I hope my luck will change on Sunday - Raikkonen

When he faced the press in Germany this afternoon, the man who has won the last two grands prix revealed he is a fan of the Nurburgring, which is surprising given Kimi Raikkonen's past form on this track.

"I like this track and I hope we can have a strong weekend here," he said. "I have had some unfortunate bad luck here in the past, so I hope that will change on Sunday. Even if I have won the last two races in France and England, that does not give me any extra confidence because every race is different, but it is a nice feeling to have. I will be doing my best to make sure it continues after this weekend!"

Asked who he regarded as his closest rival out of the two McLaren drivers, the Finn found it hard to choose. "It is difficult to tell, but in any case they are both in front of us. I just have to try and beat them both. But, as I have said before, all we can do is the best we can at every race between now and the end of the year and then see where we are."

As to the merits of the F2007 technical package and that of his closest rivals, he feels the cars themselves are not the only factors. "I think it is very dependent on the circuits, with some suiting us better and some are more suited to their package. Personally, in every way, I now feel much more comfortable with my car than I did at the beginning of the season. Everything is working slightly better than before, but I don't feel I have had to adapt my driving style in any way."

With over half the season gone, how does he sum it up to date: "We expected more. We started well, then went through a difficult period and now we are starting to get back to where we want to be." And just like his team-mate, Raikkonen also preferred to leave the political situation regarding the "spying" story to the team management. "I have not given it any thought at all and it certainly does not change the way that I or the team are working, in trying to win every race. It is nothing to do with me."