Superminis are getting...
Superminis are getting cheaper, according to pricing bible Glass"s Guide. Average values fell by 2.1 per cent in the last year, largely due to the emergence of budget firms such as Kia. Compact family cars, like the Ford Focus, have increased in price by around five per cent, while family models, such as the Vauxhall Vectra, have gone up by three per cent.
Raikkonen was pleased...
Raikkonen was pleased with his progress and denied that filling Schumacheršs seat was adding to the strain
The post-Michael Schumacher era at Ferrari became a reality last week when his replacement, Kimi RaikĀkonen, tested one of the Italian team’s red racers for the first time.
While team-mate Felipe Massa was entrusted with Ferrari’s latest F2007 chassis, the Finn spent two days acclimatising himself by putting one of last year’s cars through its paces at the cold and wet ValleĀlunga circuit, near Rome.
Despite wintry weather, Raikkonen was pleased with his progress and denied that filling Schumacher’s seat was adding to the strain.
“People are always going to compare you to the previous driver,” admitted Ferrari’s new signing. “As that was Michael, who was the main man in F1 for so many years, it’s natural that expectations are going to be high, but I don’t feel any pressure. It was the same when I joined McLaren from Sauber and I was much earlier in my career then.” However, RaikĀkonen does admit that it may take him some time to make his mark for the famous Prancing Horse.
He said: “I will need to get used to how the team members work, and also for them to get to know me, but that’s normal.”
Ferrari has taken some of the pressure off its new signing by giving him and Massa equal status – a novel approach from a team that was built around Schumacher for the past decade.