Zoom Raikkonen confident in the race pace of the F2008

Kimi Raikkonen had his first look at the newest circuit on the F1 calendar this afternoon; he met up with the media and told them what he thought of it.

"It looks very nice and wide with a smooth surface. It also looks like good fun track but we won't really know until tomorrow as there is big difference between walking a track and driving it at almost 300 kph!"

"Learning a new track to start with is not too difficult and just takes a few laps to find out which way the corners go, but after that you continue to learn small details about it," the defending champion explained. "I don't find it too hard to deal with a new track. The only place I found any bumps is where the track goes over a bridge and there's one in the middle of a corner that might have an effect, but apart from that it looks like the people here have done a very good job."

As the season resumes after the summer break, everyone's sights are now set on the outcome of the championship.

"Of course, I would have liked to have won more races, but the opportunities were sometimes missed," was the Ferrari driver's assessment of the situation so far. "But I am still in a good position in the championship and while the season so far could have been better, it could also have gone the other way and been a lot worse."

"I am hoping we get some good results for the remaining races to get back to where we should be. The main issue has been getting stuck behind other drivers in the race after having had a bad qualifying session. If we can sort that out, we should be fine. "

"Coming up now are some circuits that I really like. We have good speed in our package and the important thing is to make sure we use that speed in qualifying, because that is the crucial point of the weekend. Getting the car to work the way I want is just a matter of some very small things but that's enough to make the difference. Sometimes we get it right but unfortunately, we seem to have got it wrong more often so far. Now, we have found a solution that helps to make the car a bit easier to drive in qualifying."

"Even though it looks as though you can overtake here, it is still very important to try and start from the front. But in general, I am not worried about the rest of the season. The pressure is always there, but at the moment it is not getting bigger. As the championship gets nearer the end, then there will be maybe more pressure not to make any mistakes."

The press always expect Raikkonen to get up to some dangerous sporting pursuit whenever he has time off, but this time they were disappointed.

"I had a good time during the break, just staying at home enjoying time with my friends and family," revealed the Finn. "I've been watching a lot of the Olympics..."

E.A. © CAPSIS International