Ferrari paranoid over Räikkönen engine
After Felipe Massa's engine blew just three laps before the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari noted that Kimi Raikkonen, now running third, appeared to have a problem at the same time.
"At the end, we told him to take it easy because we felt that we had a mechanical problem at the rear of the car so we didn't want to take any risks," Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said. "We wanted him to bring the car home after what we saw unfortunately with Felipe on the same lap."
Did it have any bearing on Felipe's problem? "No, no, no. Completely different," emphasised Domenicali. "We saw there was something on the mechanical side on the rear that was not properly working."
So going into the next race, the European Grand Prix at Valencia, what is Ferrari's focus: the reliability problems experienced in Budapest, or the qualifying problems experienced by Kimi Raikkonen in particular?
"I think both," said Domenicali. "Not only these two points but for sure reliability because we cannot accept to have these kind of problems, even if it was only 10 kilometers from the end. We cannot have this problem of reliability because we are paying too much of a price for it.
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Flat-spot led to Hamilton puncture
Lewis Hamilton exposed himself to a greater risk of getting a puncture by flat-spotting his tyre during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
That was the analysis at the Hungaroring of Bridgestone's racing boss Hirohide Hamashima, who said immediately after the race that the McLaren driver's problem was probably the result of hitting debris rather than a failure.
"A flat spot makes you more vulnerable to a puncture," the Japanese told the
Telegraph,
"because it makes the tyre thinner in that area and therefore you have less protection against debris damage."
Hamilton had three tyre problems in his rookie title challenge last year, leading some to suggest his notably aggressive driving style may be contributing to the problem.
He told reporters in Budapest:
"I was the one to get a puncture and it was a case of 'Oh no, not again'."
"I had it three times last year and that's what really lost me the championship," Hamilton added.
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At the press conference after the race...
Q: (Erkki Mustakari – STT) Heikki, the next race will be in three weeks. That gives you two and a half weeks to celebrate. How are you going to celebrate your first Formula One win?
HK: Any ideas, Kimi?
KR: I will take him out.
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another question:
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, how crucial do you think is this qualifying problem for the championship?
KR:
It didn’t really affect me too much today. For sure we could have been fighting for victory but at least we got some good points today. It’s mainly to get the car as we want. You can easily see that in the race it’s not the problem but with new tyres, it’s a bit the same issue as last year, that it seems to be difficult to get one lap out of them and stay on the circuit, so it’s probably more up to getting things right. I think there will be races that will suit me better and some not. We will see what happens in the next race.
How can he say it???!!! :no: It does affect his race!!!!!! :yes: Kimi, wake up!!!!:doh:
