I Can Beat Schumacher to Title, Says Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen says he is as fast as five-times World Champion Michael Schumacher and can still win the Formula One title this year.

With five races left this season - including this weekend's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim - the McLaren driver is second in the title race, seven points behind Ferrari's Schumacher.

"I am as fast as he is, but he is always hard to beat," the Finn said in an interview with Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. "But Michael is not as strong as last year and everybody have come closer to him. He is not the only one to beat this year. It has become much tougher at the top."

Asked if he could still win this year's World Championship, Raikkonen said: "Why not? A lot can happen in the races."

The 23-year-old won his first Grand Prix in the second round of this year's Championship at Sepang in March.

"My win in Malaysia meant a lot. Suddenly I knew that I could win," he said "I have done some good races and also a number of mistakes ... some have doubted that I can be World Champion.

"But in my view, if one can win races then one can also win the world title."

Raikkonen and teammate David Coulthard are still racing last year's McLaren because of problems with the new MP4-18 model. The former Sauber driver would welcome a little more speed from his car.

"It is not a lot of fun but I drive the car the team gives me," he said. "I only concentrate on that. As long as we are hanging in there as well as we are, it's no problem ... but I would like it to be even faster."