(from autosport) (Check out the thread on the Canadian GP Thursday press conference for comments by Kimi. Interesting how both Kimi and Felipe use the pronoun "we") Q. You had some problems in the race here last year. What are your expectations this time? Felipe Massa: Well, I think just to keep doing a similar job to what I have been doing up until now. In the championship, I think we had very good races up until now. We had some bad ones at the beginning of the season, and I am looking forward to having a good race here. Last year, it was a strange race and also I passed the pitlane light that was red. But I think if you look at the performance, it was good last year. I was doing a good race, it was easy fighting for second or third by the end - so I am looking forward to having another good race and scoring as many points as possible. For sure, the first goal is the victory. But if we can win, then for sure we are going to do our best. And if we cannot, then we will try and score as many points as possible. Q. Since the race in Monaco the top four in the championship have become very close, and the title fight is back on... FM: Yes, the championship is very tight. We see four drivers very close in the championship with three reasonable good cars. You can see that even if you don't win a race you can be first in the championship. So, that is why points are sometimes more important than the victory because if you win one race and don't win the next then it is better to do two thirds. So, that is why the consistency is the key for the championship. Q. How do you feel about the performance in Monaco, even though you didn't win in the rain? FM: I think Monaco was great for us. In terms of results, maybe not because it was a crazy race. It was a big lottery and in these kind of races many things can happen. But in terms of performance, it was very, very good. We qualified first and second, with more fuel than our competitors and that is already a big step forward. And in the race I was even in the rain the quickest, and then we didn't have good luck. So we lost a little bit of time in the pitstop, which cost us second place, but if you take the performance it was very, very good. So hopefully we can see a reasonable good performance here as well. Q. It is hard on braking here, how will it be without engine braking? FM: Yeah, a little bit maybe more than in the past. But I think if you take from last year to this year, you lost engine braking electronic settings a little bit but you improved the car a lot on the aerodynamic side which helps a lot for stability. So, I think it won't be a big, big difference in my opinion. Q. How do you judge the season? Will the battle in the end be between the two Ferrari drivers? FM: You cannot say that. We have four cars fighting for the championship, and it is very close. You can say maybe we will have three teams fighting until when, I don't know. Q. But things look good for you? FM: Yeah, I think we are in the right direction. You know that sometimes in one race many things can change for the good or the bad. We need to carry on in the consistent pace like we are doing now. Q. The speed trap figures from the first races of the season suggest Ferrari have a big advantage in terms of straightline speed. How confident does that make you for a track like this, or are you still concerned about the performance of your car over kerbs after last year? FM: For sure we have a good, efficient car. In some races we had a good difference of speed compared to our competitors, but here is a completely different downforce level for everybody. People come with different wings, and everybody is looking for the efficiency of the top speed so I am not sure if we are going to see a big difference here in terms of the top speed. Maybe we can have an advantage, or maybe not. But we wait and see. Q. Kimi said this morning that he saw no reason why Ferrari should not win this race. Do you feel that confident? FM: I feel very confident as well. But racing is racing. You never know what is going to happen. But we are in a good position, with a good chance to win. And we need to do everything right. Q. A lot of people are saying this year that you are a more confident driver, and a stronger competitor than compared to 12 months ago. Do you share that view? Do you feel different? FM: No. I think last season I was fighting for the championship until three races from the end. So by now you cannot say that. We are in the fight. We are looking strong, but we need to look at it race by race, and points by points to be strong at the end of the season which is the most important thing. Q. What do you see as your advantage over your teammate? FM: I don't know if I have any. For the moment I feel confident. Qualifying is going very well, the race pace is going very well. But he is very strong as well, so for the moment we need to see. Maybe one race I have an advantage in the other race I have the advantage. The competition is very tough. Q. Ferrari are the only team in the title fight with two drivers realistically battling it out for the win. Does that make your life more complicated? FM: I think for the team it is good to have two drivers fighting for the championship. We push each other, and we are very competitive. Every race we need to take away the best from the car, and I think that can be very good.
He must be a bad man then... Count how many times Massa used the word "I" in the response to just the first question.
Silly answer Ted. How would you answer answer as specific question as to your day? As "we" like Rahal? Or as "I" like everyone else. The point is that both Kimi and Felipe continue show a team attitude. Read the Heikki interview, mostly "I', but mostly in responses that should be "I", but then many that could be "we": Q. Can you look back on Monaco with any positives after you had to start from the pitlane? Heikki Kovalainen: "It's very difficult to make up lost time in Monaco, but the positive thing is I managed to score a point. That is better than nothing, but it's still disappointing. You have to move on, I can't change it anymore. I try not to think about it too much." Q. What was the reaction of the team - did they feel they'd let you down? HK: "Yeah, but I don't feel like that. It's a part of motor racing that happens sometimes. There's no need to apologise, it's not anyone's fault and I'm not blaming anyone. I've made some mistakes sometimes, it's just unfortunate, we just have to ensure we don't make the same mistakes again." Q. You showed great pace again, potentially race-winning speed, but what's missing at the moment that's keeping you from a first win? HK: "It's just the way things are, and it's just small things that have prevented myself from scoring more points. The most important thing is not to lose focus, and start to fuss about it too much. I've got to put myself in the position to win a race, and we will overcome these problems eventually, so I've just got to keep my focus." Q. At some points in Monaco your times were really good... HK: "At the end of the race I had no traffic and nothing to lose. I had two laps, with no-one in front of me, and it was very good. I'll always push until the end, and there was the chance of a point, so I took some risks. It paid off with a point, so I was happy with that." Q. Through not much fault of your own you've slipped out of the championship equation, can you fight your way back into the title fight? HK: "It's not over, I'm not going to give up, that's for sure. We saw last year that a big gap, like Kimi had, he was able to fight back. In Formula 1, you never know. I'll keep pushing the same as before and try and score as many points as possible. At the end, we'll see. At the moment, it doesn't look good." Q. Has the team asked you to support Lewis, because of that points gap between you now? HK: "No, absolutely no instructions like that. I can do exactly the same as I did before, and that's exactly what I'll do. I will attack as much as I can. We will work as a team... I'm not planning to crash into him! He's not my number one target, and I don't want to take points off him, but I want to beat everyone on the grid." Q. So it's maximum attack now to catch up that lost ground? HK: "Yeah, obviously it's difficult to come from behind, it's not easy because the cars are so reliable - people don't blow up at every race. You never know, a couple of bad races for the guys in front, a couple of good ones for me, it could look much better again. I'm staying optimistic and I'll keep pushing, keep focused, and not worrying too much about the points." Q. Do you think this race is going to extra-tough on brakes this weekend, with the loss of driver aids? HK: "It will be more difficult under braking, especially with the low-ish downforce. The car is more loose. You'll have to pay attention under braking, and especially if there's some rain. The circuit is low-grip to start with."
