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As
reigning world champion, Kimi Raikkonen was centre stage this
afternoon for the first official FIA press conference of the
season.
Looking
back one year to when he was making his debut as a Ferrari driver,
the Finn felt that this year, the situation was more comfortable.
"The situation now is a bit easier, because last year, we
were not so ready or well prepared and I was new to the team,"
he said. Commenting on the media's prediction that he is favourite
to win the 2008 title, Raikkonen smiled before saying: "I
don't feel any pressure if I am favourite, because the season has
not even started yet. Let us wait and see and this weekend and for
the rest of the season, we will do the best we can. From what we
have seen in testing, it looks like two teams and four drivers
will again be very close," he added. Last year, the
Scuderia's closest rival was McLaren and this year, the British
team's drivers have just two years F1 experience between them.
"I don't think if the fact that Felipe and me have more
experience can be a factor. I am not sure if it means we are
stronger and it is too early to say."
On
to the subject of the loss of electronic driver aids, Raikkonen
gave this analysis of how the process of dealing with this rule
change has developed over the winter. "When we first tried
running the '07 car without these driver aids it was actually
quite difficult, but when the new car arrived, it already had
elements built into the design to deal with this situation and
combined with new tyres it became much easier." As for how
these rules will affect the racing, the Finn saw two areas where
it might play a part. "In heavy rain or very slippery
conditions, it might make driving more difficult and the other
thing will be the starts, as the slightest mistake from the driver
and you will be very slow off the line. But I have not had to
change my driving style to deal with these changes."
With
this being the first race, there are more unknowns than usual, but
an additional one this weekend will come from the weather, as the
temperatures (already in the 30s) are much higher than usual at
this track. "At least by testing in Bahrain, we experienced
slightly warmer temperatures than at the Spanish tracks,"
revealed Raikkonen, "but it was not at all as hot as this.
But I think we should be okay and we will find out tomorrow."
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