08/11/2013
NEWS STORY
Kimi heads to Austin looking for a longer race than last time out, and expecting to enjoy some good ol' fashioned American hospitality.
What do you think of the Circuit of the Americas?
Kimi Raikkonen: It's a nice circuit. The layout is quite interesting and the racing last year was good. The sectors of the track are fairly different, so there's a challenge there. Last year the days started out pretty cold so it was very slippery, but hopefully now it's been used a bit more the track surface won't be as shiny, so it should be easier to get the car as we want it.
You'll be using the shorter wheelbase car again; why is this?
KR: It has a better feeling for me and seems to make it easier for me to get more of what I want from the car. We've been trying to get rid of understeer to get the car more as I want it and the shorter car helps with this.
Any thoughts looking back at your race in Abu Dhabi?
KR: It wasn't the longest race I've been in; certainly not as good as my 2012 race there either. Obviously it wasn't ideal, but that's the way things go sometimes. We should have a much longer race in Austin.
What's your previous experience of racing in the US?
KR: I competed in seven Grands Prix at Indianapolis. Unfortunately the one time I felt I had a really strong car there it was 2005 when only six cars raced and I wasn't one of them. I did get pole position in 2003, but none of the races there are ones I remember well. In 2011 I tried NASCAR. I did two races on the Charlotte oval and I really liked it a lot. That was probably the experience I needed to open my eyes for racing again. After that I really wanted to come back to Formula 1, while it was a tempting idea to do more NASCAR too.
How are you looking forward to racing in Austin again?
KR: After going there for the first time last year - like everyone - I'm particularly looking forward to this one. I like the American atmosphere, it's just a relaxed environment. They know how to have fun, and most of all they love racing.
What are your memories of last year's race?
KR: It was an okay day, but not a very easy one for us. I got a bad start and then I touched with another car on the first lap so I had a lot of work to do. We were using quite hard tyres for the race so it was difficult to get the performance you wanted from them; especially when it got cooler because of the clouds that day. Hopefully it'll be clear skies this year.
Do you think a better performance is possible this year?
KR: The car has been feeling pretty good and we've seen some good races this year. We won't know how good it is in Austin until we're out on track, but we're certainly pushing for a good result.
He may have missed out on a fourth consecutive podium in Abu Dhabi, but Romain Grosjean is particularly looking forward to Austin and reckons his strong form can continue in the US of A.
How are you looking forward to Austin?
Romain Grosjean: I am looking forward to it a lot. Last year we had a reasonable weekend there in what was Formula 1's first visit to the Circuit of the Americas, but this year I think there's potential for a lot more. In 2012 the track surface was new and temperatures were quite cool, so we struggled to find grip and also to get the best setup as we learnt the new circuit. This year we have all the data from last time, we're expecting warmer temperatures and I know both the team and myself are working really well together to extract strong performance from the car.
What particular challenges does the Circuit of the Americas present?
RG: It's quite a balanced circuit in that you don't need one particular thing over another for the car to perform well, but it should be a circuit where the E21 can go strongly once again. Last year the challenge was finding the level of grip we wanted and I expect this to be a challenge again. The tyre allocation is quite hard so you really have to work the tyres to get them in the best performance window. We expect warmer temperatures this year which will help and the track surface will have changed a bit from the very new surface we had last time. All in all, I think we have potential to go quite well.
You've been making some lightning starts recently; can we expect more of the same in Austin?
RG: It's fair to say the starts were not my strongest point last year, but I've been working hard with the team to improve and it seems to have been working; particularly at the last few races. I was able to get into the lead in Japan and in Abu Dhabi I was able to find a line on the slippery stuff around the outside through the first few corners. I certainly want to qualify as near to the front as possible in Austin, then to make a great start into the lead would be a perfect beginning to the race!
What do you think of America?
RG: My first visit was for the race last year and I definitely like the USA. It's such a big country and I know I've seen only a very small part of it. Since last year I've bought myself a Harley Davidson, so visiting Austin last year must have made an impression! I've had it customized so maybe I'll have to ride it around the US sometime in the future. As well as great motorbikes, we saw so many enthusiastic fans last time which was really great.
Was it frustrating missing out on a fourth consecutive podium in Abu Dhabi?
RG: Of course it was! I think I was around a second behind [Nico] Rosberg at the end and I'd been catching him pretty well during the final few laps, but we just didn't quite have the pace to get close enough before the flag. It's a shame we couldn't make it four podiums in a row, but when you remember the issues we had in FP2 and qualifying in Abu Dhabi I think to come away with fourth place is a decent result. On race pace alone we could maybe even have pushed Mark [Webber] for second place, but that's how it goes sometimes and I think we got the maximum we could from the race.
Can you return to the podium in Austin?
RG: We're certainly aiming for the best performance we can get; let's see what happens.