multi21

At some point Ferrari will have to put it's efforts behind one of their drivers for the championship and Kimi is making it an easy decision right now for whom the compromised driver will be.

Kimi is hoping for rain...

A.Wayne

Ferrari's strategy for Kimi will quite possibly place him in the points on sunday, if no driver errors i expect to see kimi finish 5 or 6 at race end ....
It is an easy decision for Ferrari as i do believe this decisions was made before the season started , Massa has Ferrari's full support , it is for Kimi to try and take it .....

A.Wayne

Kimi Raikkonen believes he would have been fast enough to fight for pole position in Monaco if he hadn't damaged his Ferrari in Q2.

The Finn clipped the barriers at the Swimming Pool before he could set a time in the second segment of qualifying, and will have to start from the eighth row of the grid.

"I was on my first run with soft tyres when, coming out of the Swimming Pool chicane, I hit the barrier with the left front wheel," he said.

"At first it seemed that everything was all right, but when I got to Rascasse, the car would not make the turn.

"I managed to get back to the pits and the mechanics tried to fix the car but we realised it could not be done in time.

"Here, the very slightest error costs you dear and it is a real shame because I think I could have fought for pole position."

Ironically Raikkonen ended up parked at Rascasse in a very similar manner to his predecessor Michael Schumacher's track-blocking incident, and nearly trapped his team-mate Felipe Massa behind him before the Brazilian managed to squeeze through a small gap and continue to eventually qualify third.

Ferrari's sporting director Stefano Domenicali told ITV Sport's Ted Kravitz that he hoped Raikkonen could make progress through the field as strategies and Monaco's usual attrition unfolded.

"It's a shame for him for sure," Domenicali said.

"Anyway, let's keep the concentration for the race.

"We need to think about the race for Kimi from that starting position, but Felipe did a great lap.

"So let's see what the others have on board, and for sure tomorrow will be tough for everyone."

A.Wayne

Kimi Raikkonen's Formula One rivals warned that the Ferrari driver remained a title contender despite his misfortune in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.

The Finn, eight points behind McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton after four races, qualified 16th after a brush with the barriers.

"It's a real shame because I think I could have fought for pole position," said Raikkonen, who retired from the previous Spanish Grand Prix with an electrical problem. "I am expecting a very tough race but I will do all I can to get a good result for the team."

With Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa starting third, and Hamilton and double world champion Fernando Alonso on pole in an all-McLaren front row, Raikkonen looks certain to fall further behind in the championship.

Alonso, champion for the past two years with Renault before joining McLaren, said there was a long way to go and Raikkonen could easily come back.

"There are 17 races and we saw unfortunately in the last two years that after having a big gap in the middle of the season it disappeared at the end.

"If you do a good last part of the championship you can win, as Michael (Schumacher) did last year. He was 25 points behind me after Canada (the ninth race) and equal on points by Japan (the penultimate round)," added the Spaniard.

"Even if you lose some points now at this point of the championship, it's not over and you can do a good recovery in the last part."

Hamilton agreed but said the Finn had his work cut out: "I think it's difficult for him at the moment, obviously Felipe is doing a better job...but it's a long season and he has time to catch up."

A.Wayne

Ferrari sporting director Stefano Domenicali believes Kimi Raikkonen was unfortunate not to progress further than eighth in the Monaco Grand Prix.

Raikkonen started 16th after his qualifying error, moved up to 12th at the start and then gained ground as drivers ahead pitted, but was unable to get past Alex Wurz in the closing stages and had to settle for a single point.

But Domenicali believed that it could have been a different story if he hadn't ended up behind Nick Heidfeld after the BMW's first pit stop.

Heidfeld, who went on to finish sixth, emerged from the pit lane right in front of Raikkonen on lap 32, and proceeded to delay the Ferrari as he struggled for speed with 46 laps of fuel on board.

"I have to say we were quite unlucky because when Heidfeld came out in front on a one-stop strategy the race was almost finished," Domenicali told ITV Sport's Ted Kravitz.

"At least we still took one point, and the championship is long."

Raikkonen said he had always known it would be hard to make progress through the field in Monaco.

"We knew we were facing an uphill battle and that's how things turned out," he said.

"I got a good start but from then on I was nearly always in traffic, never getting any chance to overtake.

"I never had a clear track ahead of me and it was only thanks to the strategy that I was able to make up some more places and get into the points, but I couldn't do any better.

"Obviously the situation in the classification is now a bit more complicated but there is still a long way to go in the championship and I am not the sort to give up."

multi21

I've just finished watching the taped Monaco F1 race was I have to say it was one of the most boring races I've ever seen. Monaco is not a Ferrari track, but coming into the two NA races, historically, Ferrari has done well, especially at Indy. IF Kimi does not pick up significant points at BOTH races, he will be written off for the year before the series goes back to Europe.

FotoVeloce

It was not a barn burner for sure, but the pass by Hamilton was a highlight, just wish more of that would bo on these days in F1. I'm glad I won't have to get up at 4:00am for the next couple of races.

A.Wayne

Have to dis-agree with the boring part , enjoyed the race

Kimi needs to pickup his points total to help Ferrari , unless Massa runs into multi DNF's , Kimi will not see the Ferrari lead , he will be there for support, Australia was due to Massa Bad luck , putting Kimi in the spot light , he will continue to drive Barrechello's car, as his role was always in supporting Massa and Ferrari .........I hope he handles it better than Montoya ...
Just enjoy the drama....

A.Wayne

Kimi Raikkonen's damaged his Ferrari in Monaco during qualifying but Raikkonen is adamant that his world championship hopes are not fading, despite falling further behind the leaders at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver only managed to finish eighth at Monte Carlo after a crash in qualifying put him down in 16th on the grid. That result has left him 15 points behind joint championship leaders Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

And although Alonso has said that he believes Raikkonen is just one step away from being out of the title hunt, the man himself thinks there is nothing to worry about with his situation.

"Sure, the gap between me and the top makes life harder, but this is still the first part of the championship," Raikkonen told the Ferrari website. "We will give it our all to catch up and we will fight until the end.

"In case nothing really surprising happens, there are four drivers who can win a Grand Prix. This situation might actually help me a bit with bridging the gap.

"I knew that McLaren were to be very strong in Monaco, but I also knew that we could have a very good rhythm. It would be nice to have a direct confrontation. I hope that everything will finally go well at the next race. I'll go to Canada after a short trip to Finland."

Raikkonen has accepted full responsibility for his qualifying incident, where he swiped the barriers at the second part of the Swimming Pool complex.

"In the second session I started on extra-soft tyres and when I came out of the swimming pool chicane I bumped with the right front wheel into the guard rail," he said.

"It was not a very heavy bump, but enough to break the steering (arm) and to crack the suspension's lower arm: in the past I already hit the guard rail in a much more violent way and nothing happened.

"This time there was nothing we could do, although the team tried very hard. It would have been much too risky to get back on the track without having everything set up perfectly. This was my mistake. Let's not make a drama out of it, because these things happen in racing and there's no point in crying over spilt milk."

Raikkonen said his disappointment with what happened in qualifying was magnified by the fact that his car felt so good to him throughout the rest of the weekend - including the race.

"The car was perfectly set up since the beginning of the weekend, as it also was during the tests at Le Castellet the week before. I felt that maybe for the first time this year I could have given the max with the F2007.

"It's annoying when you're always stuck behind a slower car and you can't do anything to improve your position. At least we managed to bring home one point; still better than nothing."

A.Wayne

Kimi Raikkonen believes he would have given his best performance for Ferrari yet in Monaco if he hadn't blown his chances in qualifying.

After clipping the barriers and breaking his steering in Q2, Raikkonen had to start 16th and could only progress to eighth in the race, having spent the entire afternoon in traffic.

Consequently the Finn reckons he never displayed his real potential - but suspects he could have made a breakthrough after finally finding a comfortable set-up.

"There was not even one single lap I could push as I could have done and wanted to," Raikkonen said.

"So it's difficult for me to understand what my race rhythm could have been.

"The car was perfectly set up since the beginning of the weekend, as it also was during the tests at Le Castellet the week before.

"I felt that maybe for the first time this year I could have given the max with the F2007."

Raikkonen has openly admitted that he struggled to acclimatise to the Ferrari in his first few races with the team, and said he wasn't even happy with the car when winning from pole in Melbourne.

He accepted the blame for his disastrous weekend.

"I threw it all away in the qualifying," Raikkonen conceded.

"This was my mistake.

"Let's not make a drama out of it, because these things happen in racing and there's no point in crying over spilt milk."

The Finn is now 15 points behind Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' championship, but believes he can still recover the lost ground.

"Sure, the gap between me and the top makes life harder, but this is still the first part of the championship," Raikkonen said.

"We will give it our all to catch up and we will fight until the end."

mitch236

This last race really puts someone like MS into proper perspective. Kimi is no MS that's for sure!

A.Wayne

Mitch,
No he is not , but do you think Kimi suddenly forgot how to drive? Kimi is doing better than Massa when Massa was driving Barrichello's car..

Watch the last 5 races of 05 with Kimi, we can take it from there ...

multi21

I agree 110%. When Schumacher started from the back of the field last year, he made his way up.

I'm pulling for Kimi, but he disappointed me in that he didn't pass anyone on track. I know it's Monaco, but he admitted he had a great car, a car he finally felt comfortable with and never did he even threaten to pass anyone. I sincerely hope he does well in Canada and Indy.

A.Wayne

Kimi , appears to be wearing under the pressure , I want to believe he was extra cautious to finish the race as the point structure does not favor win or bust as in the past , it is now more like crashcar , every race counts and as lewis has proven you don't even have to win ... to control the WC points lead ......

This point structure is phatetic in a sport that already does not favor passing , if you race and make a mistake you are double behind as Kimi would have to win the next 5 races on the trot to get back in the hunt .... BS

FredC

What i thought was a little disappointing was Kimi's inability to put significant and sustained pressure on Heidfeld. Of course it is hard to pass in Monaco, but with superior equipment and driving skills than Heidfeld, Kimi should have been able to create a positive situation for himself while behind NH. As much as i want him to compete for the WC, it feels to me that Kimi might be currently a little complacent, not helped by his win in his maiden GP with Ferrari.

Having followed F1 for years, I have seen outstanding drivers seemingly lose their edge after some success. In know the 98 Williams and 99-03 BARs were not great cars, but remember JV and his inability to make anything happen on the track following his 97 WC title....