Maranello, 15th July 2008 – The races in Germany never went very well for me. Neither Hockenheim nor Nürburgring ever broght me luck although I really like them and I’ve always been competitive on both of them. My strong point in Germany is getting the Pole Position. Last year I started ahead of everybody else at the Nürburgring and also the time before at Hockenheim: for one reason or the other victory always slipped through my fingers.

I will drive at Hockenheim the first time for Ferrari. The last race on this track Ferrari ended with a one-two win and I came in third. We’ve done some testing here last week and it went pretty well. We tried some new components and judging by the lap times there is still a great balance, but I think that Ferrari will be very competitive and fight for the win. I had some really good impressions of the F2008: I’m convinced that we’ll be at the max.

I hope it will be hot, as it usually is at Hockenheim. Our car goes really well at high temperatures and also the tyre-wear is not too high. So I really hope it will be hot. It’s hard to overtake, but the Qualifying doesn’t determine the result as on other tracks: although starting from the first row will make life much easier.
I’ve always said that the Championship will be very uncertain. I had the possibility to win the last three races, but for one reason or the other things didn’t go the right way: but that’s racing and I’m sure I’ll win again soon. Every point will be important, just like last year. Three drivers tied on the top spot and a fourth, who is three points behind: that’s a very interesting situation.

After the tests I had the honour to be invited by the Italian Minister of Transport Antonio Tajani, to partecipate in the European Youth Conference regarding road safety. We racing drivers have to set a good example for the youth and demostrate how important it is to pay attention behind the wheel every day and to stick to the rules of the road and always wear a seatbelt: going fast is only allowed on racing tracks! I hope that this message can reach as many young people as possible: it’s so stupid to risk your own life and the lifes of others for nothing…

Photo : Ferrari Media Images