21-09-2005, 11:33 AM
Kimi Raikkonen heads to Brazil this weekend aware that nothing less than victory will be good enough to keep his world championship dreams alive.
The Finn, who has finished second in the last two visits to Interlagos, has a 25-point deficit to points-leader Fernando Alonso which means that for Kimi to stay in the hunt he has to win with the Renault driver failing to make the podium.
“With only three races remaining nothing but another win will do for me in Brazil this weekend," said Raikkonen.
"I will be pushing hard to get maximum points for both the driversÂ’ and constructors' championships."
McLaren's pursuit of Renault in the constructors' championship fight is much closer however, with a one-two finish enough to move the team to the top of the table.
But despite having the dominant package in terms of performance a formation finish is proving difficult to achieve for McLaren-Mercedes.
The team has been heading for one-two finishes in the last two races, but on both occasions the team has hit problems.
In Italy tyre issues and a practice engine failure hampered Kimi while in Belgium Montoya was taken out of second place by Antonio Pizzonia.
“Our main aim at is to leave Brazil having secured a one-two podium finish, and we know we have the performance to achieve this," said McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh.
"We came so close to taking the lead in the constructorsÂ’ at Spa, however were hampered by matters out of our control, however we are looking to make amends in Brazil."
The Finn, who has finished second in the last two visits to Interlagos, has a 25-point deficit to points-leader Fernando Alonso which means that for Kimi to stay in the hunt he has to win with the Renault driver failing to make the podium.
“With only three races remaining nothing but another win will do for me in Brazil this weekend," said Raikkonen.
"I will be pushing hard to get maximum points for both the driversÂ’ and constructors' championships."
McLaren's pursuit of Renault in the constructors' championship fight is much closer however, with a one-two finish enough to move the team to the top of the table.
But despite having the dominant package in terms of performance a formation finish is proving difficult to achieve for McLaren-Mercedes.
The team has been heading for one-two finishes in the last two races, but on both occasions the team has hit problems.
In Italy tyre issues and a practice engine failure hampered Kimi while in Belgium Montoya was taken out of second place by Antonio Pizzonia.
“Our main aim at is to leave Brazil having secured a one-two podium finish, and we know we have the performance to achieve this," said McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh.
"We came so close to taking the lead in the constructorsÂ’ at Spa, however were hampered by matters out of our control, however we are looking to make amends in Brazil."