Kimi Is Back On Top With Abu Dhabi Win

Kimi Räikkönen claimed the first win of his comeback as he took the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi ahead of Championship protagonists Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

It was a grand prix of defining moments as Lewis Hamilton took the lead from pole position ahead of Raikkonen and Pastor Maldonado while Fernando Alonso took fifth off Mark Webber with an attacking move.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel, who started in 23rd place from the pit lane, had early troubles as his front wing was broken in an incident with Bruno Senna on the first lap.

On the ninth lap the Safety Car was deployed for the first time when Nico Rosberg and Narain Karthikeyan crashed as the Merc driver attempted to pass. Instead he misjudeged the closing speed and hit the HRT, launching over it before slamming in the barriers.

Under the Safety Car with the field bunched up, Vettel went off the road and hit a polystyrene block that did further damage to his already broken wing. He pitted on lap 14 for a new front wing and dropped to the back.

Six laps later the race had a new leader as Hamilton, who was 3.4s ahead of Raikkonen, slowed down and retired as his McLaren "lost all power".

Up into first place Raikkonen slowly but surely edged away from Alonso and Jenson Button only to lose his advantage on lap 39 when Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez and Paul di Resta had some argy-bargy that resulted in Grosjean and the innocent Webber retiring. Perez was handed a ten second stop/go penalty for causing the carnage.

With the field bunched up, Raikkonen, Alonso, Button and Vettel pulled away from the chasing pack with Vettel passing Button with three laps remaining. Alonso meanwhile hunted down Raikkonen and, with two laps to go, was with DRS activation. The Ferrari driver, though, was not able to take advantage.

Raikkonen took the chequered flag and his first victory since Spa 2009, putting the Lotus name on the top step of the podium for the first time since Ayrton Senna's win at the 1987 American GP.

Alonso was second ahead of Vettel. The Red Bull racer's podium means he still holds a 10-point advantage in the title race.

Times
01. Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 1h45:58.667
02. Alonso Ferrari + 0.852
03. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 4.163
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 7.787
05. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 13.007
06. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 20.076
07. Massa Ferrari + 22.896
08. Senna Williams-Renault + 23.542
09. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 24.160
10. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 27.400
11. Schumacher Mercedes + 28.000
12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 34.900
13. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 47.700
14. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 56.400
15. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 56.700
16. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1:04.500
17. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1:11.5

Did Not Finish
Pic Marussia-Cosworth 42
Grosjean Lotus-Renault 38
Webber Red Bull-Renault 38
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 20
Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 8
Rosberg Mercedes 8
Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso clings to championship dream as gap widens

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso lost a race battle but looked forward to winning the championship war despite falling further behind Red Bull's overall leader Sebastian Vettel after Sunday's Indian Grand Prix

Trailing Vettel by six points before landing in India, Alonso drove an aggressive race at the Buddh International Circuit to finish second - three places up from where he started but still behind winner Vettel.

It was, the Spaniard recognised, damage limitation with everything still to play for up to the final race in Brazil next month.

The gap, after Vettel's fourth successive win, is now 13 points with three rounds to go.

"It's not easy at the moment to fight with Red Bull but we will never give up. I think we are happy today, we have to congratulate them, they were fantastic this weekend so well done Red Bull, well done Sebastian," said Alonso.

"But we want to be happy and we want to enjoy Brazil, not only here so I'm sure we will do it."

The Spaniard, the only top 10 driver to improve his grid position in Sunday's race, said before the race that he was "100 percent confident" that he could win the title and he saw no reason to change that view afterwards.

"Of course," he emphasised after notching up his 10th podium finish of the season.

The Spaniard, a double champion with Renault, said there was some room for improvement in the qualifications but he was pretty much in the hunt.

"We know that we need to improve. We are not fast enough, especially on Saturdays as I said, but hopefully we can improve the situation in Abu Dhabi or in the USA (next month).

"The races are long and as we saw today with (Red Bull's) Mark (Webber), a KERS problem can happen to anyone. It can happen to Seb, it can happen to me and it can happen to all of us. Still many points on the table and I'm still very optimistic."

Ferrari will have some updates in Abu Dhabi and Alonso should also go well in the season-ender.

"I think Brazil will be quite good for us and hopefully it's a happy grand prix," he said.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali predicted Alonso's second place finish would keep his rivals worried and compared his driver's chances to Italy winning the 1982 soccer World Cup against stronger opponents.

"This second place is all down to his talent, to his aggressive approach and the fact that he never wants to give up, backed by a team that is doing the maximum to give him a car that is worthy of him," he said.

"Sure we leave India with a bigger gap to the leader of drivers' championship than when we got here, but this race should not leave those who are ahead in a calm and relaxed mood," added Domenicali.

Source: Reuters Sports

Räikkönen, the specialist of a last stint - needs more speed

Has Kimi Räikkönen's mental approach to the WDC-battle changed?

– Nothing has changed for me at least. I have nothing to lose. I just try and improve the position. If I don't succeed then it doesn't change anything in my life, Räikkönen assured when getting ready for the practice.

Räikkönen has experience of rising up from a hopeless situation to world championship. Is it an advantage when you know how it's done?

– One has to remember that I have both lost and won the championship in the last race. I guess the guy ahead of me have also experienced the same. I think Vettel is the only one who has only won, but at least Alonso has also lost and won the championship in the last race.

– The fact is however that we all have enough experience and we all know what we need to do, Kimi said.

Five years ago Räikkönen needed the credible and strong F2007-car for his last stint. Back then Kimi was 18 points behind Lewis Hamilton when four races were left. The difference to Vettel right now is in practice the same. Back then Alonso was also between as second.

Räikkönen won three times in the four last races.

– There is the difference that in 2007 I knew I could win everyone of those races with that Ferrari. Now winning would depend more on others making mistakes. Of course we can win but speed wise we aren't in the same place regarding others than we were in Ferrari.

Lotus is working night and day so that they could get more competitiveness to E20-car. However Red Bull seems to have escaped so far that it would require a completely massive development kick to reach them.

Red Bull is escaping far away

– Really much should happen so that the power relations would change remarkably from this. It's more depending upon if Vettel and Alonso or their teams make some mistakes. You never know what might happen. At least we try our best every time. Who knows if some track would suit our car better than others and then we could get better results.

– If I would have to place a bet on the WDC, my money would go for Vettel. He is leading and he has the fastest car. They have been fast in the last races and they don't make mistakes.

Lotus has modified the new exhaust system and will also get other new updates to their car.

– Hopefully we can improve from the last race and go forward in the same way as we did from Japan to Korea. We need better results in the end season. There is development coming all the time, but the problem is that no other team will suddenly stop their work either. Everyone is squeezing until the end, since the situation in the lead is so tight, Räikkönen said.

– On a fast track like this there's probably not much advantage of the exhaust as it is in the next race in Abu Dhabi, Räikkönen thought.

Contract still not signed

On the contract frontier we are still depending upon rumours. The latest grain of information from Lotus-camp tells that Räikkönen's contract might possibly next week be filed up to the dots so that it can be announced.

Assumably Romain Grosjean has to show his performances until the end of the season in order to get a new contract. They also have negotiations with other candidates.

– We have options, but nothing has been decided definitely. Both names have to be in the contract and I guess they will be there at some point, Räikkönen said.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Vettel Wins As Alonso Retires

Sebastian Vettel took a massive step towards a third World title as he clinched a dominant victory in Japan while Fernando Alonso retired

Arriving in Japan, Alonso held a 29-point advantage over the Red Bull racer, however, by the end of lap one it was down to just four points.

The Ferrari driver failed to make it around the first corner as his rear tyre was clipped by Kimi Raikkonen, causing a puncture and an off that left Alonso beached in the gravel.

Vettel came home in front of Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi who held off a late race charge from Jenson Button to get his first podium at his home grand prix - and send the crowd wild.

Race Report
The sun was shining down on Suzuka with an ambient temperature of 23C and the track at 32C.

Seven rows of grid<1 .vettel=".vettel" 10.massa="10.massa" 11.diresta="11.diresta" 12.maldonado="12.maldonado" 13.rosberg="13.rosberg" 14.ricciardo="14.ricciardo" 2.webber="2.webber" 3.kobayashi="3.kobayashi" 4.grosjean="4.grosjean" 5.perez="5.perez" 6.alonso="6.alonso" 7.raikkonen="7.raikkonen" 8.button="8.button" 9.hamilton="9.hamilton" span="span">

Start:As the lights went out it was a chaotic start at an old-fashioned track that is narrower than most. Vettel got a clean getaway, but behind him Romain Grosjean made contact with Webber, puncturing the Red Bull's rear tyre and sending him on a slow first lap back to the pits. Grosjean damaged his front wing and had to come in for a new one.

Further back down the grid the hapless Bruno Senna made another first lap contact, this time with Nico Rosberg sending the Mercedes driver out of the race and damaging Senna's front wing and obliging him to go back to the pits for a new one.

However the major loss on the first lap was championship leader Fernando Alonso who was tapped from behind by Kimi Raikkonen, the Lotus losing a chunk of its front wing, but enough to deflate Alonso's rear tyre and spin him into retirement, beached in the gravel.

The Safety Car was dispatched so that Alonso's car could be recovered and as they lined up behind the order was: 1.Vettel, 2.Kobayashi, 3.Button, 4.Massa, 5.Raikkonen, 6.Perez, 7.Hamilton, 8.Hulkenberg, 9.Maldonado, 10.Ricciardo, 11.Glock, 12.Kovalainen, 13.Verne, 14.DiResta, 15.Schumacher

The stewards immediately put the Webber/Grosjean incident under investigation while Grosjean, Senna and Webber tried to race round to make the most of the temporary delay. On Lap 12 the stewards would get round to investigating the Senna/Rosberg incident. Both Grosjean and Senna took penalties as a result.

Button (P9) and Massa (P11) had profited enormously from having P2, P4, P6 and P7 get embroiled in first corner accidents and were up to third and fourth. We were racing again from Lap 3 and Sergio Perez was keen to get past Kimi Raikkonen - trying to overtake the Lotus in a wheel-to-wheel move around the outside of Turn 1. It didn't work, forced Perez out wide and he lost a place to Hamilton as a result.

Perez was then all over the back of Lewis Hamilton who looked to be struggling in the early phase of the race. On Lap 6 the Sauber driver was able to take advantage of Hamilton's lack of attention, running up the inside into the hairpin in a move reminiscent of Kamui Kobayashi's debut Japanese GP.

At the front, Sebastian Vettel was pulling away and by Lap 10 had opened up a 6.2 second gap to Kobayashi in second place. Button was two seconds down on the Japanese driver with Massa right behind him. Perez was able to close up the gap to Raikkonen who looked to be losing the rear tyres of the Lotus.

Although Button's times didn't appear to be dropping off, he was in for tyres at the end of Lap 13, along with Hulkenberg and Raikkonen. The Finn exited behind a battle between Jean-Eric Vergne and Heikki Kovalainen and spent a lap behind that battle. With Perez still on track and putting the hammer down, it looked like a formality that Perez would pick up Raikkonen's place.

Kimi battled his way past Vergne, using the DRS zone to pass the Toro Rosso on Lap 15 and a lap later he was past Kovalainen, just as Perez was pitting. The Sauber must have lost time somewhere on track or in the pits because Perez emerged from the pits not only behind Raikkonen, but when Hamilton stopped on Lap 17, the Mexican found himself back behind the McLaren again.

Perez was not the only one delayed; with Kobayashi able to keep his place in front of Button through the first pit-stops, they both found themselves behind the sluggish Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo. This was a gift to Felipe Massa who came in with Vettel at the end of Lap 18 and exited firmly in second place, leapfrogging the pair of them and having fresher tyres to boot.

Positions on Lap 18:1.Vettel, 2.Massa, 3.Kobayashi, 4.Button, 5.Ricciardo(not stopped), 6.Raikkonen, 7.Hamilton, 8.Perez, 9.Hulkenberg, 10.Kovalainen (not stopped), 11.Vergne (not stopped)

Jenson Button was reporting problems with his gearbox which was dropping into neutral and the team were trying to find solutions for him on the fly. Future team-mate Perez was stuck behind Hamilton again, but Lewis wasn't going to be overtaken up the inside into the hairpin again and when Perez made a move there on Lap 20 he put a wheel on the grass and the Sauber went spinning off into the gravel and out.

Soon after his pit-stop Felipe Massa put in successive fastest laps of the race and on Lap 21 Vettel's lead dipped under ten seconds. To show he was in absolute command Vettel responded on Lap 22 with his own fastest lap which included two purple sectors.

Team-mate Mark Webber had made it up to ninth place by Lap 21 but he was out of sequence with the other cars having pitted so early, and on Lap 26 he was back into the pits again, all set for a late race charge.

Around Laps 29 and 30 both Mclarens started to make progress on the cars in front, Button began to catch Kobayashi - who he'd dropped back from - and Hamilton closed the gap on Raikkonen from 2.7 to 2.4 to 1.9 - then on lap 30 Lewis was 0.7 quicker than Raikkonen in Sector 1 alone and Raikkonen had to make a dash for the pits.

Hamilton pitted just a lap later and exited the pitlane alongside Raikkonen. The pair toughed it out through Turn 1 but Hamilton got the position and it was a credit to their car control skills that both could get through without touching. Kobayashi had pitted at the same time and such was his haste to get out of the pitlane that he almost took a jack with him.

Kobayashi had to put in a fast outlap and get up to speed quickly to stay ahead of Button who waited four laps before pitting. When he did, he had a problem with his right rear tyre, but such was Kobayashi's pace in the intervening four laps that it made no difference and Button resumed over four seconds in arrears.

Positions on Lap 36:1.Vettel, (one stop) 2.Massa (one stop), 3.Kobayashi, 4.Button, 5.Hamilton, 6.Raikkonen, 7.Hulkenberg, 8.Maldonado, 9.Schumacher (one stop), 10.Webber, 11.Ricciardo, 12.Vergne.

Michael stopped for the final time on Lap 37, along with Felipe Massa, while Vettel pitted on lap 38. By now he had an 18 second lead over Massa and could play around scaring his race engineer by going for an occasional fastest lap - which he did on lap 39.

Raikkonen faded away from Hamilton and Hulkenberg couldn't close the gap to the Finn. The only big question now was could Kamui Kobayashi hold off a determined charge from Jenson Button in the remaining laps to the flag? Kamui's advantage fell from 3.9 to 3.5 to 3.0 to 2.7 to 2.2 to just 1.8 on Lap 44 (of 53). Progress beyond that was slow for Button as he encountered the turbulent air off the Sauber's rear wing. Kobayshi put in personal best after personal best in his fight to stay ahead.

Most important of all Button couldn't get into the DRS zone and he wasn't helped when Kovalainen's Caterham delayed him on a lap where he looked to move into it. So the gap then levelled out: 1.7 to 1.5 to 1.8 to 1.8 to 1.6 to 1.2 to 1.1 to 1.0. On the last lap Button made significant gains and was right behind Kamui coming into the hairpin for the final time, but the Japanese driver hung on to finish just 0.5 ahead - sending the crowd wild.

Vettel, in his usual style, had done some more fast-lap-scaring with an almighty 1:35.775 on the penultimate tour (the previous Vettel fastest lap on Lap 46 had been a 1:36.466!) but cruised to the flag ahead of Massa, Kobayashi, Button, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado scoring his first points since Barcelona in P8. Mark Webber had hauled himself up into P9 and had both the Williams and the Force India in his sights when he ran out of laps.

It was an emphatic win for Vettel on a day when nobody was going to catch the Red Bull. Now just four points behind Alonso, Vettel knows that all he has to do to make it World Championship No.3 is stay in front of his main rival on track. With the Red Bull looking significantly faster than the Ferrari the betting is only going to go in one direction.

However it was just as significant a drive for Massa, his first podium since Korea in 2010, and a seat-for-2013-saving drive. Kobayashi's third place equalled the best result for a Japanese driver in Japan and will have gone a long way in convincing the Sauber team to keep him on for 2013.

Results

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h28:56.242
02. Massa Ferrari + 20.639
03. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 24.538
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 25.098
05. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 46.490
06. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 50.424
07. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 51.159
08. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 52.364
09. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 54.675
10. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:06.919
11. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:07.769
12. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:23.400
13. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:28.600
14. Senna Williams-Renault + 1:28.700
15. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
16. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
17. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
19. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap

Did Not Finish
Pic Marussia-Cosworth 39
Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 34
Perez Sauber-Ferrari 19
Alonso Ferrari 1
Rosberg Mercedes 1

Source: Planet-F1

Kimi Räikkönen presented his new hairstyle

Kimi presented his new shorter hairstyle in Japan GP

Finland's most followed celebrity has lost his familiar mullet ever since the last F1-race.

The most observant Kimi-fans noticed on Suzuka paddock that the already familiar mullet had disappeared. Kimi who turns 33 on October 17th had cut his blond locks shorter during the break.

Kimi's hair is now shorter than it has been in years. The last time Kimi had this short hair was in year 2007 when he won his career's first WDC.

                                      A more grownup-looking Kimi on Japan GP's paddock

After his championship year Kimi has let his hair grow and a few years ago Kimi's angelic locks were already so long that he could even have a ponytail.

The Iceman has earlier told in public that he hasn't been to a barber in years. Earlier a good friend has been taking care of the barber-stuff by cutting Kimi's hair into a new look whenever necessary.

Kimi hasn't still told about his plans for the future, but he has promised to tell his news on his birthday after one week.

Kimi still had more hair on his head on Singapore GP's paddock

Source: MTV3

Courtesy: Nicole

Alonso happy but wants improvements for Suzuka

Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso was happy with his third-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday despite seeing his advantage cut to 29 points over race winner Sebastian Vettel

Vettel inherited the race lead from pole sitter Lewis Hamilton after the Briton retired with a gearbox failure and the German held off the other McLaren of Jenson Button and Alonso's Ferrari to reignite his hopes of a third straight title.

Alonso has made a habit of converting poor qualifying positions into big points this season to forge ahead of the field and the double world champion was able to draw on his experience to achieve another strong result in Singapore.

"It was the best I could hope for as we were not very competitive this weekend in terms of pace," Alonso told reporters after recording his 81st podium in Formula One, putting him third on the all-time list in that category.

"But we qualified well, which was the best part of the weekend. If you are stuck at the rear of the race then you have a lot of problems," he added.

"It was a very positive weekend. We only lost points to one of our major contenders which is good considering we are not quick enough."

Looking ahead to the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on October 7, Alonso is hoping for an improved performance in qualifying to stay ahead of his rivals with just six rounds remaining in the 20-race season.

"It's a little bit difficult to predict as it has been a year of ups and downs for all the teams. Here we (Ferrari) could only qualify fifth and 13th which is not what we are hoping for," he said.

"We need to do better at Suzuka, it is similar to Silverstone where we did well, so we're hoping for an improved performance."

BRAZILIAN BATTLE

Alonso's team mate Felipe Massa continues to be the subject of speculation concerning his future at the Italian team and the Brazilian had an eventful race, dropping from 13th to last on the first lap before fighting back to finish eighth.

His battle with fellow Brazilian Bruno Senna after the second safety car restart was a highlight of the race but Massa was unhappy with his compatriot, who almost pushed him into the barriers at Turn 13.

"I think that was really not nice because I was already alongside and he pushed over to my car and wedged me into the wall," Massa said.

"Fortunately nothing happened to my car and I'm a little bit more calm now."

Massa was forced to pit on the first lap but a patient drive enabled him to score valuable points in his quest to hold on to his seat.

"It was a puncture because someone touched me," Massa added. "It's unfortunate but the car today was fantastic.

"I was so happy with the car and the pace and how I was driving today. Even starting 13th, it was a race where we could have finished in the top five with both cars.

"I'm happy with my race but not with what happened at the first corner, but it's true that starting near the back it's more likely this can happen."

Source: Reuters Sports

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

Heikki Kulta's Blog: Up to luck

In the WC-battle the most crucial 175 points from seven races are still not given out. Hence it's useless to make any long-term conclusions, because the top leader Fernando Alonso has at the moment 179 points.

Therefore so far only Heikki Kovalainen and a few other drivers have already lost their mathematical chances for the WDC...

I'm writing this on the flight from Milano to Helsinki and from there to Turku. Nearby sits Mika Salo from MTV3, with whom we ended up to the conclusion that the next race on Singapore streets in Marina Bay's night will show what Kimi Räikkönen's Lotus really can do.

– Lotus was still the fastest car in July's races. After the break it hasn't gone anywhere in Belgium and Italy. I wonder if they have fallen off the wagon in Enstone factory since other top teams have been busy in their own development work? Salo wondered.

– Spa and Monza are of course special tracks in every sense, hence the more realistic picture of Lotus-car's speed can only be seen in Singapore, which is a downforce-track and where they again drive with softer compounds, which have been more successful for Lotus.

– But at this exact moment it looks like Fernando Alonso will take the WDC. If they had a defense-strategy in Belgium, then in Monza again the Ferrari attacked at full blast, Salo thinks.

I asked after the race on Monza paddock about the sceneries for the WC-battle and about Kimi Räikkönen's chances to come with a super-surprise.

Eric Boullier stated that they knew Monza would be extremely difficult, but that all the remaining tracks would surely be more favorable for E20-car.

– Kimi does have a chance to win this WDC but it's going to be difficult. We will return back to better positions in Singapore. Here in Monza we had to sacrifice our qualification result, because we needed more downforce for our setups than some other teams needed, Bouillier thought.

Boullier was of course also speaking on the behalf of his team. But let's take an opinion from a completely opposite side. 

Peter Windsor is a long-time media personality, who has an immense experience from all F1-works - and who at times has a very critical point of view. 

How will it go in this WC-battle?

– I wouldn't want to sound arrogant, but I predicted already before the first test that Alonso will be WDC and Lewis Hamilton will be his toughest contender. I have at no point changed my opinion. I knew after last season that with the new regulations this will become a very tough and even WC-battle. Back then I believed that Alonso would be in the best position to get the best out of his team and car.

– Of course I can see that Ferrari isn't that great car, but it's good enough for Fernando to win the WDC. Hamilton is a spectacular driver and McLaren is at the moment the strongest car, but just like Mark Webber couldn't take points from Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button also takes points from Hamilton. That's why his chances against Alonso aren't so good.

– I think that during a season like this a fast teammate is really not of any use when every point counts. Felipe Massa is in that sense a brilliant teammate for Fernando, Windsor sums up.

Then what about Räikkönen's chances - he is third isn't he?

– Although I appreciate Finns and although Leo Kinnunen is my eternal idol, I have at no stage seen Kimi as a strong WDC-candidate. He might win some race during the endseason, but a lot would have to go wrong for these other top drivers for him to become a champion.

– This isn't because I wouldn't respect the team, the elements there just aren't top class. And innermost I don't see Kimi as fast as he was when he destroyed Juan Pablo Montoya at McLaren. Although I still love to watch Kimi racing I still don't think he is as fast as he was especially at McLaren, not even as fast as he was when leaving Ferrari.

Michael Schmidt from Auto, Motor und Sport also thinks that Alonso will take his third WDC. Monza changed the settings so that now Ferrari has to now be more alert when it comes to McLaren instead of Red Bull.

– McLaren is at this stage the measure stick for everything. They won three races from pole in a row on completely different tracks with their car. No other team has this season won three races in a row. If Hamilton can drive safely to the end, then Alonso will have a really hard time.

– I guess that this championship will be decided in the very last race.

– Lotus scores points every time, Kimi is the most reliable driver in this serie, but unfortunately the car is too slow. The same tune will continue on the next tracks also, Schmidt thinks.

Martin Brundle from Sky Sports joked if I want him to claim that Kimi is no good or that he will make a sensation.

– Realistically it looks like Alonso has the best assets when going to long distance races whereas those behind him driving for victories are possibly Vettel, possibly Hamilton, possibly Button, possibly Webber, possibly Kimi, possibly Sauber. The scores will get mixed up conveniently and when Fernando like this starts from 10th grid, doesn't drive any super-race - more like a very normal race - comes in 3rd and at the same time grows the score-gap to the next battle. Hey, that's just the luck that a champion needs!

– Kimi is doing a good work. But in order to win the WDC he needs victories, Brundle emphasizes.

Courtesy: Nicole

Q&A with Kimi on Thursday May 10th 2012

Galina, Russia

" Kimi, it is already hard to imagine Rally Finland without you and your car! How much do you want to come back there (this or next year) and how hard Lotus is against that?" Thanks!))

Answer:

I miss rally now as much as I did miss F1 while I did WRC. It’s not a must, but I still like a lot driving rally.

Nicole:

Do you still write your Finnish columns?

Answer:

Not anymore.

Rich Eklund:

I was just wondering is we will see the ICEMAN documentary that was supposed to be released in 2011?

Answer:

No decisions made yet.

ketcayu:

Kimi, i heard that you share your driving data with Romain

Answer:

It’s quite normal in every team. Every team shares all the data between the drivers. There is nothing to hide away, because it would not be useful for the team. We check the set-ups, and look, if the other likes something in it, or not. During qualifying I’m not that interested in his telemetry, while I just focus on my own.

carbonfiber diet:

Hey Iceman, Since your return, what changes have been the toughest to adjust to? CFD?

Answer:

Must be the tyres. It’s about learning them, not just getting used to them. It depends on circuits. Somewhere it goes smoothly, sometimes there is adjusting to do.

Atlanta, GA:

Hei Heikki, could you ask Kimi his expectation towards the WCC/WDC standings this year? And on which circuit will Kimi/Lotus have better chances this year? And upon what aspects (aero, engine, ect) do Lotus have advantages over other teams?

Answer:

We don’t think of the championships, we focus on getting the best possible result every time. The results have so far been going like in crossroads, so being consisten, getting 4th, 5th places, you can suddenly end up high in the standings, while the points are nowadays that big. Our car has so far been quick in every circuit. It’s a question getting everything right and not hurt ourselves like we have done in a few weekends.

Claudia:

I´d like that know whether Kimi is already to 100% confident with the car and his driving (compared to the last time he drove in F1) or whether there is still some room for improvement (hehe okay he will say that you can alway improve)

I´m just asking because I noticed that his pace on the softer tyres compared to Romain or other drivers is better than it´s on the mediums or hards. Of course my observations could be totally wrong =D

Answer:

I feel confident as always. As usually, there is room to improve, but my driving is what it is, and it’s not going to change from that.

About soft tyre, I don’t know. Some tyres have worked better than some others. Propably in comparison my soft tyres were working better than the hard ones in that race, while it was more tricky to the hards working. It depends on driving style, too.

Andrea:

How many hours a day to you train? I heard that you like to sleep until noon! So when does your training session usually start? Do you always just train with Mark or do you also do some stuff on your ownn or with friends?

Answer:

It depends on the day. We usually start at 11.00, if we do mountain biking, it’s 3 hours or something, then we do gym etc. Yes, I train with Mark according to his programmes.

Celine:

I heard that you always beat Vettel at Badminton. Is he that bad or are you that good? Do you often see each other when you are not at the races? Are there some other drivers you like to spend time with?

Answer:

Seb has never won me. Last time we played was in Kuala Lumpur - and I won.

Do you prefer to spend your time in Switzerland or in Finland?

Answer:

I love both, but it’s more peaceful in Switzerland.

Heni:

Hei Kimi! When you meet Sebastian just talking about Formula 1?

Answer:

We talk all kind of things, but, of course, about F1, too.

Ingrid:

Are you still in contact with Kaj? Are you planning to do Rally Finland?

Answer:

Yes, I keep in touch. He’s now rallying with Pajunen. No, I’m not planning Rally Finland.

Kriss:

Do you think that driving in rally for 2 years made you a better F1 driver?

Answer:

Rally and F1 are completely different sports. They don’t have anything in common. I like to drive them both, but two years of rallying were two years of rallying, nothing else.

Melina:

I´d like to know whether Kimi watches some starts prior to some races to prepare himself. Or whether he does watch the race again after it is over to analyse his driving.

Answer:

No, I don’t watch the starts, I did previously, but some how it stopped. And why do it? If I would watch ten starts from the others, it would not mean our start would be similiar to them.

Joy Chan:

From the bottom of your heart, which one do you love more? WRC or F1?

Answer:

I like them both as much. I have done racing more than 25 years and rallies for 2 years and my career is not finished yet.

Dean:

Kimi before the start of the season you complained about DRS and that it´s not that difficult to overtake nowadays.

Do you still think like that or do you like it now?

Answer:

DRS is just a bottom in the steering wheel. In some circuits it’s still very difficult to get close enough to overtake. That has not changed.

Piotr:

During your Nascar races and rallys we often heard you swearing (really I think Kaj was more of an Iceman than you were);D

Do you also often swear to your team at the F1 team radio?

Answer:

You swear, while it’s not going in the way you like.It doesn’t not have anything to do with iceman status.

One question concerning the team. Do you already get on well with them? I mean do they already understand what you want? Is there a blind trust?

Answer:

The relationship has been good since the beginning. Now we just know each better. The atmosphere is something I like very much.

icemaid:

If you win your 2nd WDC this year or in 2013 will you continue to race in F1?

Answer:

I have a contract for 2013. But you never know what happens in this sports.

whatever:

Q. What was going through your mind being back at the podium after so long?

Answer:

I was not that happy, while I knew it could have been better.

Anonymous:

Are you interested in the history of F1? If you could drive any legendary Formula One car of the past, which car would you choose?

Answer:

I would pick the the age of those ’cigarboxes’ back in the sixties.

kuttan:

You can only go as fast as your car is capable of. How many tenths extra’ can a driver bring purely from skill. ( if there are ideal lap times calculated by the computer, how often do u go better than that)

Answer:

You never beat the ideal lap time. First it’s measured by a computer, and if I break it, the new ideal lap is then my time. I think, you never get a 100% perfect lap so in fact there is not ideal lap time at all.=

Courtesy: Nicole