Kimi Räikkönen - "I think we're in a pretty good position" (Q&A)

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN – “I THINK WE’RE IN A PRETTY GOOD POSITION” [Q&A] 

Qualifying may not have gone exactly to plan for Kimi at the Bahrain International Circuit this afternoon, but as the man himself states, the most important factor is being in the best position for the race… 

KIMI, AN UNEXPECTED RESULT IN QUALIFYING TODAY; WHAT WAS THE THINKING BEHIND YOUR CHOSEN STRATEGY? 

We could easily have gone through to the final session with another run; the pace is there in the car and it felt good to drive. However, managing the tyres will be the key tomorrow so we thought it was worth taking the risk to only do one lap in Q2 and save fresh sets of tyres for the race. It was a gamble that didn’t get us through to the final session, but it will hopefully be a strategy which pays off after 57 laps tomorrow. 

WERE YOU CONFIDENT AFTER YOUR FLYING LAP THAT YOU WOULD MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE POLE POSITION SHOOTOUT? 

We knew it was going to be close and of course we would ideally have liked to have been in Q2; we always want to be as high up the grid as possible. We were fairly certain that we would make it, but at the end of the day there were two options and we went for the one which we believe will deliver the best result on Sunday. Looking at the pace on the soft tyres I don’t think we’re at a big disadvantage starting further back. There are no points for qualifying, so let’s see what happens tomorrow. 

IS THERE A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FRESH RUBBER AND A SCRUBBED SET OF TYRES? 

You can definitely feel the difference, although it’s difficult to say exactly how much it’s worth in terms of lap time. It will give us an advantage off the line and through the first lap especially, so we have a good chance to make up the places we may have lost in qualifying at the start. 

DOES HAVING A GRID POSITION WHICH IS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN YOU WOULD HAVE EXPECTED ALTER YOUR STRATEGY FOR THE RACE? 

Of course, we have to adapt our plans according to where we are but this is also something that changes throughout the race depending on our pace, what the cars around us are doing and of course things like weather and safety car periods. Strategy is never set in stone, so we have to have the flexibility to make to most of each situation. The good news is that starting outside the top 10 we can choose which tyres we start on which will also help. 

DO YOU THINK THE E20 CAN MANAGE THE DEGRADATION ON THE SOFT TYRES BETTER THAN SOME OF THE CARS IN FRONT? 

It’s hard to say. We have a rough idea of where we are compared to the other teams from testing yesterday but you never know what programme they were running so it’s all just speculation really. We came very close to pulling off a longer stint than anyone around us in China and our car is more suited the warmer weather here, so hopefully that’s a good sign. Obviously we took a risk there that didn’t pay off, but we now have a very good understanding of the tyres. I think we’re in a pretty good position. 

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE RACE TOMORROW? 

I’m feeling pretty good. The thing about this season so far is that it’s been so close and so unpredictable that it’s pointless making any kind of guesses. Anything can happen out there, so we’ll just get our heads down and make the most of the options we have. We’re just as competitive here as we have been so far this season, so let’s see what we can do. 

Fonte: www.lotusf1team.com 

Ok, definitivamente o Kimi está de sacanagem com a minha cara! Ele só pode estar querendo zoar comigo! Está em uma boa posição para quê o cara pálida?! Está satisfeito com isto que você conseguiu hoje?! Ah, fala sério, Iceman!

Não existe a menor chance de você chegar ao pódio amanhã querido, sorry! Não adianta, porque esta "grande" estratégia de decidir não disputar o Q3 para poder fazer a corrida amanhã com pneus zeradinhos, em melhores condições do que os adversários, não me convence! E você poderia aparecer na minha frente agora explicando por a + b que é bom, que eu ainda não compraria esta ideia que você e sua equipe tiveram.

Sinto muito Räikkönen, mas desta vez, até com você eu estou chateada, e a minha frustração só vai passar se tudo o que eu disse ser impossível (como você chegar ao pódio amanhã), se tornar realidade.

Beijinhos, Ludy