05/06/2008
NEWS STORY
In his latest blog for Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen reflects on his disappointing outing in Monaco, while looking ahead to a more favourable result in Canada, even if it means the deployment of the Safety Car.
"Monaco has been left behind," he writes. "It was a staggering blow, but there's nothing we can do about it. I had a lot of trouble to find the right grip on the wet track and we have to find out how that could happened, because usually I like driving under these conditions. I didn't like it at all to come in ninth, hence without points. It was the first race of the season where I couldn't gain any points and we can't have another one like that, because the fight for the Championship is extremely fierce.
"The preparations specifically for the Canadian GP were planned for the last day at Le Castellet, where we had some tests. Unfortunately it rained that day and we couldn't do much; but we're all on the same level now. Ferrari has a great tradition in Canada and I expect that it will be really balanced there. Qualifying is more and more important, thus it's fundamental to work well right from the start of the weekend to have a great car with the best setup possible. At Monaco the distances were extremely small and the first five cars had a gap of two tenths of a second. At Montreal the stability during braking and when you go over the curbs is extremely important.
"The F2008 improved a lot in these areas compared to last year's car. Obviously we have to wait until the first Free Practice session on Friday to get it confirmed. I don't remember a GP, which hadn't been neutralized and I expect that also for next Sunday. If that happens we have to be really cautious with our strategy, because of the balance in the field. With the actual rules luck is really important under these circumstances if you want to win. Well, let's hope that if the safety car has to be employed it will be at an opportune moment for us.
"I said at the beginning of the season that I expect the title to be assigned at the last moment. A third of the season has passed, we have 35 points and we are on the second place. It's more or less what I expected. Nothing has been won and nothing has been lost. There is no point in panicking after the race at Monaco, because compared to last year the situation is much better. I won't change anything in my approach for the upcoming weekend. The designated target is to win and we will give our best."