Canadian GP - Ferrari - PreviewThe Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and
Kimi Raikkonen are pretty upbeat over their chances this weekend in Montreal. While the Monaco Grand Prix was a disappointing event for the Ferrari squad, the lower downforce configuration required at the
Canadian Grand Prix is expected to suit the F2007 package.
Massa is third in the championship standings with 33 points while Raikkonen is ten points adrift in fourth position. In the constructors' championship, Ferrari are a firm seconds, 20 points adrift of McLaren Mercedes.
Felipe Massa
"I think the F2007 will run as a very strong package in Canada and actually, also in Indy, where Ferrari has also had good results. One difficulty in the Montreal circuit is that it is not used much so its grip level changes dramatically throughout the weekend, so you have to be careful not to chase the set up too much. It is also useful to have a car that is comfortable riding the kerbs as you have to use them here to get quick laps."
"It is a circuit where a good package can deliver a very good result. Another important point is that this weekend is the second race in the engine cycle and, although you can never be one hundred percent sure, I think we have an engine that is strong in terms of reliability and added to that is the fact we did not push it too hard in Monte Carlo."
"This is one of the nicest places we visit: I really like the city of Montreal and the people seem very open, so I am always happy to go there.
Plus, the local people love Formula 1 a lot, thanks to the
Jacques Villeneuve family of course. This year is a special anniversary for them and they did a lot to promote Canada and make Formula 1 popular there. I am looking forward to seeing Jacques, with whom I have a good relationship since we were team-mates. He is a very special guy with a special character, but when you get to know him, he is a very nice guy. I was happy to work with him at Sauber and hopefully we can spend some time together this weekend."
Kimi Raikkonen"Montreal is the first of four races in five weeks and we also have a test session at Silverstone between the second and the third race. That's why it was nice to have a short break at home in Finland. I trained a lot and I also spent some time at the sea, as it was a real summery week. The disappointment from Monaco has been stored in the archives. Now my batteries are fully charged for Montreal. We had two days at Le Castellet to prepare for that race and we had positive results; although you can never be completely sure, even if the two tracks are quite similar but not identical. What is sure is that I can get the max out of the car: this is a feeling I had at Paul Ricard but also during the free practice at Monte Carlo."
"I have never driven a Ferrari in Montreal or at Indy; so I really can't know how it will work on these two tracks, but I know that traditionally the Scuderia is very strong here; that is a real encouragement. I'm sure that we will not be a minute behind McLaren, as it was the case in Monaco. I won in Montreal two years ago. I like the city, it's one of the nicest of the whole calendar. The track distinguishes itself by sectors with fierce acceleration and braking actions; you need to find the right balance between aerodynamic charge, which has to be quite low, and stability during braking."
"I am fourth, 15 points behind the leader: that's not an abyss and with some good results, accompanied maybe even by some misstep of the competitors, the situation will change. Just as Todt said, if I was behind like that two races before the end of the season, my chances would be almost nil; but with twelve races to go it is not a gap I can't bridge. True, the races in Barcelona and Monte Carlo did not go very well for me, but I think I can still fight for the title. I'll do my best to always get as many points as possible and then we will see how the standings are. I learned that in Formula One you can very quickly pass from being a hero to being a nobody: that's the nature of this sport. I can just do my homework well and give the best I can of myself."
Stefano Domenicali, Sporting Director
"We believe we will have a strong package for this event. There is no reason why we should not be able to fight for the win in Montreal after a weekend in Monaco where our performance did not accurately reflect our potential."
Source Ferrari
