Proving statistics wrong at the Nürburgring - Raikkonen
For the ninth round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship season, the Formula One teams travel to the Nurburgring in the heart of the Eifel Mountains to the west of Germany for the European Grand Prix. Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen loves racing in Germany, but the statistics say different as the Finn never won a race here. The Iceman hopes to turn his luck this weekend at Nürburgring.
Kimi Raikkonen: "The statistics tell the opposite but I really like racing in Germany, especially at the Nürburgring. I gained the pole four times, but I could never win. Maybe I just wasn’t lucky enough here and at Hockenheim. Just look at the last race for example. I gained the pole position, but right after the start there was a downpour and the race was suspended. When it started again I was on third position with a perfect strategy, but then I had to retire due to a hydraulic problem.
"Realistically this year our objective can’t be a win. We still have to make up ground compared to the leaders as far as the performance is concerned. That’s why the Team continued to work very hard over the last weeks to bring some new solutions to this race. The track should be better for the F60’s characteristics than Silverstone, but we’ll get a clearer picture during Friday’s free practice sessions. To be competitive you need a car with good traction, which is very stable while braking. It’s always difficult making predictions and promising something to the fans, but for us today a place on the podium is already a good result, considering that we’ve been there just once this year.
"There are still nine races until the end of this extremely difficult season for us. Our objective has to be to give it our all race after race, without thinking that the leaders are so many points ahead of us. I really trust the Team’s work and its capacity to close the gap between us and the leaders.
"During this longer than usual break I went to Finland to enjoy the summer there with my family and some close friends and played some tennis. I want to thank Ferrari for giving me the possibility to participate in the 1000 Lakes Rally with the Fiat Grande Punto Abarth at the end of July. It will be my debut in a championship rally. As we don’t have any tests during the season we’ve got plenty of spare time and it’s nice to participate in a race to keep busy. I already tested over the last days, but my approach remains the same: it has nothing to do with Formula 1, it’s pure pleasure."T
