14/01/2007
NEWS STORY
After Aldo Costa and Gilles Simon, Kimi Raikkonen took questions from the media at Fiorano. The Finn was holding his first press conference at the Fiorano race track after his Ferrari debut last week at Madonna di Campiglio.
"I've just seen the F2007 in the plant and it is very beautiful, it will be exciting to see it on the track tomorrow. I can't wait to start the new season and I expect it to be a very challenging one, even though I think we are up for the Championship. I have been received here in a very nice way and I have a good feeling. It is nice to be with Ferrari and I do not want to make any comparisons to the past. It's a completely different story. Let's put it like this: In Maranello it is just as I expected it to be.
That I had some spare time over the last months hasn't been bad, even though a forced brake doesn't help to get back into the rhythm easily. Now I will get back into the car and start my phase in which I will adapt to the car. We have to work together and we have to give it our all. I will be here tomorrow to see the F2007 run. It is always very interesting to see a new race car on its first laps. The most important thing to go fast is to have a good feeling with the car. Here everything is different to what I have seen until now in my career. This is a team that welcomed me in a very warm hearted way; I think I have made a good decision when I decided to come to Ferrari.
I will definitely learn Italian because it is very important to adapt as much as possible to the environment. Obviously it will take some time. Little by little I will also arrive there, but anyway there won't be any problems because everyone in the team speaks English.
In the year 2007 the car and the tyres will be different, but I have my way of working and I will adjust to new conditions. I already changed team, car and method, so I have some experience in this field. Here you work to the maximum but the climate is more relaxed. For me it is a perfect environment.
I don't know exactly when I will drive the new car; tomorrow after the shakedown we will know more. I don't think that Bridgestone as sole tyre provider will be a real advantage for us, because the tyres are anyway different compared to the last season. In the upcoming season the tyres will be the same for everybody and I expect us to get the most out of it. As far as I am personally concerned, I expect that the first test will give me some more precise information on that subject."
To check out our Ferrari F2007 launch picture gallery, click here