10/09/2008
NEWS STORY
While many believe last Sunday's Belgian GP was Kimi Raikkonen's last hope of a successful defence of his title, and that the Finn will now have to support his Brazilian teammate's ambitions, the reigning champion remains defiant, it's far from over.
"Obviously that wasn't the result we were looking for at Spa," he admits in his blog for Ferrari, "but it was great to be back to fight for the title. Finally I had the right feeling with the car and the Spa circuit is just the most beautiful track for a Formula One race.
"I had a good start from the second row and it was great to fight immediately for victory," he continues. "I overtook the two drivers in front of me and then I could do my race, controlling the situation. In the end I missed my goal for the weekend by just two laps and four minutes. It was really difficult to drive in the rain. Since the beginning of the last stint I had some problems with the hard compound and the rain didn't help at all. The circuit was extremely slippery and I was sliding the whole way through. I got back to the lead, but then I hit the wall and I was left empty-handed. It was just like at Valencia, when I had to walk back to the pits, but this time, unlike in Spain, I fought for victory right until the end.
"I had just one goal when I went to Belgium: victory. I just wanted to win the race, anything else would not have been enough for me, also because it meant that my competitors could have widened the gap.
"There's no point in complaining now. I did my very best, but it wasn't enough. These things happen. It's the same in ice hockey or in motocross: you give and you take, but you never give up.
"I'm not worried about what happened and I won't give up: I'll fight right until the end. The points will be counted at the end of the season: there are still five races to go. My actual position is not ideal, but as I've said many times I'm not someone who gives up easily.
"We're going back to the track immediately for the Italian GP. Monza is the Mecca of Ferrari's tifosi and I think that there will be a lot of Finnish fans, too. It's the fastest track of the year and it's good to go there, knowing that I can count on a car, which runs how I like it. Last year I had a nasty accident on Saturday morning: I hit the wall and the impact was tremendous, which made it the most difficult weekend of the season. We had a very productive test session on this track before Spa. I think that the F2008 can be really competitive: after the Qualifying we'll see if it was enough. We'll give it all to win, for the Team and for the fans. This is Ferrari's home race and it would be fantastic to win the Italian GP for the first time. I've got nothing to loose, so I'll give it all, going flat out."