Stealthy Räikkönen builds up healthy points tally

Kimi Räikkönen has moved stealthily up the Formula One standings to a healthy third place and the Lotus driver could become even more of a contender now the championship has turned its back on Europe

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier made no secret of the fact that Monza, the fastest track on the calendar and a power circuit with long straights and few corners, did not play to his car's strengths on Sunday.

"We knew here would not be easy," he said after Räikkönen finished fifth at the Italian Grand Prix, the last European race of the year with the focus now on the Far and Middle East before the season ends in the Americas.

"We look forward now obviously to the next races because it should suit our car much better."

Scoring regular points has been key in this most unpredictable of championships and Raikkonen and Ferrari's championship leader Fernando Alonso have been the kings of consistency.

Räikkönen has scored points in his last 10 races and, although the Finn has yet to win in his comeback season after two years in the world rally championship, he has been on the podium six times in 13 races.

Alonso's focus has been mostly on Red Bull's world champion Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Monza race winner Hamilton so far this season but the Spaniard may have to take his Ferrari predecessor into account as well now.

Both Red Bulls failed to finish at Monza but Raikkonen banked points as usual.

Alonso will need no reminding of how Raikkonen took the 2007 title against the odds, mounting one of the sport's great comebacks by winning three of the last four races of that season to pip Hamilton and the Spaniard, at the time McLaren team mates, by a single point.

"It's good to go into third position," said Räikkönen, just one point behind Hamilton and 38 adrift of Alonso despite the top two having each won three races this year.

"It was a difficult weekend as we were too slow in a straight line. We came into the race looking for sixth or seventh so fifth is the maximum we could have done here this weekend."

Nobody has won more than three races this year and Räikkönen has plenty of time to clamber on top of the podium before the year is out. Japan's Suzuka circuit, which comes after next week's Singapore Grand Prix, is a particular favourite.

Räikkönen was Lotus's sole points scorer on Sunday, with regular French team mate Romain Grosjean banned for the race after causing a pile-up at the start in Belgium and replaced by Belgian reserve Jerome D'Ambrosio.

D'Ambrosio's hopes were hit by a KERS problem, a big blow at a track like Monza, and Grosjean will be back for Singapore champing at the bit but with a lesson learned after a weekend spent watching and listening from the garages.

"I think he learned a lot because being in your car you have only one radio in your head, when you are sitting in the garage you have both cars and you can learn a lot," said Boullier.

"I think he is extremely eager (to return)."

Source: Reuters Sports

Kimi: Car was not to our liking

Kimi Räikkönen admits he is happy to have picked up a good haul of points in Belgian following a difficult race

The Lotus driver qualified fourth fastest on Saturday afternoon, but found himself up in P2 on lap one following a massive shunt involving four drivers.

However, he never quite managed to hold on and had several battles with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Nico Hulkenberg throughout to race as he struggled with straight-line speed.

In the end he managed to finish third place to take his points tally for the season to 116 points - 48 behind Championship leader Fernando Alonso, who was taken out on the opening lap.

The 32-year-old Finn conceded after the race that the E20 just wasn't up to the team's liking on Sunday.

"It is nice to be back here at Spa, but it was not very nice racing today for us," he said.

"It was not the easiest day for me as the car was not exactly to our liking. I was fighting to get the best out of it and we managed to get some key points, so that was the main thing. It was a difficult one and next week we will try to be better."

Source: Planet-F1

Senna rejoices after scoring first points

Bruno Senna believes he proved himself as an F1 driver after coming back from a difficult first lap at the Italian Grand Prix to score the first points of his career.

Senna started the race tenth and finished ninth, but a first corner pile-up and an early pit stop meant he raced into the points from 15th after the safety car period.

He started the race on the medium tyres but once he had lost positions in the first corner melee his team called him in for a set of soft tyres and he made three stops in total. Towards the end of the race he had a tyre advantage over Paul di Resta in eighth but couldn't quite close the gap before the chequered flag.

"I'm happy to score my first F1 points today, especially as it was only my second race for the team," Senna said. "Although I started 10th, it was not been an easy job to finish ninth. We suffered some bad luck in the first corner; everybody was cutting the chicane which forced me to drive on the outside, and in the process I lost all the places I had fought so hard for in qualifying. It makes me very happy to know that I am able to put myself in the position of scoring points, and also to fight with the guys who have been doing this for a long time.

"The pace of the car was clear for all to see, but I wish the race was just one lap longer because I may have been able to pass Paul (Di Resta) for eighth. The team chose a great strategy, the tyre was fast enough where I needed it to be and I am very happy to get my name on the points board. The team did a great job and I am really looking forward to Singapore."

His team-mate Vitaly Petrov was one of the casualties of the first corner crash and was sideswiped by an out-of-control Tonio Liuzzi. He had qualified seventh and said there were plenty of positives the team could take into the final six races.

"Naturally I am very disappointed with what happened today. I had a reasonable start and, as I was heading into the first chicane, Vitantonio's HRT came from nowhere and hit me big time, which brought my race to an end. There's nothing I could have done to avoid this. First of all, I'm happy not to be injured, as the impact was quite strong and it could have been a nasty accident. We have put in so much effort since Spa, at the track, Enstone and Viry, so I'm sorry that wasn't translated into points today.

"This is part of racing, but I can't help thinking that we could have secured a good result. We must now concentrate on Singapore, which will be a real test for us. We will be bringing another technical upgrade with us, before going on to quicker tracks like Japan and Korea, which should suit our car better. On the upside, the car has felt good since the first practice session here; we definitely made a step forward performance-wise and we should have a strong end to the season."

Source: ESPNF1

Räikkönen maintained the driver's points

Kimi Räikkönen's ICE1 Racing -team was excluded from the teams WRC-serie on Friday. Räikkönen was 5th in this serie with 48 points

The judges in Rally Australia registered that Räikkönen had skipped the race and according to the rules the team doesn't fill the requirement to participate in at least two remote rallies outside Europe anymore.

Räikkönen has skipped Australia, Mexico, Sardinia and Argentina. From the remote rallies he has only taken part in Rally Jordan. After Australia he has France, Catalynia and Great-Britain left.

Australia was in Räikkönen's original WRC-schedule but he decided to change his plans after Rally Finland. Instead of a rally trip Kimi has been on a holiday with his wife Jenni.

The hosts in Rally Australia gave Räikkönen a penalty since he didn't show up there to race. The sum is the registration fee (16.200 euros). On top of that FIA gave the driver a penalty of the same amount.

In WRC the racing for Manufacturer's championship is not the same as it is in F1. The price-money is remarkably smaller. That's why even losing the 5th place isn't such a big deal for Räikkönen financially.

What is special is that Räikkönen's one-car -team has more WC-points than the driver has. ICE1 Racing had time to gather 48 points whereas Räikkönen is 8th in the driver's serie with 34 points. The difference is only due to the fact that in some rallies all teams haven't got any WC-points.

The penalty from Rally Australia concerns only the teams WC-serie. Therefore Räikkönen is still 8th in the driver's serie. According to his original plan, Räikkönen will drive normally the three last WRC-rallies in the serie and think after that what he will be doing in 2012.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Sebastian Vettel F1 Blog: Hungaroring | A well-deserved break

Formula One world champion, Sebastian Vettel, finished a wet and wild Hungarian Grand Prix in second place to ensure that he goes into the summer break with a commanding overall lead of 85 points in the driver's championship. Here are Seb's thoughts in his latest blog...

by Sebastian Vettel on Aug 1, 2011

Szia!

It wouldn't be accurate to say that we're satisfied with our second place, but I guess that it's okay in the end. It just bothers me to know that it could have been better.

The race itself was just unbelievably hard and the conditions didn't make it a lot easier, especially at the start. The first laps felt as if I was driving on ice, which was a bit hard to cope with. Luckily that got better towards the end of the race, but it still had an impact on our performance.

'The first laps felt as if I was driving on ice'

I guess the car hasn't reached its maximum right now and that is something we have to work on after our summer break. After all, we don't want to rely on our current points, but to continue to win as many races as possible!

Though I'm a bit sad that the next race is four weeks away, I know that every one of us needs this break right now. The team deserves to go home and relax to come back with even more energy and enthusiasm. I'll also get away for a few weeks and try to get some sun. After the last few weeks, I've definitely had enough of the non-stop rain.

But before I leave, I want to use my blog to send out a last big 'Thank you!' to everyone who has made this season so amazing. My team on the track and at home in the factory did a great job and also the fans blew me away wherever we were. So, thank you guys! I'll talk to you again from Belgium!

Seb

Source: Red Bull

Petter Solberg and Kimi Räikkönen finish in the points

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson finished in fifth place in Rally Finland, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. This result has helped them to consolidate their fifth place in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ ratings. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström confirmed their recent improvement in form with a ninth-place finish on home turf after a very promising drive.

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson were soon among the quickest and took fifth place in the overall classification in the short first leg on Thursday afternoon. The Petter Solberg World Rally Team crew got past Jari Ketomaa and went into fourth behind Loeb, Ogier and Latvala during the long day’s stages in Jyväskylä and Lahti. The Norwegian was always on the lookout to find ways and means of improving his performance till the finish, and he saw the flag in fifth place overall.

“I pushed throughout the whole rally,” said Solberg at the finish. “We tried to improve the car by changing the setup during the weekend, but we were not able to match the pace of the leaders. The result’s rather frustrating. Now, we’re going to concentrate on the next event in Germany on tarmac.”

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström, who already showed a promising turn of speed in the previous rally in Greece, confirmed their progress in Finland. The ICE1 Racing driver started his third Rally Finland at a searing pace only a second per kilometre off the reference time, and finished the first leg in thirteenth place. He lost precious time due to a minor error on Friday morning. On the way back to Jyväskylä he got back into the rhythm and moved up to twelfth. Iceman’s confidence was now at full boost, and he upped the pace even further in the home stretch by overtaking his nearest rivals and finished in ninth place.

“These roads are as quick and as difficult as ever,” underlined the Finnish driver. But we still managed to set good times. I’d like to thank the many spectators who cheered us on during the weekend. We were able to maintain a good pace throughout the whole rally despite a few minor mistakes. It’s encouraging for the rest of the season.”

With both Citroën DS3 WRCs at the finish, Benoit Nogier, the Citroën Racing Technologies team manager, was pretty satisfied with the team’s overall performance in Rally Finland: “Kimi’s made a lot of progress since last season. He’s showing promising steadiness and he’s on the right track. Above all, he’s now getting used to finishing the rallies in the points. It’s both satisfying and very encouraging. Petter Solberg’s rally is more disappointing as he lacked speed. We’ll have to analyze what happened to find out why we were slower than the front-runners. He’ll have the right equipment to shine on tarmac in Germany.”

Source: Citroën WRC

Points for Petter Solberg and Kimi Räikkönen

“I pushed really hard and gave it everything I had”

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson set the early pace in Greece before finishing fourth on the Acropolis Rally, round seven of the FIA World Rally Championship. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström proved to be increasingly competitive, finally finishing in seventh overall on the event. The two Citroën DS3 WRCs entered by Van Merksteijn Motorsport retired on the opening day of the rally.

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson have been among the frontrunners since the start of the season, and they were the first to show their true form on the tricky Greek stages. They strung together four fastest stage times to occupy the top of the time sheets by the end of the first day of the Acropolis Rally on Friday.

Petter and Chris established an advantage of more than 50 seconds over the chasing trio that consisted of Sébastien Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen and Sébastien Ogier, but this consequently forced them into running first on the road throughout Saturday. The loose surface caused the crew some difficulties, but nonetheless the Petter Solberg World Rally Team duo managed to end the day on the provisional podium, just 20 seconds or so off the leaders. Petter Solberg fought against Mikko Hirvonen on the final day to end up fourth at the finish, scoring 12 precious championship points.

“I pushed really hard and gave it everything I had,” said the Norwegian. “I’m pleased with our performance and my driving as well as with the team, who all did a fantastic job. We couldn’t have done better; it just wasn’t possible. We’re a private team and we’re fighting against the factory outfits.”

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström missed the previous two events, which were not on their programme, but they were soon back into the groove from the very beginning. By the end of the opening day they were 10th despite a puncture. They then picked up their pace throughout Saturday to make progress up the leaderboard and claim seventh place on SS8. The Ice 1 Racing crew showed their consistency to hold onto the position until the end, having managed their rally perfectly.

“We weren’t the quickest out there but our goal was to steer clear of problems in order to be there at the end,” said the Finnish driver. “The final two days in Greece were extremely satisfying. It’s a great result for us before heading to Rally Finland.”

The two Citroën DS3 WRCs entered by Van Merksteijn Motorsport did not make it to the end of the opening day. Peter van Merksteijn Jr went off the road on SS3. His co-driver Eddy Chevaillier was taken to hospital in Lamia and then airlifted to Athens for further medical examination. He has a fracture and a crack in his lumbar vertebrae, which will mean that he needs to be immobilised for about 10 days. The entire Citroën Racing team wishes him a full and swift recovery. Peter van Merskteijn Sr went off the road in the team’s other DS3 WRC on SS5.

Source: Nextgen-Auto
Courtesy: Kriss

Massa's Blog: For the fans, it’s the race that counts

I’m back home in Monaco after the first race of the season where I failed to score any points and it’s fair to say, that given my previous track record in Istanbul, this was obviously a very disappointing result. I ended up eleventh, when I could have been challenging for fourth place and that was mainly down to poor pit stops. However, looking on the positive side, the aero updates we ran for the first time at this race definitely increased our performance level as can be seen from the fact that Fernando secured Ferrari’s first podium finish of the year.

Once again, qualifying was not that easy and then, as we have seen at every race this year, the car was much better in the race itself. I had an incident packed Sunday afternoon, but the first stint went very well for me and I was able to pass several cars, up to the point that I overtook Hamilton just before we pitted. This was where my race got complicated as my pit stop was not that great and we ended up side by side leaving pit lane, with him just having the edge in the end. After that, only the second of my total of four pit stops went well and Lewis went on to finish the race in fourth place, which shows what I could have been challenging for.

Even if we had a difficult qualifying and I did not even bother making a second attempt in Q3 to save tyres, the gap in terms of our qualifying to race performance did come down in Turkey, because we struggled less in qualifying and then made an even bigger step forward on Sunday, which is more proof that the car is improving. Why do we have that gap? It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason, but let’s say it just seems to be a characteristic of the car, because even last year, we had a similar situation. I think qualifying is still important, but much less than before, like in the days when it was almost the most crucial part of the weekend, when overtaking another car during the race was so difficult. Even if qualifying is less important, there is nothing disappointing about that, because for the fans, it’s the race that counts as the most important part of the weekend, so the current situation is, in my opinion, good for the sport.

As for the pit stop difficulties, I would say I had a few too many, because without them I was definitely heading for a top five finish. This was frustrating for me and for the team. We do a lot of pit stop practice, but that Sunday it just did not work properly. We will have to study the problem and try and be more consistent, because in a single stop, just a small delay in changing wheels and you can lose position, as happened to me in Istanbul. The pressure on the pit crew is now very great, because not only are they having to be perfect several times during a race, but also since the banning of refuelling, they no longer have that time cushion changing wheels, while waiting for all the fuel to go in. We all have to improve ourselves, drivers included, because our role in the pit-stop operations is very important as well.

Today I am in Rome for a convention run by our technical partner Shell and then for the last two days of the week, I will be in Maranello, in meetings with the engineers and of course, spending time in the simulator; all part of our efforts to keep on pushing to improve our car, because with two more races coming up in the space of two weekends, we have to react as soon as possible to turn our season around. I mentioned the simulator just now and so I would like to wish a speedy recovery to Davide Rigon, a young driver who does a lot of work for us in the simulator and who unfortunately broke his leg in an accident in Sunday’s GP2 race in Istanbul.

Source: Ferrari.com

SEBASTIAN VETTEL'S IN SCHUMACHER CLASS

Lewis Hamilton paid Sebastian Vettel the ultimate compliment yesterday by comparing him to seven-times world champ Michael Schumacher at his best

Sebastian Vettel tightened his stranglehold on this year’s championship on Sunday when he won his third race in four starts with victory in Turkey.

He has a 34-point gap on Hamilton, with McLaren team-mate Jenson Button 47 points adrift.

Hamilton won the previous race in China, but was 40 seconds behind Vettel in Istanbul and said:

“Thirty-four points is a very big gap at the moment. He was cruising in Turkey. I’ve got to be on the ragged edge to try and get every little step I can.

“It’s very similar to when Schumacher was dominating. Now Sebastian is dominating – pole position at all four races this season, and he’s nearly won all four.”

With Vettel scoring 93 points from a possible 100, and given the resources available to Red Bull, there is already talk the championship could be over by mid-summer.

But Hamilton added: “I don’t have a fear that will happen, but it is possible. But it is also possible we could catch up and overtake them.”

Source: Daily Star

KIMI FINISHES RALLY GREAT BRITAIN IN THE POINTS

Red Bull Wales Rally Great Britain day three report

So this is where the remarkable WRC journey ends for Kimi Räikkönen in 2010, after 11 rallies contested and five points finishes, making a total of 25 points and 10th in the drivers' championship at the end of his debut season.

In just one year, the 2007 Formula One World Champion has become the fifth most prolific points-scorer in the illustrious history of the Citroen C4 WRC: a car that has claimed more than 600 fastest stage times throughout its four seasons of competition, one of which was set by Kimi on the Rallye Deutschland in August.

Kimi has made a bit of rally history, becoming the only Formula 1 World Champion to score World Rally Championship points or set a fastest stage time. This year, the Finn also took his very first rally win, at a national event in France, and visited new countries that ranged from Mexico to Bulgaria. It's been an incredible story that has captured the imagination of the entire motorsport world.

Kimi is known as the Iceman because nothing bothers him: especially not a brand new challenge that would send most people running for cover. He is well known for being fearless in the car but he is just as determined out of it, having taken on the biggest bet of his career thanks to Red Bull. Nobody has ever tried to switch full-time from Formula One to rally before, but there and again not everybody is like the Iceman....

The learning curve has been so steep that it is practically vertical, and Rally Great Britain was one of the most complicated events of the year thanks to rain, wind, mud, fog and even a small cyclone called Carmen: a bad weather front that has swept across northern Europe.

Nonetheless, Kimi did not make a single serious mistake on any of the 20 gravel stages and 359 competitive kilometres, to eventually finish in a points-scoring eighth.

"It's been a really good rally and it's nice to end my first season in the World Rally Championship with a points finish," he said. "This has definitely been the most challenging year of my career and Britain was one of the most difficult rallies that I competed on, mostly because of the grip changing all the time. The roads were really slippery, but it's always been a question of trying to work out exactly how slippery they are. Like everything else, this has been a completely new experience for me. Looking back on it, this season has been more or less as I expected it to be: we've made a few mistakes but we've also learned a lot. The stages in Wales are really nice, but as always you need experience to be really quick on them.

Generally speaking I'm happy with the progress we've made on this rally and I've had a lot of fun as well, so I'm very grateful to Red Bull and Citroen Racing for all the opportunities that we've enjoyed this year."

A key part of Räikkönen's swift adaptation to a completely new discipline has been his co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, a former winner of the Monte Carlo Rally, who has been alongside the Iceman since Kimi first started rallying for fun last year.

Before then, Lindström sat alongside four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen and he sees a lot in common between the two Finnish legends.

"They certainly have the same determination and natural speed," said Lindstrom. "For somebody with so little experience, Kimi has taken everything in his stride and made a lot of progress on both gravel and asphalt, as well as with the pace notes. It's clear how much he has improved and there's plenty more still to come. On this event Kimi has been really impressive with no mistakes at all, so it's been a great way to finish the season."

Source: RedBullRallye

Korean GP - Massa: “still a lot of points to be won”

Felipe Massa met the media in the grandiose setting of the newest paddock on the calendar, which is reminiscent of the giant facility in Shanghai, although not quite as big. Could Ferrari come out on top this weekend was the first question put to the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver. “I think it is too early to say,” he responded. “We need to wait and see how we will get on tomorrow to have a clearer idea, especially as this is a new track which means things can either be exactly what you expected or the exact opposite. There are all types of corner, including those where we know our car works well and others of the type where we have suffered a bit in the past. The long straight means it will be important to have a good top speed and also very strong brakes for the slow corner following the straight. What I can say is that I like what I have seen, as there are so many interesting corners and changes of direction which is not always the case at other tracks. I reckon it will be nice to drive, however let’s hope everything goes well enough for us to be fighting at the front.”

There is no doubt that everyone is looking forward to Friday practice with more interest than usual, given this a new venue and Felipe explained the difficulties this poses for all the teams and drivers. “The track will be very dirty tomorrow and we need to see how the track surface reacts, but our car has gone well on so many different types of track, that I don’t see why it would not go well here too,” said the Brazilian. “Of course, I expect the Red Bulls who have been strong everywhere, to be strong here also. So for us it is important to do a good job and get a good understanding of the circuit to find the right direction to work in as quickly as possible. That does not mean we have to find the right set-up by tomorrow, because from tomorrow to the day after the track will change completely.” The Brazilian has done all he can to familiarise himself with the new track prior to actually driving it tomorrow. “I did a day in the simulator back in Italy and I also drove the track on the Playstation game and yesterday, I went round it for real on a bicycle, stopping at every corner to check out the kerbs, the asphalt, what the corner looked like, what gear we should use according to the simulator.”

And finally, the championship hopes for the Scuderia? “It will be difficult for us to fight for the title, but with three races remaining there are still a lot of points to be won and therefore we still have a chance.”

Source: Ferrari.com

Montezemolo: Massa needs to take points off rivals

Luca di Montezemolo has outlined Felipe Massa's duties for the remainder of the season: to take points off Fernando Alonso's rivals

With four races still be run and a 100 points to play for, Alonso is second in the Drivers' standings, 11 points behind Championship leader Mark Webber. But they are not the only two drivers in the race.

Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button all still have a shot at winning the title with Button in fifth place just 25 points off the pace.

Alonso, though, has an advantage over his title rivals as the Ferrari driver is the only man involved in the chase who can have his team-mate working for him instead of against him.

And that's exactly what Ferrari's president wants Massa to do.

"I have waited for Felipe with great perseverance in the last four races," Montezemolo told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I want a strong Massa who will shave points off the rivals. In Singapore he had some bad luck, but he is in good condition to win.

"Those who race for Ferrari don't race for themselves, but for the Ferrari team colours. One who wants to race for himself will have to face his team."

The Ferrari President also insisted that the Scuderia's decision to put their efforts behind Alonso as early as the July's German GP when they implemented team orders in the Spaniard's favour, has been justified by his run to second place in the Drivers' standings.

"First of all, the decision to focus on Alonso has been proven to be right. He is extremely strong and very close to the team, and has been able to blend in well from day one despite the concerns of some.

"The second is the spirit of determination of the team that has never been broken and disjointed, it has shown great ability to respond and fight back and knows how to win even under pressure.

"The third is to have also focused on people like (Stefano) Domenicali and (Aldo) Costa who have proven be absolutely vital."

Montezemolo pointed to Ferrari's pedigree in recent years as a sure sign that the Scuderia have what it takes to win Championships.

"I've been thinking about one thing and I invite you to do so too: from 1997, if we exclude the year 2005, we either won the Formula 1 World Championship or we lost it in the last race.

"Ferrari has always been team to beat. We won eight Constructors' World Championships in the last ten years, it was important for me to reach the highest levels in Formula 1 this year as well.

"We're second and we will contest the Championships until the very end."

Source: Planet-F1

Vettel: Points gap is not that dramatic

Sebastian Vettel insists the 24-point gap between himself and Mark Webber is not as big as it looks as he bids to become Red Bull's first World Champ

Vettel and his team-mate Webber are just two of the five drivers still involved in this year's title fight with Webber leading the way on 187 points while Vettel is the final driver in the running with 163.

However, the German, who has claimed seven pole positions but only two race wins this season, is adamant the gap is not as big as it may appear.

"Whether I'm not 24, 25 or 30 points behind I still could not care less. The new points system scares people more than necessary," Vettel told the Bild.

"Many are not yet familiar with it and that a win counts for 25 points. If I was eight or nine behind with the old system where there were ten for a victory, then it would all look much less dramatic."

Vettel, though, has had a mixed season, coming for a great deal of cricitism as a result of two high profile accidents.

The first saw him take out his team-mate in Turkey while in Belgium he crashed into McLaren's Jenson Button.

But despite the complaints, which had McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh labeling him a "crash kid", the Red Bull racer says he has not once doubted his ability to win the World title.

"In peace lies strength," he added. "We are not panicking but continue to work quietly.

"I believe I can win the title and that is crucial!"

Source: Planet-F1

I made a good recovery at Spa – Mark Webber

A small mistake in his RB6's set-up cost Mark Webber the win at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. But luck was on the Australian's side once again as he dug in and fought back to claim second place after slipping to seventh place. He talks us through his race...

Given my appalling start in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix from pole position, I was very happy to finish second. At the exit of turn one I was back in seventh, so 18 points was a great haul in the circumstances.

As is so often the case at Spa-Francorchamps, the whole weekend was blighted by rain. Prior to the race, I'd done only a handful of laps in the dry, so there were still a lot of question marks regarding car set-up as we lined up on the grid. But it was the same for everyone.

As soon as I released the clutch at the start of the formation lap, I knew immediately that there was a problem. The car bogged down as I pulled away from the line, so I made some small adjustments to the settings to try to fix the situation, but it didn't work. When the lights went out, my dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree and cars streamed past me.

Luckily, the run to turn one is quite short at Spa and that limited the damage the others could inflict. As I've already said, I only dropped back to seventh; if the same thing were to happen at Monza in a couple of weeks time, the boxing gloves will have to come out because it's a really long run to turn one.

'My dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree and cars streamed past me'

I still had to knuckle down and work my way back into contention, which was pretty enjoyable. The car was handling well and I had a good fight with Adrian Sutil on the run-up to Les Combes on the opening lap before pulling a nice move around the outside of Felipe Massa at Rivage for fifth. Then the first safety car came out after Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso collided.

We all lost tyre temperature behind the safety car and that made it pretty difficult when the race went green two laps later because the car felt pretty loose.

I didn't gain any places at the restart and a small group of us were then held up by Jenson Button, which allowed Lewis Hamilton to get away.

Events came to a head on lap 17 when my team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Button collided. Button retired on the spot and Seb dropped to the back of the field, which promoted me to third place behind Hamilton and Robert Kubica. I tried to jump Robert in the pitlane – and the Red Bull Racing mechanics did a great job to turn me around in 3.6sec when I pitted on lap 22 – but it wasn't enough and I had to wait until the second round of pitstops to gain the position.

All the leaders pitted together for intermediate tyres when it started to rain three-quarters of the way through the race. The pitlane was very slippery and Kubica overshot his pitbox, which gave me my chance: the Red Bull mechanics did a fantastic job once again and second place was in the bag.

The race had a twist in the tail, however, when Alonso crashed on lap 37 and brought out another safety car.

At the restart, I was right with Hamilton, but I didn't have the legs to pass him up the hill to Les Combes – and I wasn't about to risk anything stupid because second position was a great result given the weather conditions and my messy start.

Source: Red Bull

Kimi's Column: Fastest stage time and some points

Kimi German Rally Review

For sure, it’s a nice spice of this sport every single rally being so different from each other.

Obviously I didn’t have a clue what to expect from German Rally. In the end of the day it did not have that much to do with the real tarmac rallies. The roads were very dirty and some parts we had on gravel, too.

The main thing for us was to finish the rally. We did that, we got all the important miles eith the race speed plus we got more points to our total, too.

Once again I learn more of rally driving. We made a couple of mistakes and you cannot change that afterwards. I have to learn everything by myself and while making a mistake you always learn the most.

Before the rally many people asked me how much easier it is for me to have a rally on asphalt after racing in circuits for such a long time. Well, I can tell you, it’s not that huge advantage for me in rallies on tarmac. In Germany it felt great to go fast there. The roads were narrow and you have keep the focus at the peak all the time.

It was not easy. No question about that. Again, I had to search the right rythm in the beginning.

This is a very challenging rally and good for us, it’s over and done. Well, I made two mistakes on Sunday morning and because of that, Wilson managed to pass us and got the position six. I had a bad feeling for some time for loosing some points, but all in all, it’s important to keep on going with the patience and remember that making mistakes belongs to the process of learning rallies.

The pace notes worked quite well. The was no problem with that side it felt nice.

This was my third ever tarmarc rally with this Red Bull Citroen C4 car and my second WRC asphalt rally. I’m satisfied with gaining a lot of more experience from the asphalt rally driving. Im also happy for gaining my first ever fastesr stage timr in WRC rallies. I don’t know how much the top guys slowed it down in the last stage, but for a racing driver, the fastest time is always the fastest time.

Now we have a short break again. The nest rally in calendar is Japan and we don’t have any test before that. Obviously Japan will be very difficult for me as a rookie. I have heard that those stages are quite tricky.

But we keep on trying to do our best and let’s wait and see, what kind of speed we find there. Once again my target is to finish that rally, too.

Source: Kimiraikkonen.com

Räikkönen scores again in Portugal

F1 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen returns to WRC action in Portugal and once again puts his Citroen C4 WRC in the points

Former Ferrari and McLaren F1 man Kimi Raikkonen came through to score points for the third event in succession on Sunday in Portugal, despite a pretty scary moment in the final loop.

Raikkonen, who of course only started rallying last year and who missed the last round of the World Rally Championship in New Zealand, ran in the top-ten throughout in his Citroen Junior Team-run C4 WRC, setting top ten stage times in twelve of the eighteen tests.

Heading into the final loop he was up to eighth, however, the repeat run through the 21.28 kilometre Felizes test almost proved his undoing, and when he hit something and picked up a puncture, he slipped back down to tenth.

Despite losing two places though, the F1 2007 world champion was still happy to get to the end and he finished on a high by setting the third best time in the short 2.03 km Estádio Algarve super special.

"It's been a really tough weekend, but this is all part of the learning process," said Raikkonen. "The other drivers have been here for the past three years so it's hard to be on their pace. My only objective though was to finish the rally and gain more experience, so we have fulfilled our goal here.

"The last day was particularly difficult, as the handling of the car did not feel right, so we decided to play it safe. Then we hit something on the side of the road just after the start of the first stage in the afternoon. We cut a corner and the car went onto two wheels. We risked rolling, but the car landed back on its wheels and we picked up a puncture.

"After that, I just wanted to be sure of making the finish. There was nothing more to gain apart from another points finish. Overall I've really enjoyed the experience of driving here: this was actually the first time I have ever been to Portugal and it is a really nice country, with very friendly people."

Raikkonen's co-driver Kaj Lindstrom meanwhile was again impressed with the ex-F1 star. He also added that they are continuing to refine and improve their pace notes.

"Like everything else, they are getting better all the time," Lindstrom explained. "We changed a couple of things and increased our experience in a few vital areas. With changing levels of grip and so many blind corners, it's really not been easy for Kimi but he's kept his cool throughout the rally and made a lot of progress. I've been really impressed with both his driving and his attitude."

Raikkonen now heads to Austria where he will take on Polish bike star Taddy Blazusiak on the fearsome Erzberg hillclimb course. Blazusiak will be on his trials bike whereas the 'ice-man' will be racing in the Red Bull-liveried Citroen C4 WRC car.

Source: Crash.net
Courtesy: MomoD

Raikkonen "knew that it would be difficult"

Kimi Raikkonen scored his first WRC points in Jordan and Turkey. The Finn knows he's progressing but remains aware of the gap separating him from the best

Kimi Räikkönen, in his fourth rally with the Citroen Junior Team, during last weekend in Turkey, made his first top 5. A beautiful performance for the F1 World Champion 2007, pleased to see his progress race after race. "I'm getting better everywhere," he acknowledges to AUTOhebdo this week. "You know very well what are the steps! Everything happens at once. Little by little, everything seems both better and easier. "

However, the Finn knows he still lacks the level of attack that his car provides him. To progress, Kimi Raikkonen has decided not to take risks, a strategy that allowed him to score his first points. "What counts is to accumulate kilometres, to be at the finish line. The points are the consequence. Their number depends on the race events that affected the best drivers. In Jordan, I found the specials so difficult that I have never taken risks. My points were due to simply being at the finish. In Turkey, it was not quite the same thing. I simply tried to drive. Then I was able to regularly take on Villagra and Wilson. This is not the "top" yet, but it's some satisfaction."

However, the Finn faced severe difficulties, as in the Rally of Jordan, where the complexity of the surface forced him to go at a modest pace."Jordan, I found it horrible. The roads are blind, and tortuous. I felt lost. I really wanted to be at the finish and for this to happen, I had no other choice but to be slow. "

Kimi Raikkonen thus learns step by step, in a discipline that he discover with every kilometre. "I knew it would be difficult. It's not worse than what I expected. Except in Jordan. There, I really suffered." But, as he remains lucid, the Finn is nonetheless ambitious. "I know the depth of the gap that separates me from the top. I know that I have just succeeded in getting intermediate lap times comparably to theirs. All I have left is to multiply these moments. I'm progressing, but fifth, six minutes behind, it's not what I want. "

Source: Autohebdo.fr
Translation from French: Fran

A fast journey home crowned Kimi's rally

Turun Sanomat 18.4 2010

Kimi Räikkönen has taken ten WC-points when winning a F1-grand prix. From Turkey Rally Kimi also took ten WC-points when bringing his Citroen C4 WRC-car 5th to the finish.

A indisputable progress and flawless performance raised these ten points to the level of a winning-atmosphere.

Citroen Junior Team's boss Benoit Nogier thanked Räikkönen's performance and speed of progress.

- Kimi is going forward with speed. Now he has succeeded to run away from those drivers with whom he still faught at the beginning of this race. This is very encouraging progress from Kimi as a rally-driver, Nogier praises.

Räikkönen's good weekend was fulfilled when the flight back home was organised on Sunday-evening on a private jet from Istanbul to Nizza, from where he drives back home to Switzerland.

Speed of progress in order

Co-driver Kaj Lindtröm was once again pleased when the star-student is improving race by race at least according to the most demanding exceptations.

- Of course this kind of result is good when Kimi doesn't have much of experience in rally. It wasn't flawless, but almost. On a few stages the engine stalled at the same intersection , but that was it.

The Turkey Rally, which was taken to a new route, gave Räikkönen and Lindström also a good situational review.

- At this point of Kimi's career-development one don't have to wonder anymore what is the difference to the top when the rally-route is unfamiliar to everyone. I didn't yet calculate the different stages but it probably lies around 1 second, Lindström said.

A part of the routes was driven on tarmac, which was the third element where Räikkönen is driving for the first time on a WRC-car.

- I was probably too careful on tarmac until I realized how much grip there were. I'm pretty satisfied with my pace, Räikkönen said.

According to Lindström experience can't be called tarmac-driving.

- We drove on gravel settings and gravel tires. It is a totally different thing when we drive the first actual tarmac-rally in July in Bulgary, he reminded.

Naturally Räikkönen's end result was maximized by the set-backs experienced by the two drivers who belong to the top 6, Dani Sordo and Jari-Matti Latvala.

- Of course others' unfortune helped but it belongs to the spirit of motorsport, Räikkönen reminded.

Braking on the last stage

Sunday's ending stage was according to Räikkönen the most difficult of the weekend. There Lindström had to brake [slow] the driver, so they stayed on the road.

- The last stage was more than slippery and very difficult. It had to be taken carefully so that the race wouldn't get a bad ending, Räikkönen explained.

There is a one week pause ahead. Räikkönen won't participate in New Zealand WRC-rally and will drive next in Portugal at the end of May.

Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy: Leijona

Kimi: I was sliding a bit in a few points

Kimi Räikkönen continued his impressive run in the Turkish WRC rally

Kimi Räikkönen is firmly attached to the sixth position of the Rally of Turkey. Federico Villagra, who is driving in seventh position, is 32 seconds away and Sebastien Ogier is ahead by well over a minute.

-Well yeah, it went okay. We improved a bit again from the morning. That's the main thing. It's difficult to make comparisons to other people when you don't know what you're comparing. There's no point in comparing ourselves to the top drivers yet, said Räikkönen at the end of the day shivering in the chilly Istanbul weather.

In Turkey Räikkönen has been able to try rallying on asphalt for the first time. The surface is familiar to Räikkönen from F1.

-It's not proper asphalt driving with those tyres. It was also a bit wet on the penultimate stage. It was damn slippery. We came pretty calmly. I was sliding a bit in a few points.

If Räikkönen makes it to the finish line in one piece and keeps his sixth position he will collect eight championship points.

-We'll try to keep the position. A lot can still happen. Let's see what we can do.

Six more spacial stages will be driven on Sunday.

Source: Iltalehti.fi
Courtesy: Dracaena

KIMI: WHAT IS FOR SURE IS THAT I LIKE CHALLENGES

Kimi Räikkönen's next WRC-rally is in Turkey

The rally is the 3rd rally on gravel in Räikkönen's career. Therefore the man hasn't got too much of experience. Fortunately Räikkönen has never feared challenges.

- I guess it's a good thing that I like challenges because there's a big challenge ahead of me again, Räikkönen talked.

- IMO Jordan's rally was the most difficult so far but I have no idea what it's like in Turkey.

- The number one goal is to finish the rally because it's a completely new race. But because I'm a competitive person I always want to drive as good as I can.

Kaj Lindström believes that Turkey will suit Kimi better

- I don't really know what we can expect but according to my information the stages are pretty fast and the roads are wide. I think they suit Kimi well, Lindström thinks.

- My only concern is the risk for rain. It's the same for everybody but rain would make the surface extremely slippery which wouldn't be that nice.

An even rally in Jordan made Räikkönen happy even though his pace suffered a bit.

- In Jordan we found a safe pace which isn't necessarily the most exciting thing in the world but at least we finished the rally and scored points, Räikkönen tells.

Source: Iltalehti - MTV3 - Courtesy: Nicole