New engine for Raikkonen says Domenicali

With the British Grand Prix at the famous Silverstone circuit in sight, the ninth race of the season, we met Stefano Domenicali, Team Principal of the Scuderia Ferrari, for a summary of the first part of this Championship.

Five wins, five Pole Positions and as many fastest race laps, 91 points and leader in the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championship: a record to be proud of.
"That's true. Looking at the numbers we can be satisfied of what we have done until now, but we can't forget that it wasn't all that smooth. We left some important points down the road, because of a lack of reliability or because of mistakes on every level. Our situation in the Championship could be much better. Even during a weekend when our performance was much better than the one of our competitors, we risked to not reaching our goal by a defect of some minor detail. We were able and also lucky to bring home Kimi's car. But this alarm bell has to keep us alert."

The F2008 is very competitive on all the race tracks. Is this a good sign for the rest of the season?
"That's true. Maybe the most comforting point coming from the first eight races of this year is that the car has been competitive on different types of circuits so far. We made a big step forward compared to last year, even on those tracks, which were a bit difficult, such as Monaco and Montreal. We managed to do that because we've worked during the planning and the development of the car ad because we had a different approach in these GPs than we had over the last years, in terms of set up. But we're still disappointed that, despite our efforts, we didn't gain enough in these races. It was either our own fault or because the situations were a bit special."

Which competitor provides more food for thought? McLaren or BMW?
"I have great respect for all of the nine competitors of Ferrari on the track, because I know how much effort they put in their daily work. I think that the fight at the top will involve us and the two teams you just mentioned. McLaren might have something up the sleeve in terms of performance, while BMW has shown some consistency in terms of results. As far as the Drivers' Championship is concerned there are four drivers on the list. And we are glad that two come from our Team. I hear from time to time that it might be difficult to have two drivers fighting against each other and at the same time against the drivers of the other teams. But I don't agree at all. When you work in great harmony and transparency inside the Team and having two drivers, who can fight for the title, I'd say it's a resource and not a handicap."

Silverstone is a traditional race on the Formula 1 race calendar. What is the outlook at Ferrari?
"It's always nice to race in one of the temples of international motorsports. [Silverstone] is a place we are especially connected to. Froilan Gonzalez gained the first win for the Scuderia at a GP on 14th 1951. Obviously we want to add another success, but we know that we've got to do with motivated competitors, who will try everything. Last week we had three very good test days here and we think that we're competitive. To win we have to be humble and keep our feet on the ground. We have to work concentrated and with great attention for detail. If we can manage that, we can add another good result."

Two technical things to end this interview: will there be new things on the car and what will you do with the engine in Raikkonen's car, after what happened at Magny-Cours?
"We did some updates of the aerodynamic and the mechanics, which is part of the development of the F2008: nothing secret, but many small details, which, all together, will contribute to improve the performance. As far as Kimi's engine is concerned and keeping the rules in mind, to avoid a penalty, I think that we will use a new unit to try to reduce the risk."

[Editor's Note: Following the Magny-Cours incident, when the Finn was lucky to finish in second place after an exhaust pipe broke off, Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said using the same engine at Silverstone would be "ambitious" given its arduous outing in France.

The Magny-Cours engine was due to be carried over to Silverstone, but a change for Silverstone would go unpunished, according to the new 2008 rule allowing one out-of-sequence change per driver.

For Ferrari, using the engine change 'joker' for Raikkonen this weekend may be the most prudent decision, given the likelihood that the overworked Magny-Cours unit might fail — either giving him a ten-place grid penalty for a problem on Saturday, or putting him out of the race altogether.]