Defending
Formula 1 World Champion
Kimi Raikkonen has suggested that securing a good grid position – not always his forté in 2008 – could be of vital importance in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, as the top 17 drivers all lapped within a second of each other in opening practice.
Raikkonen and title-chasing
Ferrari team-mate
Felipe Massa alike lapped inside the top five throughout the first day around the 4.5km Fuji Speedway, with the Brazilian holding a narrow advantage in both sessions. As the battle for the crown teeters on a knife-edge, however, both recognise that even the slightest slip-up in qualifying in such an evenly-matched field could prove costly indeed come race day.
“It seems very finely-balanced with the lap times all very close,” acknowledged Raikkonen. “This means it will be very important to have a good qualifying, otherwise you run the risk of being a long way back on the grid. I think our car is going well on this track, though, and even if there is still some work to do to improve the handling, I am reasonably satisfied.
“The harder tyres are very consistent, while the softer ones seem to lose a bit of performance over a distance. They're not bad on the first lap, and it's a shame that on my last run I locked the wheel and was unable to do a good time. I will try to do the best I can for myself and for the team.”
“I am pleased with this first day in Japan,” added Massa, who ended the opening day fourth, less than three hundredths of a second adrift of title rival
Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren-Mercedes and barely a tenth away from the top spot. “The balance of the car is very good, both on the first timed lap and over a distance.
“The times are very close, and maybe I could have been a bit further up the order in the afternoon session if I had not encountered traffic on my last run on the soft tyres. These seem to be very quick, which is no surprise, but also very consistent. I really want to do well this weekend, and we will try and win and bring home the best result possible for the two championships.”
