Q: Felipe, a great resurgence and recovery from Ferrari.
Felipe MASSA: Yeah, for sure it’s definitely a good weekend for us. We proved already in Silverstone that what happened in the last three races was maybe a little bit the opposite of what we were facing in the last test at Silverstone. We came here, we found a similar car to last week so I think that’s really encouraging and it looks like we’re back fighting again. For sure it’s very close all the time. If you look at the difference on the lap times, it was very close between us three, but it’s good to be back fighting, it’s good to be here and I’m really happy that we can have a good car tomorrow as well. Q: It was very very close. Talk us through those two very quick lap times of yours right at the end.
FM: On my first try, I just managed to do quite a good lap, but then I expected to improve a little bit on the second try but then on these tyres, especially on the soft tyres, you drive so much on the limit that if you are just over-driving a little bit, you just lose one tenth, a couple of tenths that you cannot recover again, so the last try is always the one, if you can make everything perfect, you improve a lot of lap time, but if you just try to over-drive a little bit you just make some mistakes.
Q: Kimi, good to have you back, first top three since the Spanish Grand Prix, part of this strong Ferrari recovery.
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yes, it has been a bit of a hard time but that’s how it is sometimes and we just try to improve the car all the time. As Felipe said, I think we had a good test, the car feels much better now, it seems to be more competitive. So far it has been a good weekend. Of course, we would rather be in first place but I think it’s pretty close and we will see what happens in the race tomorrow.
Q: How were the qualifying laps? Did you feel you got the best from the car?
KR: I think so. They are never perfect. I lost on one corner in the last try but that’s just my fault and there’s nothing else to complain about. I think the car is pretty good for the race so third is OK, and as I said, we would rather start in the front this year but anything can happen, it’s a long race so we will see what happens tomorrow.
Q: Felipe, you seem to have made a habit this year of basically finishing from where you started, so I guess for tomorrow you must be feeling reasonably optimistic.
FM: Hopefully it stays like in the beginning of the year: the guy who starts in the front finishes in the front. That would be great. Hopefully we can have a good race tomorrow. We already heard that maybe the rain will join us, so hopefully we can have a great car for whatever conditions.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: You’ve all been fastest at some stage during the weekend, but Felipe, you made it count in the session that matters.
FM: Yeah, it was definitely great for us to be back and fighting. If you look at what’s happened in the last races and if you look at the car we had in Silverstone and as I was also saying after the test, and also the car we found here today, I would not say we are completely in front of our competitors but at least we are back and fighting so that’s really encouraging and I’m very happy to start again on pole position. I had a good lap, especially on the first try. On the second try, I just tried to over-drive a little bit and then I lost some small time. Sometimes when you try to be too aggressive, it doesn’t work but on the first try, it was the pole lap so it was a good lap.
Q: Can you feel the difference in the car?
FM: Yeah, for sure, a lot. We just have more grip, more consistency and the car is just behaving better due to the modifications we are doing, so it just looks like we have a little bit more downforce and that’s the way it is.
Q: And troublefree, all the way through the sessions?
FM: Yeah, in some sessions I was pretty happy with the balance, but I just couldn’t put the lap together, let’s say this morning and also in Q1. It was just finding some mistakes here and some mistakes there. I couldn’t put the lap together but the balance was there, so I was sure that I had the possibilities to be on pole, because this time, even during the qualifying, I was sure that the balance was there. I just needed to put the lap together so fortunately I could manage to put in the right time.
Q: Kimi, did you feel you could have been on pole, could have been quickest?
KR: I think so. We had the car but it wasn’t a perfect lap. I think the race will be different tomorrow. You never know when the others are stopping so I think we had a good car.
Q: Is there a big difference with the track surface this year?
KR: It feels very similar, but the grip seemed to be very good straight out yesterday, so probably there is more grip than last year at the beginning. The surface was always good here, but otherwise it hasn’t really changed.
Q: And are you worried about it possibly being wet?
KR: It will make it much more complicated for everybody, for sure, more interesting, probably. I don’t know. We wait and see what happens tomorrow.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) Kimi, what was the rationale behind you coming in about five minutes behind the rest of the field at the end of Q3?
KR: Yeah, because I didn’t finish qualifying.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) So do you get an extra lap for that?
KR: Yes, yes I did. It’s the same for everybody.
Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Germany) To Felipe and Kimi, in the last weekends, you have been struggling with the grip on the qualifying lap. How different was the car in that sense this time?
FM: As I said, it was better. There was more grip, more consistent with the scrubbed tyres and we could manage to find the grip with the first lap which was our biggest problem in the last races which was our biggest problem, so I think we had a little bit more downforce, a better set-up and maybe our car works better on this kind of track, so that’s it.
Q: (Mike Doodson – Auto Action) Lewis, we have seen all year this very happy relationship clearly between you and Felipe…
FM: No, it is not true…
Q: (Mike Doodson – Auto Action) Two questions: one, do you spend time together off the track? And two, does it make it more difficult to race against somebody you like and respect than against somebody with whom you are less friendly?
FM: (to LH) Do you want me to say what you are doing when you go out?
Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Following on from that, Felipe, do you still see him as a rookie?
FM: No, definitely not, you cannot see him as a rookie. No. You never see a guy in the first year leading the championship, so for sure not.
Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) And what about the mistake? Do you hope it is coming?
FM: Yes, especially tomorrow. I will be very happy.
Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Germany) Kimi, this is a hard track to overtake on and that is hard enough anyway this season. What does it mean to start from the third position here?
KR: Like I said, it is not ideal. You would rather be at the front, but I still think you have chances to overtake and this weekend it has been surprisingly easier to follow people than many other races, so let’s see what happens tomorrow. It also depends a lot when people are stopping and what they are doing, so we’ll see…
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, did you feel more confident with the car than in the previous qualifying sessions?
KR: Yes, the car was better and today I felt we could have had the pole with a perfect lap. Before it has not really been there. But we are gradually getting where we want to be, so it is a good feeling with the car.
Q: (Ian Stafford – The Mail on Sunday) Felipe, being a Brazilian, and a football fan, no doubt, does the season start now? As if the business part of the season begins now? Everybody knows where they are at, there is a long way to go, it is fairly close – is it now that you make your move? Is it like Brazil doing just enough in the qualifying and then they go on and win the semis and the final at the World Cup?
FM: Well, in a way you do need to think like that, just to try to be stronger all the time, but what happens in the past is that it hurts you a little bit especially when you have a very long championship with so many races, it can be very important the points that you make in this race and if you can’t do that and make so many points in this race then maybe you can have a problem to be at the front. But we saw in the past that some people have been able to recover their lost points, so I hope we can recover and have a good car all the time to be in the front or at least fighting, so that’s our main goal.
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