After Aldo Costa
and Gilles Simon Kimi Raikkonen took questions from the
media present in the afternoon in Fiorano. The Finn held his
first press conference at the race track of Fiorano, after
his debut last week with the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in
Madonna di Campiglio.
Kimi Raikkonen: "I've just seen the F2007 in the
plant and it is very beautiful and it will be exciting to
see it on the track tomorrow. I can't wait to start the new
season and I expect it to be a very challenging one, even
though I think we are up for the Championship. I have been
received here in a very nice way and I have a good feeling.
It is nice to be with Ferrari and I do not want to make any
comparisons to the past. It's a completely different story.
Let's put it like this: In Maranello it is just as I
expected it to be.
"That I had some spare time over the last months hasn't been
bad, even though a forced break doesn't help to get back
into the rhythm easily. Now I will get back into the car and
start my phase in which I will adapt to the car. We have to
work together and we have to give it our all. I will be here
tomorrow to see the F2007 run. It is always very interesting
to see a new race car on its first laps. The most important
thing to go fast is to have a good feeling with the car.
Here everything is different to what I have seen until now
in my career. This is a team that welcomed me in a very warm
hearted way; I think I have made a good decision when I
decided to come to Ferrari.
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"I don't know exactly when I will drive the new car;
tomorrow after the shakedown we will know more. I
don't think that Bridgestone as sole tyre provider
will be a real advantage for us." Photo: Kimi
Raikkonen (left) and Felipe Massa with the Fiat Panda
Tender at Vrooom 2007 last week. |
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"I've just seen the F2007 in the plant and it is
very beautiful and it will be exciting to see it on
the track tomorrow. I can't wait to start the new
season and I expect it to be a very challenging one,
even though I think we are up for the Championship.
Photo: Kimi Raikkonen at Vrooom 2007 last week. |
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"I will definitely learn Italian because it is very
important to adapt as much as possible to the environment.
Obviously it will take some time. Little by little I will
also arrive there, but anyway there won't be any problems
because everyone in the team speaks English. In the year
2007 the car and the tyres will be different, but I have my
way of working and I will adjust to new conditions. I
already changed team, car and method, so I have some
experience in this field. Here you work to the maximum but
the climate is more relaxed. For me it is a perfect
environment.
"I don't know exactly when I will drive the new car;
tomorrow after the shakedown we will know more. I don't
think that Bridgestone as sole tyre provider will be a real
advantage for us, because the tyres are anyway different
compared to the last season. In the upcoming season the
tyres will be the same for everybody and I expect us to get
the most out of it. As far as I am personally concerned, I
expect that the first test will give me some more precise
information on that subject."
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