Italian Grand Prix – Monza,
Kimi Raikkonen: 3rd +27.325 53 laps chassis 262
Felipe Massa: R lap 10 10 laps chassis 263
Weather: air temperature 26/27 °C, track temperature 38/37
°C, clear skies.
Jean Todt: "We are very disappointed
at having failed to secure a better result than just this
third place for Kimi in our home Grand Prix. Felipe was forced
to retire in the early stages because of a mechanical problem
with the rear suspension, the cause of which has yet to be
analysed. With Kimi, we ran a different strategy to our rivals
but we did not have enough speed to get ahead of them. Clearly
the situation in both championships is now more difficult.
We will aim to do our best in the four remaining races, starting
next weekend in Spa-Francorchamps.”
Kimi Raikkonen: “This was definitely
a tough race for me because of the pain I felt in my neck
after yesterday’s accident, which was bad enough to
make it hard for me to hold my head steady under braking.
Having said that, today we were not really quick enough. We
knew it would not be an easy weekend, as we had already realized
that in last week’s test, with Friday and yesterday
confirming it. The car was not bad in the first stint but
then we were not strong enough. Hamilton’s overtaking
move? I tried to defend my position but he was definitely
quicker than me. In the final stages I slowed to save the
car for the next race. We were keen to win in front of our
fans but we did not manage it. At least I got onto the podium.
Now we tackle another fascinating circuit at Spa-Francorchamps
where I think that we and our closest rivals will be more
evenly matched.”
Felipe Massa: “I am very disappointed.
It’s horrible to see your chances go in the early stages
because of a reliability problem. There was something not
working with the rear suspension: coming into Ascari I could
feel a problem under braking and came into the pits, thinking
it might be due to a puncture. However, once the tyres were
changed that was still undriveable and I had to retire. We
must tackle the coming races with the same spirit. Here we
were competitive and I think that will be the same in the
near future. This is very disappointing but these things happen
in racing.”
Luca Baldisserri: “We are very disappointed
and there is no use in denying it. We tried to change things
around by putting Kimi on a different strategy, but in general
we were not quick enough. Felipe was unable to show what he
might have done, forced to retire after just a handful of
laps because of a mechanical problem on the rear suspension,
the causes of which we now have to find. It is very disappointing
not to have given our fans and our colleagues who were in
Monza today what they wanted. We hope to turn things around
in the next races, starting with the Belgian Grand Prix next
week.”
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