Q & A with Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen: Yes, we tried some new stuff - and the team had tried them earlier in the week. But I tried it for the first time today, and it was okay.

Q. How did the car feel here?

KR: I thought it was okay. We tried some things and didn't really put too much effort into setting up the car. Overall it was good. It was quite windy in the afternoon but I think we have a good car here, and it is hard to say from testing what fuel loads everyone is running. But the feeling is good here and we will see where we are next week.

Q. Did you talk to the engineers about the failure in Magny-Cours?

KR: No, we didn't have time. They are still checking what it was. My guess is it was just an unfortunate thing and broke the exhaust. It happens sometimes.

Q. What is your forecast for the race after this test?

KR: I was pretty happy with the car. We need to wait until next Friday to see where we are against the others, but we should have a good car. We were strong here last year, and the car is good, so I expect us to be in with a good chance of being able to win the race.

Q. You are still stuck on your 17th victory, which in Italy is an unlucky number. What do you think about that?

KR: For sure we can change it this year, so it won't be an issue. We would rather have won last time around, but we still got good points and we should have a strong car here. So hopefully we can have a good result once again.

Q. Last year the win was important because it showed you were strong for the championship. What will it mean to win at Silverstone?

KR: A win is always a nice thing. We are going to try and do our best, but like we saw in the last race there are many things that can go against you, or can help you. I expect to have a good car here, and for sure it would help with the points if we could win, but we need to have a good strong weekend and see where we finish. It will be a close fight. We will try to do another good weekend and hopefully one without any problems, and then have a good result.

Q. Felipe Massa is leading the championship, but the bookmakers still think you are favourite. What do you think about that?

KR: There have been many leaders this year, and there is still a long way to go. It doesn't really matter who is leading right now, or who was leading before. It only counts at the end of the last race. Everybody is pretty close and, as we have seen in the last few races, it can change pretty quickly. Hopefully we can come back and lead the championship when it really matters.

Q. Many people think Ferrari will show a similar level of speed at Silverstone as they did at Magny-Cours. Do you agree?

KR: I hope it will be. McLaren are always strong here, and I'm expecting that next weekend. I think it's going to be quite close between us and I don't see the other teams being close enough for the win, but with them (McLaren) it is going to be a tight fight.

Q. Is this championship coming down to consistency?

KR: It helps for sure if you are consistent. If you are not fast enough then you still need to try and win the races, and get there. If you can score points in every race, then you are always going to be in a strong position.

Q. Does last season's victory in the British Grand Prix help you in your approach to this year's race?

KR: Not really. We've won at many places, and we know how it should be done, but every year is different - sometimes it can be easier, and other times more difficult. We saw in the last race you can be fast, but it doesn't always go your way. I hope to be in a position - we should be at least in a position - to win the race, and we will see if we can achieve it or not.

Q. You know McLaren very well. Are they suffering from a lack of experience with both drivers?

KR: I don't think so. There are a lot of people who know what they are doing. Sometimes you have a difficult car; sometimes you have a better one. That's normal for everybody.