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Kimi
Raikkonen tackled his regular Thursday press session in his usual
laid back way, refusing to comment on controversy or his future,
playing his usual game of cat and mouse with the journalists.
Regarding
the prospects for the weekend, he gave the only answer he could:
“we will try and do the maximum we can and see what happens.”
The Finn did seem to relish the prospect of a rainy weekend. “It
should be a wet event and usually the Ferrari car has worked well
here, so that is positive. But we are still not up to the level of
the quickest- that has not changed for the last five races - but
hopefully this circuit can get us closer to the front than in
recent races. As usual, we must wait until Friday practice to get
an idea what might happen.”
Technically,
Kimi is currently unemployed for next year, after the news that
Fernando Alonso would join the team in 2010. It did not seem to
bother him. “For sure I can stay in Formula 1 if I want to, but
there is no point in making a stupid contract so I will wait and
see what is my best option. If I do stay in Formula 1 it has to be
with a team that has the potential to win next season and there
are not so many teams that can say that. Or at least, many teams
can say it, but you need to be sure you can believe it! For sure
the new teams are not going to be fighting for the championship. I
will make my decision when I feel like it.”
Since
Felipe Massa’s accident in Budapest, Kimi has had two new
team-mates, but he did not feel this had much effect on his
performance. “It’s always a bit different with new team-mates,
but I just do my work in the same way and from that side, my work
has not changed at all. Both my new team mates have been nice to
work with.” Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s stated aim is to keep
third place in the Constructors’ classification, something Kimi
hopes they can do. “Our closest rivals have a better car than us,
but we have been able to score more points than them in some races.
I don’t know what to expect, so let’s wait and see what
happens on Sunday.”
When
Kimi won at Interlagos, not only did he stand on the top step of
the podium, he also clinched the Drivers’ World Championship
title, so Brazil has a special place in his affections. “Of
course it was something I always wanted to achieve, so in terms of
Formula 1, that race was one of my best memories, maybe one of the
best memories of my life,” he said in an uncharacteristic show
of emotion. “It’s nice coming back here because you remember
what you achieved here in the past.”
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