Raikkonen secures 5th consecutive Ferrari podium
The fifth consecutive podium for Ferrari is a fact, with a third place for Kimi Raikkonen. Making his debut at the wheel of a Ferrari, Giancarlo Fisichella finished ninth. With four races to go to the end of the season, the Scuderia has consolidated its third place in the Constructors’ classification, now having a 15 point lead over its closest pursuer.
Stefano Domenicali: “A podium again, the fifth in a row, this time courtesy of a hefty dose of luck, which maybe hasn’t always been with us at other times. Once again, in this second half of the season, Kimi drove a fantastic race – in fact I’d say he was fantastic all weekend. He did not make any mistakes, giving his all and, along with the team, was able to get the best out of the car. Giancarlo had a good race, just missing out on a points finish: his weekend built up and up and I am sure that, as from the next race, he will be able to give the team what it needs in terms of points. Today, we were not quick enough, but we still managed to get one driver to the podium, a result which is good for morale and I believe, pleased all our fans. The European part of the season is over and there are still four races to go to try and finish this unusual season in the best way possible.”
Giancarlo Fisichella: “I am happy with the way things went in my first race weekend with Ferrari. At the start, I managed to make up a few places, then I had a difficult moment with Vettel, who closed the door on me going into Ascari in a way that was, let’s say, very decisive. In the first part of the race, I felt comfortable on the softer tyre, while I struggled a bit more on the harder one, especially after the pit stop. It’s a shame I only just missed out on a points finish, but this afternoon, I did the best I could. I am upset that I went off the track in FP3, which prevented me from being as well prepared as possible for qualifying: starting a bit further forward might have seen me finish in the top eight. Right from tomorrow morning, I will be concentrating totally on preparing for the race in Singapore, a track that I like a lot.”
Kimi Raikkonen: “I am happy to have made it to the podium once again, even if this time I needed a heavy dose of luck. It’s a nice result, for the championship, for us and for our fans here at Monza. I got a great start and I almost managed to also get past Hamilton, but even if I’d managed it, the result would have been the same in the end. I’m disappointed I couldn’t fight for the win, but we did not have enough speed. All in all, the strategy we chose prior to the race was the best one for us. In my battle with Sutil, I was never really in difficulty: I knew I only had to avoid making any mistakes and drive in such a way as to get the best out of the car. The tyres? The softer ones suited us better, as we struggled a bit on the harder ones, especially at the start of the stint. In the upcoming races, we will try and do our best: maybe in some of them we could even try and fight for the win.”
Chris Dyer: “We were expecting a bit more in terms of performance, but we are pleased with yet another podium finish from Raikkonen, even if it owed something to luck. Kimi again drove an impeccable race, as he has always done in this part of the season. Giancarlo ended up just outside the points, but this was nevertheless a positive weekend for him and we are confident that he is capable of making an important contribution to the team in the final part of the season. We went for a two stop strategy for Kimi and it was the right decision, given the pace we had. Also in terms of our tyre useage, we feel we made the best choice: our car struggled more than others to get the best out of the harder compound, especially in the first few laps.”
