Mclaren

[raikkonen_rulez 0]

(crash.net)

Juan Montoya has again hinted that the only way he can help McLaren team-mate Kimi Raikkonen's championship cause is to win races, after inheriting pole from the Finn at Monza.

Raikkonen, fastest throughout practice on Saturday morning, repeated the feat in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, but had to cede top spot to his team-mate after suffering an engine failure in the final minutes of the fourth free session, automatically dropping ten places over grid position. With the Finn now starting eleventh, Montoya has Fernando Alonso alongside him on the front row, and reckons that there is only one way to help Raikkonen this weekend.

"I always want to try to help the team as much as I can - and help Kimi if I can as well," he insisted, "I will try to help the team in every way I can [but], in a way, I really doubt I can [help Kimi]. I'm sure he's going to move up a lot, but we'll see what happens. It's a long race and anything can happen.

"I think Kimi should be quite good tomorrow, and should be able to get into the points - or even get on the podium - but, from where we stand, even if I wanted to help him, there's not much I can do at the moment, he's too far back. I think the main goal is to try to win the constructors' [championship]. The Kimi situation today just made it a bit harder."

With Raikkonen aware that he had to try for pole in order to limit the damage to his starting position, he pushed his Ferrari below 1min 21secs, the only man to do so. Montoya was almost two-tenths further back, but reckoned that there was more to come from his McLaren had he kept his lap clean.

"I had a decent lap, and I knew what sort of lap time we could do, so the goal was to do a 1min 21secs - but, obviously, if we could run a bit faster, it would be better," he said, "I made a mistake going into the first Lesmo and it cost me a couple of tenths, but the car is good. It's been good all weekend. There's a bit of understeer, but I think that's pretty good for the race.

"We're clearly quicker than anybody else and, if we can get a good run into the first corner, it should be good to try to win the race tomorrow. It's all we can do for the team."

[raikkonen_rulez 0]

Raikkonen can still win says defiant Dennis

McLaren team chief Ron Dennis is confident the team's championship challenger Kimi Raikkonen can win Sunday's Italian Grand Prix despite starting from 11th on the grid.

Raikkonen finished fastest in qualifying here Saturday but was forced to drop ten places on the grid after the team made an unscheduled change to a damaged engine after final practice.

The Finn, who trails current title race leader Fernando Alonso by 24 points, will need to fight through the field to close the championship gap after his Spanish Renault-driving rival secured a front row start.

But asked by reporters at Monza if Raikkonen still has a chance of winning Dennis said it was not out of the question.

"Definitely. With our strategy and what we know of other people we are at least one second per lap faster than everyone else," said Dennis. "It is not my nature to be positive, but I am confident we have the pace and we will see how blisteringly quick our drivers are. As the race unfolds we will start to move up the field."

Dennis admitted his one real fear is for the start of the race with Raikkonen now in a vulnerable mid-grid position for the run into the tight first corner at the high-speed Monza circuit.

Raikkonen will have to be careful but aggressive to make it through the notorious opening bends unscathed but if he does Dennis believes the team's strategy will allow him to move up to the front.

"We have not compromised our strategy for this," said Dennis. "The important thing is that we have no first lap accident. We have the pace to win and we have a team that is functioning as a team."

Team orders are banned in Formula One, but team tactics, where a driver can decide on his own to move over for the sake of his team-mate during the race, are perfectly acceptable.

Montoya will be racing all-out to win, keeping in mind the constructors' championship in which McLaren currently trail Renault by just nine points with five races left to go.

But there will be pressure on him if the team are heading to a one-two by the end and the Colombian would more than likely be encouraged to move over and let Raikkonen claim two vital extra points in the championship.

"We want to win the constructors' championship and we want to win the race," said Dennis. "We are at a time of the year where the drivers are very much focused on the team and its performance.

"I am very comfortable you are going to see the performance of two strong team-mates tomorrow which is everything that Kimi needs. It comes from the heart and the head."

[raikkonen_rulez 0]

As a Mclaren fan (I feel so embarrassed), I reckon he shouldn't give us any more false hopes!! It is impossible for a human to finish an elephant in 5 weeks! Like JPM said, even if Mclaren repeats Austria 2002 KR will not be champion 2005.

RD should concentrate on next year, building a fast and reliable car, to help KR win the WDC, and prevent Ferrari from stealing him!!

[nojvnof1 0]

Kimi was spectacular all weekend. If circumstances fall his way, he can still win. He is on form and his car is very very quick.

[jjoseph 0]

As a Mclaren fan (I feel so embarrassed), I reckon he shouldn't give us any more false hopes!! It is impossible for a human to finish an elephant in 5 weeks! Like JPM said, even if Mclaren repeats Austria 2002 KR will not be champion 2005.

RD should concentrate on next year, building a fast and reliable car, to help KR win the WDC, and prevent Ferrari from stealing him!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to agree with you. With the best pair of drivers and fastest car, Mclaren can do it in 2006. But BAR supposed to be strong if they can retain JB

[funkejay 0]

I have to agree with you. With the best pair of drivers and fastest car, Mclaren can do it in 2006. But BAR supposed to be strong if they can retain JB

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

KR has a monumental task ahead of him to try and reel in FA before the end of the year. But I would not suggest that there is any point in resigning both championships to FA and Renault just yet. I agree that there should be a focus on the 2006 challenge, but maximizing points and hopefully take the constructors championship to the last race of this season will help McLaren carry momentum into next year. And you never know, FA and Renault might still encounter problems before the end of the season.

McLaren must immediately focus on reliability, and prove that they can tackle that challenge as easily as they have their earlier lack of pace, else they risk losing Raikkonen.

[amjay 0]

oh my dear McLaren will i ever witness another 1-2 from you again.... i can sniff it in the air and i know it is soooooooo darn close but yet sooooo blardy far...... sadly i have to only wait and hope the 1-2 will come within the next 4 races or i'll have to wait till next season and only god knows if mclaren will have the fastest car on track next time around....

well just hope they pull something out of the bag coz honestly winning the drivers title is a fools hope... i mean if my calculations are right FA just needs to finish 5th in all the remaining races and the title is his regardless of wht kimi does (u can forget bout the renault breaking down coz it wont)

but the constructrs is up for grabs.... and they aint goin to win tht one either if they keep getting 1 point morre than renault in each race... they desperately need the 1-2's to get tht one and mclaren should concentrate on tht ....

[funkejay 0]

oh my dear McLaren will i ever witness another 1-2 from you again.... i can sniff it in the air and i know it is soooooooo darn close but yet sooooo blardy far...... sadly i have to only wait and hope the 1-2 will come within the next 4 races or i'll have to wait till next season and only god knows if mclaren will have the fastest car on track next time around....

well just hope they pull something out of the bag coz honestly winning the drivers title is a fools hope... i mean if my calculations are right FA just needs to finish 5th in all the remaining races and the title is his regardless of wht kimi does (u can forget bout the renault breaking down coz it wont)

but the constructrs is up for grabs.... and they aint goin to win tht one either if they keep getting 1 point morre than renault in each race... they desperately need the 1-2's to get tht one and mclaren should concentrate on tht ....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup.

[cavallino 2]

Mclaren do not deserve the title, it has been a woeful performance this season however good their car is it just does nor work!

[Wez 0]

Mclaren do not deserve the title, it has been a woeful performance this season however good their car is it just does nor work!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah!

Coz those Mclarens are untouchable when they stay on the track... no one can beat them & yet Fernando is 27points clear. You have to say the FA/Renault partnership is the best in F1 this season.

27points isn't lucky its a whitewash!

[Karta 0]

Yeah!

Coz those Mclarens are untouchable when they stay on the track... no one can beat them & yet Fernando is 27points clear. You have to say the FA/Renault partnership is the best in F1 this season.

27points isn't lucky its a whitewash!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was not best by far in the beginning. Alonso absolutely dominated the first 3-4 races i think (1st was 3rd place from slot 13 i think). However, unlike McLaren, Renault capitalized their golden time while Mclaren have failed to do with their considerably longer time!

Irony of life is that due to that one could argue that better ones might lose both. Kimi loses to Alonso and Renault loses to McLaren Personally altough i am not sure which of the two (Kimi and Alonso) is better driver, Kimi may be a lot faster, but so is his (unrealiable) car.

[SilverArrow-IceMan 0]

I think Kimi hasnt got the luck to win the DC this year its just not his year. Although Mclaren will win the Constructors this year they have the best chassis. They deserve something for their hard winter work (last years car was so bad, the improvement and effort put in is incredible)