On how he sees his season up to now:
For sure it’s not the season that we wanted. But we don’t have the car really. We improved a lot when we came to Europe. But it seems we have decided not to put effort into this year’s car and try to work on next year’s car. So first of all we didn’t have a good car to fight for wins and then we made a good step, but everybody else is going forward. I think that recently we made some good results with the car that we have right now. And we have to be realistic. We cannot really fight for wins in a normal situation. So as long as we can fight for the podium, and at some races to fight for first place, that’s the way.
On what the problems are with this year’s Ferrari:
I think everybody knows that the car handles well, it has good balance, but we just don’t have the downforce that we needed. I mean if we could have the downforce, then I think the car would be very fast. The handling is good but we’re purely missing downforce to be fast.
On his motivation:
People still think it’s the motivation. But it’s nothing to do with motivation unfortunately. If you don’t have the car it’s hard to make the results that you want. We still try to do the best that we can every race. There’s no point to come to a race and not try your best. There’s a lot of stories about things, but that’s what we are aiming for, to do the best that we can.
On how he is coping with all the stories about him exiting the team next year:
I don’t worry about it. I have a contract and I don’t worry about it. For sure I will find something to do in any situation. We will see. I have a contract and I will see what happens. It’s not my decision so I cannot really change it, so we’ll see.
On his plans after Formula One:
No plans really. There’s a load of things that you can do after that. But I have no plans really. I will see what happens in Formula One first before I make my decision.
On the recent rally race he took part in:
It was a good rally. We had too many problems with the car and it was more to try to survive back to the service every time and fix the issues and then go out. But it was very nice, a nice rally, a nice experience. We had good times, and I don’t think we would have finished the rally.
On the difference between driving an F1 car and a rally car:
I think there is a lot of things…. Basically it is a completely different sport and there are just the basic different things that you need to learn. Everybody has their own way of driving and in the rally there is I think more different ways to go fast than in F1. In F1 there is more or less one way of driving. In rally, there are the notes and you have a co-driver and that’s the most important thing, to make the right notes for yourself.
On the idea that there is life after Ferrari and Formula 1:
I think there will be. F1 is, when you’re in your race, and you’re working in F1, it truly takes so much time that – okay, you have time between races, but then you have two days and then you need to be back. So it’s not really living a normal life. It’s living in hotels and traveling around. So for sure, when you stop, then you can do whatever you want. So for sure, normal life is completely different.
You feel fine about your career? Xxxx? :
Yeah, I won a championship. I won many races. I have had a few bad races. But that is part of the work. Sometimes you have more hard times than at other times. I think I’m happy with what I’ve done. My biggest aim was to win the championship, and I managed to do it. So I want to win more races and championships now. But overall I know that I have always done my best and I have achieved good results, so that’s a good thing.
On what is more difficult, to be world champion or to try to become world champion a second time:
I think it’s more difficult to win it again. You win it once and nobody can take it away from you. Of course, every year it depends on what kind of car you get and how things are going during the season, if you can win. You’re going to lose the championship one day anyhow. But that for me was not the big issue. I was disappointed with how things went last year. But for me that’s part of racing. We started very well and then we had some issues with the car, and then after that it took too long to recover from those, and then it was too late. But that’s racing.
On the good things and the bad things in F1:
The racing is the main thing. It has always been, at least for me the main thing. There’s a load of other things in Formula One apart from racing. But I love the racing and that’s why I’m here. If the racing would be less, probably I wouldn’t be here. I don’t think that anybody after five years would say that something else is more fun than the racing here. Every sport really has not so good things and the things that you like. For sure the team within Ferrari tries to make it very easy for you. So in that way it’s a very nice place to be, on the team, because they make it as easy and as good for you as possible. The racing side is the main, the rest comes with it.
On whether he has hobbies outside racing:
Yes, many hobbies. I like to do many things. And when you have time you do it. In the winter we have a bit more time to do what we want and it’s a bit easier. Every year we seem to have more and more time, I mean, we don’t test this year so we have a bit more time between the races. But there’s certain things that you cannot do; everything you do you have to be a bit careful not to get hurt. In the winter time even if you get hurt you have more time to recover.
