06/06/2007
NEWS STORY
Fourth in the Drivers' Championship, 15 points adrift of joint leaders Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen insists that he's still in the hunt for the 2007 title, despite retirement in Spain and a sole point in Monaco following a qualifying mishap.
"I am fourth, 15 points behind the leader," say the Finn. "That's not an abyss, and with some good results, accompanied maybe even by some misstep of my competitors, the situation will change.
"Like Jean Todt has said, if I was behind like that two races before the end of the season, my chances would be almost nil; but with twelve races to go it is not a gap I can't bridge.
"It's true, the races in Barcelona and Monte Carlo did not go very well for me, but I think I can still fight for the title," he continues. "I'll do my best to always get as many points as possible and then we will see how the standings are. I learned that in Formula One you can very quickly pass from being a hero to being a nobody: that's the nature of this sport. I can just do my homework well and give the best I can of myself."
Looking ahead this weekend's race, the Melbourne winner says: "I have never driven a Ferrari in Montreal or at Indy; so I really can't know how it will work on these two tracks, but I know that traditionally the Scuderia is very strong here; that is a real encouragement.
"I'm sure that we will not be a minute behind McLaren, as it was the case in Monaco," he adds. "I won in Montreal two years ago. I like the city, it's one of the nicest of the whole calendar. The track distinguishes itself by sectors with fierce acceleration and braking actions; you need to find the right balance between aerodynamic charge, which has to be quite low, and stability during braking.
"The disappointment from Monaco has been stored in the archives," says the Finn. "Now my batteries are fully charged for Montreal. We had two days at Le Castellet to prepare for the race and we had positive results; although you can never be completely sure, even if the two tracks are quite similar but not identical. What is sure is that I can get the max out of the car: this is a feeling I had at Paul Ricard but also during the free practice at Monte Carlo."