Beating McLaren will be difficult, admits Räikkönen

2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen has explained that Ferrari's principal goal for the end of this year is to retain third overall in the Constructors' Championship. The Scuderia currently holds the position although last year's rivals McLaren are now just five points behind following their recent run of success.

Despite Räikkönen having finished second in Hungary and third in Valencia, the fact that only one Ferrari car competed in Budapest and Luca Badoer languished at the back of the field in the European Grand Prix means that Ferrari's total sum of 14 points from the last two Grands Prix compares with McLaren's total of 27.

"I really enjoy winning but even a third place can give you some good feelings," Finn Räikkönen commented. "We went into the European Grand Prix from sixth position on the starting grid, we had a good start and we managed to gain another place on the podium - we can hardly expect more than that.

"With the points we gained, we are still ahead of McLaren in the Constructors' Championship; this is our goal as a team but it's very difficult to reach considering that we've stopped developing this car and are concentrating on the one for the upcoming season."

With Hamilton now three points ahead of Räikkönen in the Drivers' standings, Kimi continues to focus on the red team's chief objectives for the remainder of what has been a difficult year. "The main goal is to hold the standard of the last races, which means that we have to try to get on the podium again," he concluded.

Source: GP Update