Autosportin sivuilta, (AFCA):
Translated Q&A with Raikkonen:
Q: What do you expect of your ninth championship in F1 ?
Raikkonen: ''Fortunately we're in a good position, therefore we'll be trying to win the title.''
Q: Di Montezemolo said the Kimi we've seen in 2008 was actually a stand-in, do you agree ?
Raikkonen: ''I don't know. We didn't have the season that we wanted. And then I'm not interested in the past. But neither do I know what 2009 will be like. We'll see.''
Q: Did you make some mistakes ?
Raikkonen: ''Some. How Many ? I'm not a fanatic of statistics.''
Q: You had some problems during qualifying and in the wet...
Raikkonen: ''Yes, sometimes, but other at other times we were strong.''
Q: And then there's the difficulty when entering a corner.
Raikkonen: ''We didn't manage to set up the car the way we wanted. We did do it a few times but not with consistency.''
Q: Massa on the other hand was always strong. Different driving styles ?
Raikkonen: ''Each driver has his own style and we set up the car differently.''
Q: You seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight: what kind of prepartion did you have ?
Raikkonen: ''Nothing new, the gym...''
Q: But you weigh less than you did last year. How much do you weigh ?
Raikkonen: ''I don't know, I don't have a balance.''
Q: What do you think Ferrari thinks of you ?
Raikkonen: ''Ask them. I'm fine in this team and if they're not happy with me then they would tell me. I don't think 2008 has changed the relationship.''
Q: Do you know the names of your mechanics ?
Raikkonen: ''Of some of them, not all. At McLaren it was the same, I don't have a great memory.''
Q: Do you listen to what the critics have to say of you ?
Raikkonen: ''That doesn't interest me. Everyone has his own opinion, following what they say of me is a waste of time and I can't be bothered doing that.''
Q: Well then do you read what's written about you ?
Raikkonen: ''Sometimes. There are those that rate you and others who don't. Everyone's free to write what he thinks.''
Q: When you make a mistake then do you get angry with yourself ?
Raikkonen: ''I know when I make mistakes. Getting angry over it means wasting too much energy. It ends once you've understood the reasons as to why something has happened.''
Q: Is the private Raikkonen different from the reluctant one that has to answer questions ?
Raikkonen: ''I don't think so. But everyone at home is different from when he's at work.''
Q: In each interview you try hard at not answering...
Raikkonen: ''It depends on what's being asked. For example, I don't feel obliged to respond to questions that relate to my private life. But if we're talking about racing then it's fine with me.''
Q: Are there many people in the paddock that are double-faced ?
Raikkonen: ''Quite a few.''
Q: What does success means to you ?
Raikkonen: ''It's a nice feeling. I'm only interested in winning, I don't care about popularity.''
Q: What do you like about Italy ?
Raikkonen: ''The people are nice, Ferrari is great. I like pasta eventhough I don't spend a lot of time for dinner. I don't drink wine, I'm not very fond of it.''
Q: Who'se your favourite fashion designer ?
Raikkonen: ''I don't know.''
Q: Do you know who's the head of state ?
Raikkonen: ''Yes, someone I've met: Berlusconi.''
Q: Did you ever take a look around in Maranello ?
Raikkonen: ''No. I've spent time outside the town, it doesn't seem like a big place to me.''
Q: How many words in Italian do you know ?
Raikkonen: ''Only a few, I understand a few.''
Q: Can you say one ?
Raikkonen: ''There's no reason to do so.''
Q: The championship starts in the midst of a crisis.
Raikkonen: ''It's not the first time. You have to adjust to it.''
Q: Did you also lose money on the stock exchange, in funds or investments ?
Raikkonen: ''No, I've been lucky.''
Q: Formula 1 has cut the costs: what would you do if you were asked to make a contribution by reducing your salary ?
Raikkonen: ''I have a contract, we can talk about it when it expires. I always respect contracts.''
Q: Do you know how much a workman earns in Italy or Finland ?
Raikkonen: ''No.''
Q: Who would Raikkonen be today had he not been a Formula 1 driver ?
Raikkonen: ''Someone that in any case would have found a job in the world of motors. A mechanic, or something else to have fun. I can't imagine seeing myself in another field.''
Q: Do you have any specific wishes for the future ?
Raikkonen: ''Certainly a family. But I'm more or less happy with what I have.''
Q: When was the last time you were scared ?
Raikkonen: ''I don't remember. Crashes on track happen so quickly that you don't have the time to be afraid.''
Q: Are you afraid of a serious accident ?
Raikkonen: ''No, I don't think about it.''
Q: Afraid of getting a disease ?
Raikkonen: ''No. When something happens to you, you're unfortunate.''
Q: Do you think there's life after death ?
Raikkonen: ''It are things that don't interest me.''
Q: Can you tell a few moments when you were happy.
Raikkonen: ''I'm more or less always happy. In sports when I realised my dream of becoming worldchampion. In life I already have everything, I don't have anything to complain about.''
Q: Your wife Jenni takes part in horse riding contests, did you ever go to see her doing one ?
Raikkonen: ''Once, a long time ago. The problem is that I'm allergic to horses. Two or three times I tried to ride horses and I found it dangerous. Looking at the numbers then you see that many more people die falling off a horse than in motor racing competitions.''
Q: When you retire from Formula 1, will you be racing bikes like Schumacher does or will you be rally driving ?
Raikkonen: ''Perhaps I'll do rally, it's a nice sport. I will certainly not do bike races.''
Q: Do you find it hard to accept that someone can be faster than you ?
Raikkonen: ''It's always like that. I'm not happy when Massa's faster than me but my way of reacting to that is trying to be faster the next time round.''
Q: Does Hamilton really have something extra over the other drivers ?
Raikkonen: ''He's good but I don't think he's exceptional.''
Q: And Alonso ?
Raikkonen: ''He's very good, he's won two titles, in 2008 he didn't have a great car but he's shown what he's worth.''
Q: You know Alonso's shade is already in Maranello...
Raikkonen: ''Stories like that are always there. I don't know whether or not they're true, I don't care. It's clear that after me there will be another driver.''
Q: Do feel under observation by Ferrari ?
Raikkonen: ''I want to win, but it won't be a different season to the others. I don't know why I should be 'under fire'.''
Q: You now have a different race engineer. You have a very good relationship with Stella.
Raikkonen: ''I don't think a lot will change for me.''
Q: If you were to bet on who's going to win the Australian GP, then who would you put your money on ?
Raikkonen: ''On no one not to lose money. Normally the first race is full of retirements and surprises. Only after three races you can have an idea as to who's the favourite for the title. Last year, Melbourne was a disaster for Ferrari. But after that we were strong almost everywhere we went.''
On se ainakin oma itsensä!
