Raikkonen desperate to close gap on Alonso

KIMI RAIKKONEN admits he must start taking points off championship leader Fernando Alonso if he is to stand any chance of winning the F1 world title.

The McLaren driver, who trails Alonso by 26 points, knows he must finish well in this weekend’s German Grand Prix. Raikkonen has failed to finish at Hockenheim for the past four years but is feeling positive this time.

“The car has good speed and we need to make the most of it this weekend. The battle for the championship is still on and I’m determined to get a good result and work on closing the gap,” he said.

Raikkonen’s season has been badly affected by technical problems, with engine failures costing him 10 places on the grid in the last two races.

The 25-year-old finished second and third despite those penalties, but needs to add to his three race wins this season to put any pressure on Alonso.

His Spanish rival has won five times for Renault this season, and one of his better drives came when he finished fourth at Monaco despite seriously worn tyres.

The 23-year-old is hoping not to have to repeat that performance in the heat of Germany this weekend.

“Conditions are very hot,” said the Spaniard, who finished third at Hockenheim last year.

“In the last two years, we had some problems with the rear tyres because of high temperatures and the traction demands in the corners, so (we have to) get the right balance between performance and durability.”

Local hopes rest with struggling world champion Michael Schumacher, whose only win so far this year was in the farcical US Grand Prix.

“We have by no means written ourselves off, even though we have to admit the situation has worsened recently, rather than improved,” said the German.

“But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved again, and that’s exactly what we’re working on.”