Interview with Kimi from Autobild:
Mr. Räikkönen do you still enjoy your job?
Of course it is more fun when you have good results, but sometimes you have a black series. But it does not take my fun of driving. I love it.
What do you find so great?
I just like the feeling to drive at the limit.
Also on the road?
No. Of course I have cars with whom I could go quickly. But that I do only on the ground or on ice. In Switzerland it is not a good idea to speed (laughs).
Has the pressure increased because of your failure this season?
I don’t have anything to loose! It’s never nice to loose but it’s not the end of the world. It would be harder if I would fight for the championship and then make mistakes.
What’s your problem in 2008?Of course my last races were not good. But I have not lost the speed. But when there is something on the car that bothers me I can not win. We made some wrong decisions. That has cost me the season. But we learned from that and will benefit from it 2009.
Which decisions do you mean?
We changed the car. That was apparently not good for me. In Spa we came back to the old configuration. But at that time I was already behind in the standing. The improvement came too late.
Why does Felipe Massa have fewer problems?
No idea. Probably Felipe has found a better set-up. I have tried to go the same way but I was not happy with the handling. We had to rebuild the car completely for me. And as I said: slowly I began to feel better (about the handling of the car).
How hard is it for you to be beaten by your team mate?
That happens once in a while. But it doesn’t end my career. I will come back. Although I must admit: Over such a long time, I was never so slow. But I know what was wrong and I will stop it.
Who is your favourite for the title?
Lewis is in front but that can change. This I have shown last year. I would not bet my money on anyone. For Felipe and Ferrari it would be nice if he would get the title. But honestly: I don’t care who wins it.
Will you help Felipe now?
Everyone drives for himself. Clearly, the team expects it from me that I must help to get the Constructors' title. And of course there are situations in which I would decide to help, because I'am not in the championship. I just try to win races. That is all.
Why have you have extended your contract until 2010?
I've been talking with Ferrari for a while about that. We wanted to change some things, we had a very open discussion. And now both sides are happy.
Would you otherwise have gone to another team?
I always knew that we will find a solution. I am completely sure: Ferrari is my last team in Formula 1.
You drove a long time for McLaren. How different are the two teams?
McLaren is English, Ferrari Italian. The mentality is therefore totally different. In both teams there are nice people, but the atmosphere is different. I feel more comfortable because Ferrari take better care for the drivers. The atmosphere is more relaxed. But I can’t say anything bad about McLaren. I had a good time there.
Have you learned Italian?
No, but I understand it a bit. But I have hated school (laughs again), so I don’t want to take a course.
In Germany, Vettel is now the new star. What do you think of him?
He is a really nice guy! I know him better than any other driver, because he lives in Switzerland, just around the corner. We meet quite often to play. About his victory I am so happy. Sebastian has done a good job. But he has the best time of his Formula-1-career still ahead. And I think this career will be long.
What do you play with him?
Badminton. But he is not very good, he always loses.
Is the real Kimi Räikkönen actually an Iceman?
I am how I am, but I don’t want that journalists to know too much about my private life. They then write only crap about it. My private life has nothing to do with Formula 1.
You will soon turn 30…
…ey, I will be 29 (laughs)!
I have said soon. How about family planning?
I definitely want to have children. But it’s not the perfect time now, when I travel around the world. When I have kids I want to see them grow up.
Why do you often call yourself James Hunt when doing snowmobile races?
(Laughs) When I drove for McLaren, there were many stories about my reportedly wild private life. My friends bantered me with that and called me James Hunt for fun. But he is not my hero.
And what´s behind that famous gorilla costume?
Also just fun! It was a boat race at which also the quality of your costumes got rated. We didn’t have the best boat, so we put all the power into the costumes. And we really won! In the pictures there are only my mates.
How did F1 did change your life?
Formula 1 is so big that you suddenly turn into a public person. You can’t move freely in private anymore. But everything in life has positive and negative sides. The positive ones prevail therefore I stay here.
And after Formula 1, what's coming then?
Definitely rally. That I've always wanted to do it, but the contracts in Formula 1 have never allowed me to. I would like to see whether I am good or bad at it. Rally driving is one of my true passions.
(Interview is thanks to Miezicat, from Kimi's official forum)