26/06/2007
NEWS STORY
Following a successful Silverstone test, Kimi Raikkonen is confident that race fans will witness a resurgent Ferrari team in France and Britain following the disappointment of north America.
"Last week was a prefect week," said the Finn. "We had a very good test: the car was much better than at the races in North America. So I'm really very confident for the race in Magny-Cours.
"We have new components," he continued, "above all in the section of aerodynamics; and we have taken a step forward as far as the performance is concerned: if it is enough, we'll only know in France, when we go on the track under the same conditions as our competitors. This is the question mark you always carry with you after the tests. What we know for sure is that we think that we are competitive.
"I'm more and more confident with the F2007, we found a good setup, what you could already see in the race at Indianapolis. Now we have to transfer what we've seen yesterday afternoon and at Silverstone to the next two Grands Prix."
The Melbourne winner is adamant however, that the key area for improvement is qualifying.
"This year it is fundamental to start from the front row," says the Finn, "because it is very difficult to drive, when you're stuck behind other cars: unfortunately I've experienced that quite often at these races.
The former McLaren driver, who has 10 wins to his credit, has never stood on the top of the podium at Magny-Cours, nonetheless, unlike some, he likes the French track.
"It's true, I never came in first here, but I really enjoy driving on this track. The tarmac is extremely even and the track offers slow and fast corners; that makes it very challenging. Good aerodynamics and good traction for the exits of the slow corners are very important here. Five years ago I came close to victory: I was leading the race, but then I spun off the track due to oil lost by a Toyota and Michael passed me to win his fifth of his seven titles.
"I hope that this year things will be different!" he continued. "I don't know yet if we will race at Magny-Cours next year: maybe there will be new tracks, such as Valencia and Singapore; it's always nice for a driver to discover new circuits. After the first seven races of the season, we need to close the gap on our competitors: we will give our best to achieve that goal, right from the start."
Kimi spent last weekend at Maranello, where he played a prominent part in Ferrari's 60th anniversary celebrations. "It was a great honour to participate in the celebrations," he said, "it was wonderful, being part of the great legend of the House of Maranello."