F1Zone

Q. Do you think that Ferrari has arrived with a number one at the team too late?

Kimi Raikkonen: I don't think we have number one and number two. We are racing. It is not why we are in this position.

Q. Last year you were in McLaren and you had a lot of problems with reliability. This year you are at Ferrari and you have these problems. Any regrets?

KR: No!

Q. Is the atmosphere at Ferrari better than it is at McLaren?

KR: The atmosphere here is very good. I cannot say what it is like at McLaren, because I don't know. I am happy with how things are going here. We had some little issues with the reliability, but that is part of racing unfortunately and it has cost us too many points. But we still have a little chance and we try to use it.

Q. You are 13 points behind now. How would you rate your chances now, especially when you see the last three tracks?

KR: This one is still a question mark, and tomorrow we know more. We still have a chance. We know it is going to be very difficult, but you never know when there can be issues with other cars, and maybe a surprise. But we try to do the best that we can and then just see where we end up. There is nothing else we can do.

Q. How did you learn this track?

KR: I went around just five minutes ago, two laps. It is a nice circuit.

Q. At races this year it seems that either McLaren or Ferrari have had a big advantage over the other team. At Spa, and in a situation where you are ahead, does it actually feel quite easy?

KR: I don't know what you mean by easy, because it is never going to be easy. For sure you would rather be in front, but it is always tricky.

Q. But you looked like you had quite a bit in reserve in Spa?

KR: I had enough, so I think after the first pit stop it wasn't too difficult. I knew what I needed to stay ahead (of Felipe) and that made it easier.

Q. When you look back on your career, did you find it easier to hunt somebody or be hunted down?

KR: I haven't been often in the position to be hunted, so I don't think that it makes much difference to me. Unfortunately we always seem to be in a position where we need to catch up, and hopefully we can turn it around.

Q. Do you expect Felipe to play a supporting role to you this weekend?

KR: I don't know anything about it; you need to ask the team. I expect to be in the same position as before.

Q. Is it realistic to have Ferrari win the next two races, like in Spa with a 1-2?

KR: I don't know. I know as much as you guys. We try, for sure, to win every race. But it is going to be very tricky, and we just need to see what happens.

Q. In France you were allowed to use your strategy to beat Felipe, which surprised him a bit. Would you be surprised if that was allowed to happen the other way around in the final three races?

KR: It was done in qualifying already, so it wasn't like it happened in the middle of the race. It was already in the first pit stop and the second pit stop, so everybody knew in our team that I had a bit more fuel. It is a normal thing. Either one of us can choose when we want to stop. If it happens, it happens. It was a similar situation in the last race, but it didn't work out for him.

Q. After what happened in Spa between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, do you think this close fight can be helpful for you?

KR: I don't know really. It is nothing to do with us. I saw what happened between them, but nothing really happened. It was just a racing thing, and they both came out with pretty much the same speed. Maybe it will happen...

Q. If at some point in the future, maybe the distant future, that you were told that your teammate was going to be Fernando Alonso. What would your reaction be?

KR: It wouldn't change anything for me. I don't expect it to happen, anyhow. I have never been in a position to say who I want my teammate to be. I don't really care too much who it is. It really doesn't make my life any different.

Q. Would you enjoy the chance to beat him?

KR: It would be nice, for sure. But like I said, I don't know. It is more talk than anything else.

Q. Looking at Fernando, he is fighting against you, he is fighting against Lewis and he is fighting against the team. Are you surprised how well he is handling the situation psychologically?

KR: It is nothing to do with me. I don't have any interest to answer questions about him. It is nothing against him, but I am not here for that reason.

Q. The weather could be tricky here. How would you like the rain?

KR: For sure it could be tricky here because it is a mountain but it is the same for everyone in the end. It would be nice to be either wet or dry. When it is the middle conditions it is always a bit more of a question mark, and more luck is involved.

Q. You get a lot of pleasure out of racing…

KR: Yeah, I wouldn't do it otherwise.

Q. So how do you rank this year?

KR: I think it has been good. Of course with a new team it is always a bit different from a team you have raced with before for many years. So I enjoy the racing, and it has been easier anyhow. It has been a good year. Okay, the results could have been a little bit better but there are different reasons for it. Otherwise for racing, and working with the team, it has been very good.