Alonso and Räikkönen with Ferrari: title objective

Ferrari unveiled its new F14-T this Saturday, January 25, which will have the heavy task of bringing a title back to Maranello, the last one dating back to 2008 when the team won the constructors’ championship. To achieve this, the Scuderia has aligned all its strengths by fielding two world champions, a first since 1953, with Fernando Alonso (#14) and Kimi Räikkönen (#7).

For the Finn, it’s a comeback after winning the title in 2007 at the wheel of a single-seater featuring the Prancing Horse: « It’s good to be back with the team with which I won my title in 2007. The goal is the same: we want to do the best we can, try to win races, and try to win the championship if we can. »

Kimi Räikkönen, who will be the first driver to debut the F14-T on Tuesday, January 28, during the Jerez tests, will return to the cockpit nearly three months after his last race for Lotus in Abu Dhabi, after which he underwent back surgery due to recurring pain: « I underwent a small operation, I really had no choice to be as free from pain as possible for the upcoming season. It was the right time to do it. »

The association with Fernando Alonso does not scare Iceman, who is waiting to see the car’s capabilities: « If we are the strongest team – and I hope that will be the case – then we will both want to win. The car will show whether we can bring the championship back to Ferrari. I would say that there are many other factors, especially with the new rules, that will dictate the results. But I think we are more than capable of being present and fighting for the championship. »

On Fernando Alonso’s side, the goal is clear: win a third title. Schumacher won in his fifth year at Ferrari. I’m starting my fifth year, so I hope I can repeat the successes he had. Obviously, over the last four years, we’ve had some opportunities, especially in 2010 and 2012, we were very, very close to winning the championship. So, this year, we will try again, and I hope this time will be the one.

On the duo he will form with Räikkönen, the Spaniard believes he will not do everything and that the work provided will also be important: “I think Kimi and I, as a team, should be quite strong on paper, because we have had some success in the past in Formula 1. But that is something you have to find out, each year we start from scratch. If we do well, we will have a very strong team, we can achieve good results for Ferrari. If we don’t do well enough, other teams will have a better pair of drivers. So, it’s up to us to do a good job.”

But, for him, he eagerly awaits the reality of the track: I think that in Formula 1, it will change a lot with the new rules. There will also be implications in terms of driving styles, so definitely, I am eager to discover this new Formula 1.