'.However, Alonso has hit back at such suggestions, insisting that the way in which he is perceived in the media is not a true reflection of who he is.
"In the media we read again and again things about ourselves that are not right," he is reported as saying in the Spanish press.
"People are making judgements from the outside, but that's the business.
"I am very calm and relaxed, even romantic. Actually, I'm a normal guy. I'm a little bit shy, but when everything's right, that's when the Spaniard in me comes out," he added.
Source: Planet-F1
Fiat considers selling Ferrari shares
According to a rumour at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday, Italian carmaker Fiat is considering selling some of its shares in Ferrari and the famous Formula One team.
The rumour emerged a few days ago based on a report in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, suggesting Fiat wants to raise money to increase its stake in Chrysler to 51 per cent.
Fiat, who currently own 85 per cent of Ferrari, has denied the rumours that it is prepared to reduce its shareholding to a controlling 51 per cent.
The other significant Ferrari owner is Abu Dhabi investment company Mubadala.
Maranello based Ferrari is valued at more than $3 billion.
At the Paris motor show on Thursday, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the marque's profits were close to record highs in 2010.
"Despite the crisis we'll close the year better than last year," he said.
The Italian also played down the latest reports he is considering entering politics, insisting he is "ready to work a lot for the future of Ferrari".
Source: Motorsport.com
The rumour emerged a few days ago based on a report in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, suggesting Fiat wants to raise money to increase its stake in Chrysler to 51 per cent.
Fiat, who currently own 85 per cent of Ferrari, has denied the rumours that it is prepared to reduce its shareholding to a controlling 51 per cent.
The other significant Ferrari owner is Abu Dhabi investment company Mubadala.
Maranello based Ferrari is valued at more than $3 billion.
At the Paris motor show on Thursday, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the marque's profits were close to record highs in 2010.
"Despite the crisis we'll close the year better than last year," he said.
The Italian also played down the latest reports he is considering entering politics, insisting he is "ready to work a lot for the future of Ferrari".
Source: Motorsport.com
Solberg flies in Rallye de France Shakedown
Norway's Petter Solberg went fastest in a mixed-up shakedown, but the real action gets underway tomorrow morning at 0843 with the first of 20 stages
Former World Champion Petter Solberg has claimed fastest time in the shakedown for the all-new Rallye de France, over a short asphalt stage running around the service area. The Norwegian set a best time of 1m53.4s in his privately-run Citroën C4 WRC, under cloudy skies and damp conditions. Temperatures were cool at around 11 degrees centigrade.
The stage was not especially representative of the conditions that the competitors will face over the next three days, and the times were taken by hand as the specialised equipment had already left for the first stage.
This led to quite a few surprises on the time sheets - but not too much should be read into them. World Touring Car Championship star Yvan Muller was the third-quickest driver on the shakedown, driving Solberg’s old 2006-specification Citroën Xsara WRC.
“My new team mate is not bad at all, is he?” joked Solberg. “From our point of view everything was really good, but the rally is a different thing. We came very close to winning on the last round in Japan, so we’re going to be pushing hard.”
The second-quickest car on the shakedown was Hungarian privateer Frigyes Turan in a Peugeot 307 WRC, while the Ford Fiesta Super 2000 of Henning Solberg was fourth-fastest behind Muller.
Sebastien Loeb, gunning for his seventh consecutive World Championship on home territory in Alsace, could only manage sixth-fastest on the shakedown in his factory Citroen C4 WRC.
“I think everyone has a lot of pressure but there’s a bit more pressure than usual,” said Loeb. “But in the end I prefer just to concentrate on the rally. If the weather is like this that it could be very slippery, so I think it will be tricky.”
Former Grand Prix champion Kimi Räikkönen was ninth-fastest, setting a time just 0.7 seconds slower than Loeb. The rally gets underway at 1830 with a ceremonial start in Strasbourg.
Shakedown times:
1-Petter 1.53,4
2-Turan 1.57,7
3-Yvan 1.58,8
4-Loeb 2.02,2
5-Ogier 2.02,2
6-Sordo 2.02,7
7-Räikkönen 2.02,9
8-Latvala 2.03,6
9-Villagra 2.05,2
10-Hirvonen 2.06,4
11-Wilson 2.14,2
Source: WRC
Former World Champion Petter Solberg has claimed fastest time in the shakedown for the all-new Rallye de France, over a short asphalt stage running around the service area. The Norwegian set a best time of 1m53.4s in his privately-run Citroën C4 WRC, under cloudy skies and damp conditions. Temperatures were cool at around 11 degrees centigrade.
The stage was not especially representative of the conditions that the competitors will face over the next three days, and the times were taken by hand as the specialised equipment had already left for the first stage.
This led to quite a few surprises on the time sheets - but not too much should be read into them. World Touring Car Championship star Yvan Muller was the third-quickest driver on the shakedown, driving Solberg’s old 2006-specification Citroën Xsara WRC.
“My new team mate is not bad at all, is he?” joked Solberg. “From our point of view everything was really good, but the rally is a different thing. We came very close to winning on the last round in Japan, so we’re going to be pushing hard.”
The second-quickest car on the shakedown was Hungarian privateer Frigyes Turan in a Peugeot 307 WRC, while the Ford Fiesta Super 2000 of Henning Solberg was fourth-fastest behind Muller.
Sebastien Loeb, gunning for his seventh consecutive World Championship on home territory in Alsace, could only manage sixth-fastest on the shakedown in his factory Citroen C4 WRC.
“I think everyone has a lot of pressure but there’s a bit more pressure than usual,” said Loeb. “But in the end I prefer just to concentrate on the rally. If the weather is like this that it could be very slippery, so I think it will be tricky.”
Former Grand Prix champion Kimi Räikkönen was ninth-fastest, setting a time just 0.7 seconds slower than Loeb. The rally gets underway at 1830 with a ceremonial start in Strasbourg.
Shakedown times:
1-Petter 1.53,4
2-Turan 1.57,7
3-Yvan 1.58,8
4-Loeb 2.02,2
5-Ogier 2.02,2
6-Sordo 2.02,7
7-Räikkönen 2.02,9
8-Latvala 2.03,6
9-Villagra 2.05,2
10-Hirvonen 2.06,4
11-Wilson 2.14,2
Source: WRC
Rabu, 29 September 2010
Former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney sentenced to Jail!
Former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney, who was accused of sabotage and leaking confidential data to McLaren in a 2007 Formula One spy scandal, has been given a jail sentence after a plea bargain.
Local media reported that Stepney was sentenced on Wednesday to a year and eight months in prison and handed a 600 euro ($817) fine. Italy's legal system means he is highly unlikely to serve any time in jail.
"We are satisfied, even if my client has always denied sabotage," his lawyer Sonia Bartolini was quoted as saying by the Gazzetta di Modena website after a hearing in Sassuolo, near Ferrari's Maranello base.
"We have to thank the prosecutor for agreeing to a plea bargain. Initially the sentence was much higher."
Neither Stepney nor court officials could be contacted immediately.
Briton Stepney was accused of passing technical Ferrari data to rivals McLaren and trying to damage Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa's cars before the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix while still working for the team.
McLaren were fined a record $100 million by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and stripped of all their constructors' points at a 2007 hearing after being found guilty of possessing a 780-page dossier of Ferrari data.
Both Stepney and McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan were sacked by their teams.
The FIA took no formal action against Stepney, since he was not a licence holder of the governing body, but recommended that teams should have no professional ties with him for a two-year period.
Stepney has consistently denied allegations of sabotage. Ferrari had said a mysterious powder was found around the petrol caps of both their cars before the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix.
Source: Reuters
Kimi's Column: Vive la France!
Kimi Rally France preview in Finnish
Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN
Courtesy: Nicole
We have been waiting for this race in a positive way with Kaitsu ever since the speed was nicely found in the beginning of summer in rally Bulgaria.
The season's second new tarmac rally is in France and we get a bit of leverage because the others don't have notes from the last ten years and knowledge of familiar roads. We are all on the same line there.
There was no testing after Japan but we took the rally Vosgien in France as training and to get the feeling. It went well. We got some feeling to the car and feeling to the roads, which are similar to those we are now going to drive.
We were satisfied with Kaitsu with the work we got done in that short rally. First we took it the wrong way in setups but when we went back to the basic things we found really good setups for our car.
It's always difficult to say beforehand how the race will go. Only after we get to the area and start driving hoping that we find the rhythm immediately and get a hang of it without any difficulties in the beginning.
We would have to get to the finish line without bigger blunders but you never know because unfortunately I have rallied less than these other have and it's only through experience that I can do a good result all the time.
This is a special weekend for our Citroen-team. When you drive a French car in France you get a lot of support and fans.
The French people are rally-people just like the Finns are.
Sebastien Loeb has a chance to secure his umpteenth championship and it's sure that he will do his everything so that he can win and take the title at the same time in his home rally.
We go there to do our best. We have made totally simple blunders in the last two rallies. On tarmac my feeling is immediately better because it is afterall a more familiar surface to me. At least the training rally in Italy before Bulgaria helped so hopefully the same strategy hits home there too and we get a good rhythm on France's roads.
So it's Vive la France!
Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN
Courtesy: Nicole
Selasa, 28 September 2010
Ilta-Sanomat (paper edition) Come back, Kimi
IS Urheilu asked experts on Singapore paddock if they would want Kimi back to F1
Niki Lauda
- I don't believe that he is coming back. He drives rally now and that I really don't understand. It has never happened before that someone from F1 goes to drive rally.
David Coulthard
- I haven't even thought about it. He is a good driver with a good personality. Kimi also always had time for his fans.
- I still don't really believe in his comeback.
Eddie Jordan
- I don't believe Kimi will come back.
Martin Whitmarsh
- Kimi's comeback would be a good thing for F1-races. He has a great personality and he is also a great driver. He would have to come back soon, next year at the latest. After that it's too late.
- Isn't he going to Renault? If I would have to choose between Vitali Petrov and Kimi I wouldn't think twice about it.
Jenson Button
- I hope that Kimi comes back. But only he knows if he is coming back to F1.
Sir Jackie Stewart
- It would be great if Kimi would come back. I respect his driving style and the F1-serie isn't the same without him.
- If Kimi stays away from the F1-world for too long it will be a great risk to come back. The same could happen to him that happened to Michael Schumacher who still hasn't won his team mate Nico Rosberg. Hopefully he finds the sparkle and Kimi returns to the track.
Norbert Haug
- I don't know if he comes back or not. It would be cool if he would come back. I have always liked Kimi.
- He is driving rally now and has shown already during the first year that he is good in that sport too. Kimi has talents. Thanks to Kimi we would have been more often world champions if we just wouldn't have had problems with technical matter and engines.
Bernie Ecclestone
- Of course I hope that Kimi comes back. But you should ask Kimi himself if he is coming back.
Rupert Grint, actor from Harry Potter -movies
- Kimi who? I only know Mika Häkkinen. I don't really follow F1 but I came here because I was invited.
Source: Ilta-Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole
Niki Lauda- I don't believe that he is coming back. He drives rally now and that I really don't understand. It has never happened before that someone from F1 goes to drive rally.
David Coulthard
- I haven't even thought about it. He is a good driver with a good personality. Kimi also always had time for his fans.
- I still don't really believe in his comeback.
Eddie Jordan
- I don't believe Kimi will come back.
Martin Whitmarsh
- Kimi's comeback would be a good thing for F1-races. He has a great personality and he is also a great driver. He would have to come back soon, next year at the latest. After that it's too late.
- Isn't he going to Renault? If I would have to choose between Vitali Petrov and Kimi I wouldn't think twice about it.
Jenson Button
- I hope that Kimi comes back. But only he knows if he is coming back to F1.
Sir Jackie Stewart
- It would be great if Kimi would come back. I respect his driving style and the F1-serie isn't the same without him.
- If Kimi stays away from the F1-world for too long it will be a great risk to come back. The same could happen to him that happened to Michael Schumacher who still hasn't won his team mate Nico Rosberg. Hopefully he finds the sparkle and Kimi returns to the track.
Norbert Haug
- I don't know if he comes back or not. It would be cool if he would come back. I have always liked Kimi.
- He is driving rally now and has shown already during the first year that he is good in that sport too. Kimi has talents. Thanks to Kimi we would have been more often world champions if we just wouldn't have had problems with technical matter and engines.
Bernie Ecclestone
- Of course I hope that Kimi comes back. But you should ask Kimi himself if he is coming back.
Rupert Grint, actor from Harry Potter -movies
- Kimi who? I only know Mika Häkkinen. I don't really follow F1 but I came here because I was invited.
Source: Ilta-Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole
Hamilton has 'changed attitude' after recent crashes
After crashing out of the consecutive Italian and Singapore grands prix, Lewis Hamilton has vowed a different approach to the remaining races in 2010
Before his terminal crash into Felipe Massa at Monza, and then Mark Webber last Sunday, the McLaren driver was considered a favourite for the world championship.
But he is now 20 points adrift with four - or three, depending on embattled Korea's fate - races to go.
"I've changed my attitude," he said in an interview with Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.
"I'm not looking at the world championship any more. I will try to win the next races but above all I want to enjoy my racing," added the Briton.
Hamilton's new attitude may also be explained by the nature of the forthcoming races, with Red Bull and Ferrari expected to set the pace at Suzuka next weekend.
"The types of corners (at Suzuka) will be most favourable to Red Bull," Ferrari test driver Marc Gene wrote in his El Mundo column.
"It wouldn't surprise me to see them better than the rest and very difficult to beat. But we will have improvements so you can't rule us out for the win," added the Spaniard.
While Ferrari has undoubtedly closed the gap to Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel said recently that the Japanese venue was so suitable for the RB6 that it seems John Hugenholtz "made Suzuka for us".
"And all the other tracks should suit our car as well. Korea is the only unknown one, but that's the same for everyone," the German told Bild newspaper.
McLaren's Jenson Button, now the lowest-ranked of the five contenders and 25 points behind leader Webber, said before returning to the UK for simulation tests: "Hopefully Korea goes ahead."
Another concern for Ferrari is engine usage, given that if Fernando Alonso needs to fit another unit before the Abu Dhabi finale, he will take a ten-place grid penalty.
"There is no reason to think too much about it," a Ferrari engineer is quoted by El Pais newspaper.
"In Singapore Fernando used an engine that had already done two races," he explained, adding that the difference between a new and old engine is "not much more" than 2 horse power.
Senin, 27 September 2010
Interview with Helmut Marko from MTV3
Red Bull was interested in hiring Räikkönen when it was clear that he wouldn't continue with Ferrari. The negotiations fell apart when it became obvious that Räikkönen wants to go rallying. Now Helmut Marko admits that Kimi's results in rally have been a disappointment to the sponsor
Courtesy: Nicole
Oskari Saari:
Helmut Marko is a man who's words weigh a lot. They claim that Marko practically dictates which drivers drive in Red Bull's F1-team. Marko is also a very straightforward man. Red Bull is considering withdrawing from Räikkönen's rally-project. The reason is also clear:
Helmut Marko:
Kimi has had a few crashes and if you have crashes you don't bring results and therefore the output or the PR wasn't as good as we expected.
Oskari Saari:
So you were hoping for better results already?
Helmut Marko:
Yes. Sometimes he had best sector times or best stage time but as you mentioned before, it's difficult to read Red Bull upside down. We were in contact with him and he made quite clear that he wants to go to rally at the moment and we accepted that and we made a deal and as you know he did this season in rally-cars and now we have to see what happens in the future.
For the next season all our seats are gone and therefore we can't discuss anything.
Courtesy: Nicole
Waking up to rain again
It was raining when Fernando Alonso arrived in Singapore last Wednesday and it greeted him again this afternoon, as he boarded his flight home. In between came some very busy times for the Spaniard, culminating in yesterday night’s fantastic win which has propelled him into second place in the Drivers’ championship, eleven points off the leader, Mark Webber.
Indeed, the only rain-free day was Sunday, which definitely added to the spectacle on track. Given that the track surface at Marina Bay takes a long time to dry, the slightest shower in the three hours leading up to the start of the race would have had a significant effect, at least in the early stages. In the end, up until this morning, the weather was fine, although the rain then reappeared until sunset on Monday. This was also good news for all the men and women who worked until dawn, packing away all the equipment in the paddock; the garage equipment, the cars themselves, the pit stop kit and everything used in the hospitality area, which will now be heading for Suzuka, the next stop on this round the world tour that ends in eight weeks time with a test session in Abu Dhabi, the week after the final round of the 2010 season.
Tonight, the team members take a direct flight to Milan Malpensa, landing tomorrow morning. Then, it will be straight back to work to prepare for the Japanese Grand Prix: tomorrow afternoon will see the usual debriefing session, while the first part of the crew leaves for Suzuka on Sunday 3 October: there is definitely no time to draw breath, both at the track and in Maranello!
Source: Ferrari.com
RED BULL ON STAGE. RALLYE DE FRANCE - PREVIEW KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN
KIMI EMBRACES LIBERTY, EQUALITY, AND FRATERNITY IN FRANCE
Red Bull Rallye de France preview
Red Bull Rallye de France previewThe French national motto will be a good one for Red Bull driver Kimi Raikkonen as he discovers new territory on the Rallye de France this weekend: the first time that the event is being run in Alsace after several years in Corsica.
Liberty: After showing great pace on the last all-new round of the World Rally Championship, in Bulgaria, Kimi is free to demonstrate just what he is capable of on the surface that he is most familiar with. Or, to be accurate, the surface that he is least unfamiliar with.
Equality: Kimi will be driving the same Citroen C4 WRC as the great Sebastien Loeb, who has been undefeated on asphalt since 2004. The same record stands for Citroen, which is the car to beat on sealed surfaces.
Fraternity: Once more, Kimi will be part of the extended Red Bull and Citroen family as it celebrates its home event and very possibly a seventh consecutive drivers' title for Loeb. The rally runs through Loeb's native Alsace, so there's bound to be a good party with plenty of Red Bull cocktails afterwards.
Apart from that, Kimi has little idea of what to expect, although he did join the ranks of rally winners two weeks ago by triumphing on the Rallye Vosgien: a small national event in France that contains similar stages to those he will see this weekend.
Experience is what it is all about for Kimi this year, and he is hoping that the knowledge he gained in Sebastien Loeb's back garden will help him when he faces the rest of the WRC field on what will still only be his 10th World Rally Championship event in the Citroen C4 WRC.
"It's not easy, that's for sure," said Raikkonen. "But I'm hoping that we can have a good result in France. If we can show the same sort of pace like we did in Bulgaria, in the top five, then that would be really good. The problem is that it's always hard to predict a result when you don't know anything about what the route is going to be like, so we'll just concentrate very hard on the recce to end up with the best set of pace notes possible. Generally we've improved in every area since the start of the season and I feel a lot more comfortable now, so we're hoping to continue our progress this weekend. France is obviously a really important event for Citroen so I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun: a bit like driving for Ferrari at Monza!"
Co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, who has sat alongside Kimi since the Finn made his world rally debut in a Super 2000 car on the Rally Finland last year, is also looking forward to the weekend, although he's not expecting a French revolution.
"We're learning step by step; I think sometimes people forget that this is only Kimi's first year in rallying and that nobody has ever walked straight into the very top level to compete against the very best with no experience before," said Kaj. "Kimi's been doing very well, and I'm sure that he can improve again in France. Asphalt is obviously a surface that he knows a bit better, and together we'll be working on putting together a good set of pace notes during the recce so that Kimi can make the most of his talent on the stages."
Rallye de France is based in Strasbourg: the seat of the European Parliament and the second-largest port on the Rhine River, after Duisburg in Germany.
Source: RedBullRallye
Räikkönen: French outing like Ferrari at Monza
Buoyed by his first rally win, Kimi Räikkönen is looking forward to testing his mettle in Citroen team-mate Sebastien Loeb's backyard on this weekend's Rallye de France
Kimi Räikkönen has admitted that he is looking forward to this weekend's Rallye de France, comparing the thought of piloting a full-bore Citroën C4 WRC around the hills of Alsace to racing for Ferrari at the Maranello's spiritual home in Monza.
Buoyed by his first rally win, on last weekend's Rallye Vosgien, the Finn reports that he is feeling more comfortable with the car and the demands of a WRC weekend, but admits that, despite having one of the best cars in the event, there are still a lot of unknowns ahead as the French event switches from its familiar home in Corsica to embrace the area beloved of multiple champion - and Citroën team-mate - Sebastien Loeb.
After showing great pace on the last all-new round of the World Rally Championship, in Bulgaria, the 2007 F1 world champion is hoping to demonstrate just what he is capable of on the surface that he is most familiar - or least unfamiliar - even if he understands that beating Loeb, who stands poised on the brink of an unprecedented seventh world drivers' title, is nigh-on impossible unless he can end the Frenchman's six-year unbeaten run on asphalt.
"It's not easy, that's for sure," Räikkönen conceded, as he approaches just his tenth WRC event in the C4, "But I'm hoping that we can have a good result in France. If we can show the same sort of pace like we did in Bulgaria, in the top five, then that would be really good.
"The problem is that it's always hard to predict a result when you don't know anything about what the route is going to be like, so we'll just concentrate very hard on the recce to end up with the best set of pace notes possible. Generally, we've improved in every area since the start of the season and I feel a lot more comfortable now, so we're hoping to continue our progress this weekend. France is obviously a really important event for Citroen, so I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun - a bit like driving for Ferrari at Monza!"
Co-driver Kaj Lindström, who has sat alongside Räikkönen since the Finn made his world rally debut in a Super 2000 car on the Rally Finland last year, is also looking forward to the weekend, although he's not expecting a French revolution.
"We're learning step by step, and I think sometimes people forget that this is only Kimi's first year in rallying and that nobody has ever walked straight into the very top level to compete against the very best with no experience before," he reasoned, "Kimi's been doing very well, and I'm sure that he can improve again in France. Asphalt is obviously a surface that he knows a bit better and, between us, we'll be working on putting together a good set of pace notes during the recce so that he can make the most of his talent on the stages."
Räikkönen may need to make the most of this weekend's outing, however, as, with his future at Citroen uncertain beyond the end of the season, he may not find himself able to use the Monza comparison again. The Finn has been linked to a possible switch to either the new Prodrive-run Mini team, or the Monster Ford squad, for 2011, but has also made enquiries about a possible return to F1 with Renault
Source: Crash.net
Courtesy: sleenster
Kimi Räikkönen has admitted that he is looking forward to this weekend's Rallye de France, comparing the thought of piloting a full-bore Citroën C4 WRC around the hills of Alsace to racing for Ferrari at the Maranello's spiritual home in Monza.Buoyed by his first rally win, on last weekend's Rallye Vosgien, the Finn reports that he is feeling more comfortable with the car and the demands of a WRC weekend, but admits that, despite having one of the best cars in the event, there are still a lot of unknowns ahead as the French event switches from its familiar home in Corsica to embrace the area beloved of multiple champion - and Citroën team-mate - Sebastien Loeb.
After showing great pace on the last all-new round of the World Rally Championship, in Bulgaria, the 2007 F1 world champion is hoping to demonstrate just what he is capable of on the surface that he is most familiar - or least unfamiliar - even if he understands that beating Loeb, who stands poised on the brink of an unprecedented seventh world drivers' title, is nigh-on impossible unless he can end the Frenchman's six-year unbeaten run on asphalt.
"It's not easy, that's for sure," Räikkönen conceded, as he approaches just his tenth WRC event in the C4, "But I'm hoping that we can have a good result in France. If we can show the same sort of pace like we did in Bulgaria, in the top five, then that would be really good.
"The problem is that it's always hard to predict a result when you don't know anything about what the route is going to be like, so we'll just concentrate very hard on the recce to end up with the best set of pace notes possible. Generally, we've improved in every area since the start of the season and I feel a lot more comfortable now, so we're hoping to continue our progress this weekend. France is obviously a really important event for Citroen, so I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun - a bit like driving for Ferrari at Monza!"
Co-driver Kaj Lindström, who has sat alongside Räikkönen since the Finn made his world rally debut in a Super 2000 car on the Rally Finland last year, is also looking forward to the weekend, although he's not expecting a French revolution.
"We're learning step by step, and I think sometimes people forget that this is only Kimi's first year in rallying and that nobody has ever walked straight into the very top level to compete against the very best with no experience before," he reasoned, "Kimi's been doing very well, and I'm sure that he can improve again in France. Asphalt is obviously a surface that he knows a bit better and, between us, we'll be working on putting together a good set of pace notes during the recce so that he can make the most of his talent on the stages."
Räikkönen may need to make the most of this weekend's outing, however, as, with his future at Citroen uncertain beyond the end of the season, he may not find himself able to use the Monza comparison again. The Finn has been linked to a possible switch to either the new Prodrive-run Mini team, or the Monster Ford squad, for 2011, but has also made enquiries about a possible return to F1 with Renault
Source: Crash.net
Courtesy: sleenster
Massa's ninth engine used as precaution - Ferrari
Felipe Massa's engine usage for the 2010 season ticked over to a ninth unit in Singapore, resulting in a grid penalty.
That news alone could be interpreted as a potential threat to the title chances of his teammate Fernando Alonso, who is now just 11 points behind leader Mark Webber having won the past two races from pole.
Like Massa, Spaniard Alonso entered the Singapore round having used eight engines, the maximum allowed during the entire 19-race schedule this year.
But Brazilian Massa's ninth engine was only installed in Singapore due to his technical problem in qualifying that stranded him at the very rear of the grid.
The necessary gearbox change resulted in a five-place grid drop, but Massa could not be pushed down the order lower than dead last.
So the Italian team also decided to install a new engine in his F10 - resulting in another negated grid penalty, this time 10 places - before the race.
A spokesman for the Italian team confirmed that the change was "entirely precautionary".
Massa said: "Now I only have three left which have each done one race, to rotate over the last four races of the season."
Source: Motorsport
That news alone could be interpreted as a potential threat to the title chances of his teammate Fernando Alonso, who is now just 11 points behind leader Mark Webber having won the past two races from pole.
Like Massa, Spaniard Alonso entered the Singapore round having used eight engines, the maximum allowed during the entire 19-race schedule this year.
But Brazilian Massa's ninth engine was only installed in Singapore due to his technical problem in qualifying that stranded him at the very rear of the grid.
The necessary gearbox change resulted in a five-place grid drop, but Massa could not be pushed down the order lower than dead last.
So the Italian team also decided to install a new engine in his F10 - resulting in another negated grid penalty, this time 10 places - before the race.
A spokesman for the Italian team confirmed that the change was "entirely precautionary".
Massa said: "Now I only have three left which have each done one race, to rotate over the last four races of the season."
Source: Motorsport
Minggu, 26 September 2010
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