When Kimi Raikkonen announced he was taking a sabbatical from F1 to compete in the World Rally Championship I was sceptical about whether we’d ever see him back in an F1 car.
Six months on with Red Bull having confirmed their driver line-up for 2011 it’s looking unlikely we’ll see the 2007 champion make a comeback.
Will Kimi R?â?ñikk?â?Ânen ever come back to F1?
- No, he won't come back to F1 (64%)
- Yes, but not in 2011 (25%)
- Yes, in 2011 (12%)
Total Voters: 3,379
Raikkonen enjoyed a promotion to McLaren in 2002 when his compatriot Mika Hakkinen took a “sabbatical”. But it soon turned out Hakkinen wasn’t coming back.
It was a different matter when Alain Prost took a sabbatical a decade earlier – because he already had a Williams contract in his pocket for 1993.
If Raikkonen were to return in 2011, where could he go? It was clear at the end of last year he was not prepared to drive for anything less than a top team, which at the moment probably limits him to McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault.
A return to Ferrari seems unlikely. He was prised out of a contract to drive for the team this year to make way for Fernando Alonso. Luca di Montezemolo said in December Raikkonen had not contributed enough to the development of the car:
We realised that our team needed a driver capable of really getting involved with the engineers, a characteristic that was not part of Kimi’s genetic make-up, even though he is an amazingly talented guy.
Luca di Montezemolo
Another of his former teams, McLaren, courted Raikkonen for 2010 before settling on Jenson Button. But there’s no sign at the moment the team are anything less than pleased with both their drivers who have been closely matched so far this year.
That leaves Mercedes and Renault, both of which have reasons to be pleased with the performance of both their drivers so far: Michael Schumacher is improving with every race, Nico Rosberg has kept him honest, while at Renault Robert Kubica has driven brilliantly and Vitaly Petrov has been one of the more impressive rookies.
Meanwhile Raikkonen is making steady progress in the WRC. His best finish so far is a fifth place in Turkey while team mate Sebastien Ogier won the last round in Portugal.
But any expectations Raikkonen would be instantly competitive with the likes of Sebastien Loeb just because he has a world championship in a different racing discipline under his belt were unrealistic.
Raikkonen has not given any indication he’s planning a return to F1 next year and seems to be happier away from the politics and pressures of Formula 1.
To me it looks like Raikkonen’s sabbastical has gone the way of Hakkinen’s. Do you think he’ll ever come back to F1?
Kimi Raikkonen
Red Andy
7th June 2010, 11:09
No, never. Unlike Michael Schumacher, Raikkonen wasn’t spectacular in his final couple of years in F1. He will quickly be forgotten.
TommyB
7th June 2010, 12:00
He won’t be able to go anywhere realistically. He’d want to be in a top team and I don’t think that is going to happen.
The only team who you think could change is Ferrari and if anyone is going to replace Massa it would be Kubica and not Kimi coming back. Why would they replace Massa with Kimi after they chose Massa over Kimi in the first place.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th June 2010, 12:38
I think it’s a pity he won’t consider anything other than one of the top teams. It would be great to see him doing a Kubica for someone like Force India. He might even be happier there than at somewhere like Ferrari where the exposure and pressure will be enormous.
Henry
7th June 2010, 12:46
I entirely agree, if he would be happy with an up-and-coming team, on the premise that they develop a championship contending car within a few years, then he could be great! I personally would like to see him at Williams twinned with a spectacular revival of the team!
Rob
7th June 2010, 12:54
I think he could do well at a team like that, but I doubt whether he would really feel like doing all the development work necessary to get Force India to the front of the grid, in the way that Schumacher (almost) singlehandedly dragged Ferrari forwards by outperforming the machinery and inspiring the team to improve further.
nik
7th June 2010, 16:23
Not to mention that Schumacher had an entire team of engineers and support people follow him from Benetton to Ferrari. Kimmi, on the other hand, is a team of one.
S Hughes
7th June 2010, 18:01
I don’t think his pride would allow it.
beneboy
7th June 2010, 18:28
The age old problem of being a very talented yet very private driver.
Kimi hates the press, promotions and having to deal with all of the hype that comes with being a modern F1 driver but the only way to get a drive in a top car is by doing lots of interviews, promo work and playing the media game in order to keep the team and sponsors happy.
All Kimi wants to do is test and race, that would have been fine in the 50s and early 60s but once F1 became a media circus being the kind of guy who likes to play the game became just as important as being able to drive fast.
I’d love to see him come back to F1 but I doubt it will happen, although obviously this is one time I’d love to be proven wrong :-)
Whatever he does I wish him well, he may not have been the most popular driver amongst the fans but I really liked him.
HG
8th June 2010, 0:04
i agree with you beneboy – talented but not interested in the other stuff that comes along
F1 Fan India
8th June 2010, 6:12
It looks like Renault will be the most probable option for kimi so far if he wants to re-enter in to F1 for 2011 season.
If Ferrari replaces Massa with Kubica then kimi will be strong contender for the seat at Renault
as petrov is competitive rookie driver I don’t think Renault replace petrov for kimi.
Somehow you can say that kimis come back is depends upon massa for next season.
also, there is little light of hope at Williams and Force india is also good option.
I’d love to see kimi once again driving F1 car.
Cyclops
7th June 2010, 19:25
It would be great to see him alongside Kubica. If Renault want to create a powerhouse, then Petrov is not enough, with all due respect.
Adam Tate
7th June 2010, 23:33
You make a great point Keith, if I were a team principal I do what I could to make Kimi happy and relaxed, it would be better for all the drivers if the teams would let them drop the endless P.R. charade, it only serves to increase the pressure on them and distract everyone involved, fans included from the racing. Which is the reason we are all here to begin with. Raikkonen, reminds us of that by doing his talking on the track. The F1 world needs more like him and I think it’s a shame he’s probably gone for good. Enjoy Rallying Kimi!
Anoop
8th June 2010, 4:39
Spot on Keith. Just the thing I wanted to say.
Force India would be the perfect team for Keith, considering that the top teams are pretty much going to retain their line-ups for quite some time to come.
FI would suit Kimi more than any other team (maybe a promising Renault too, but they’ve been inconsistent). As a team, they’ve delivered on their promises, step-by-step. Plus the team’s aspirations to become a top team looks on course and it might just provide the kind of motivation that Kimi needs.
Even from the team’s p.o.v, a “low profile maintaining”, experienced and a former WC driver like Kimi perfectly balances a flamboyant owner in Vijay Mallya.
It could turn out to be the impetus that FI is looking for in order to attain their goal of winning a race. Kimi-FI might well turn out to be a match made in heaven :) . We can only wait and watch as to what will happen eventually.
John H
8th June 2010, 8:55
“Force India would be the perfect team for Keith”
I agree :)
Henry
7th June 2010, 12:31
He is young, he is a talented driver with a championship to his name; I think he will come back, just not for another year or two. He may start to miss his huge Ferrari salary after a while, remember he is being paid £17m during 2010 as part of his contract simply in order not to race for another team. There is no need for him to return for a year or two, he will want to prove himself in WRC get a win or two, then return when he’s ready. If there is a space he feels happy with, which is the issue I guess.
Electrolite
7th June 2010, 18:38
In a nutshell Henry.
Daniel
7th June 2010, 11:10
No :( I Want Him Back Tho :(
Prisoner Monkeys
7th June 2010, 11:10
I doubt he’ll be back. The longer he stays out of the sport, the harder a return will be – especially with a top team. I just can’t see him being willing to drive for anything less than a championship contender, since that was one of his demands going into 2011.
irishlad (@irishlad)
7th June 2010, 11:19
I dont think Kimi will come back , he seems happy in WRC and is getting a few good results. Does anyone notice how much he talks in interviews way more than in f1 for some reason.
Journeyer
7th June 2010, 12:14
Very true. And the WRC media are jubilant whenever he agrees to have an interview with them.
Pink Peril
8th June 2010, 1:01
He also smiles and laughs, and has grown his hair really long. Money isn’t everything (although I’m sure Kimi is still being relatively well paid for his WRC efforts) and I think ultimately, Kimi will do what makes him happiest. I just can’t see that being F1.
Oli
7th June 2010, 11:20
“Räikkönen had not contributed enough to the development of the car”
and how this years ferarri has really come along in development with alonso
cyanide
7th June 2010, 11:34
It’s his first year, and he hardly had any input during the season break. Let’s wait for a year before passing judgement, shall we?
Prisoner Monkeys
7th June 2010, 11:34
The problem with the F10 is that Ferrari never fully developed the F60, unlike McLaren, who perfected the MP/4-24 by the end of 2009.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th June 2010, 11:35
And you have to say, it didn’t stop McLaren getting the MP4/25 right did it?
Prisoner Monkeys
7th June 2010, 11:50
Um, that’s kind of my point. Ferrari stopped development of the F60 early on, and started developing the F10. But McLaren kept going with the MP4/24 and took it from a lower-midfield car to a competitive car on a variety of circuits. So where they knew what they did right with the MP4/24 and could keep that in mind for the MP4/25, the major changes in the rules at the beginning of 2009 effectively meant that Ferrari went back to square one for the F10. The F10 is a pretty disappointing car, because it was simply a reaction to everyone else. There’s nothing pro</em-active on-board the way the RB6, MP4/25 and W01 are. It's got the nose of the Red Bull RB5, the bodywork of a Brawn BGP-001 and he rear wing of a McLaren MP4/24. No innovation, and without a single original thought. In a sport where you have to keep up development, Ferrari have proven to be their own worst enemy. Again.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th June 2010, 12:09
Yeah I was agreeing with you!
steph
7th June 2010, 11:51
Not really. It didn’t seem to hurt at all. Although Ferrari were clearly ahead at Bahrain I think. Same old-Ferrari start with the better car than Mclaren but Mclaren out develop them.
ADeadLink
7th June 2010, 14:44
Only because Red Bull tripped over themselves steph. If but for a few changes, the would have found themselves further down the field.
steph
7th June 2010, 16:33
I was just referring to Ferrari and Mclaren :)
Anders
7th June 2010, 11:51
Both Fernando and Kimi have actually been 4th in the WDC after the first seven races into their first seasons with Ferrari.
It has to be said though that the current form of Ferrari is not good in comparison to the front-runners. It’s not good as last year they abandoned the development of the F60 early on to focus on the development of the F10 and now it seems the F10 is under-developed.
At least Kimi got some decent results with the F60 *after* they stopped developing it last year! Quite funny that.
Oli
7th June 2010, 12:14
And fezza are soon to have toyotas diffuser. Even more original
nik
7th June 2010, 16:27
Am I the only person who no longer believes that Ferrari are a top team? Almost everybody who was involved with their successful run is no longer there.
Ferrari might be stuck again as midfield runners for a while – something that might be difficult for most people to get used to.
It might be good for the sport, proving that money != success
beneboy
7th June 2010, 18:36
I think Toyota have already proven that money doesn’t buy you success in F1 :-)
Chapmondo
7th June 2010, 19:07
I woudn’t mind seeing Ferrari go back to the early 90’s form, only 2 victories from ’91 to ’95. One of them was Germany ’94 as Berger was sat on a big V12 on the straights of Hockenhiem, and Alesi at Canada the following year only won (i think) because Schumacher had a gearbox problem… So them two victories weren’t down to having the best chassis.
breza
7th June 2010, 13:08
Yeah, they are getting slower and slower in every race…
Alonso is a big benefit for the team-great three major flops in just a few races!
Bravo Luca!
Viva Santander!
Adam Tate
7th June 2010, 23:39
It’s sad to see Ferrari screw up so big. If I were Domenicalli I’d kick Alonso to the curb, bring back Kimi, pair him up with Massa again, steal Brawn back, put him in charge, steal Schumacher back, put him in charge of development, re-create NART with Rossi and Bianchi in an American Junior team and win a few more World Championships. I’m sure Montezemolo dreams like this at night, be great if he could actually make it happen.
kyle
8th June 2010, 13:43
thats cool idea, lol
Zaphod
7th June 2010, 17:14
Excellent point and I think Kimi has been really given a raw deal last year, especially after his spectacular win at Spa, with Ferrari choosing to abandon the 2009 car. Look where that ended up!
Mike
9th June 2010, 4:15
It’s not that raw, He is one of the highest paid drivers in F1, and he isn’t even driving in F1, and he seems to be enjoying WRC.
JamesC1991
7th June 2010, 11:21
yep he’s staying in WRC
rumours are he has signed a 2 year deal with the Citroen junior team
Dave
7th June 2010, 11:21
He’s almost certainly gone the way of Hakkinen. Kimi never seemed at ease in the pressurised and political world of F1, and if WRC offers him a chance to race cars (which is all he cares about at the end of the day) without the PR commitments and politics, then why would he want to come back.
Too bad really as at least his lax attitude to the professionalism that dominates F1 today was quite entertaining. It’s always nice having a character in the paddock after all.
Anders
7th June 2010, 11:56
In a recent interview last weekend he clearly indicated he has not closed the door to F1 yet. Had he already decided he is not coming back he would have no reason to talk like that. So clearly, as far as I can tell, he thinks it is still a possibility that he is coming back.
When Mika Häkkinen took a sabbatical it actually went so that he told Ron Dennis that he would retire. But Ron insisted it has to be “a sabbatical” and then they would talk during the next season whether it is a permanent retirement or not. So, it was Ron Dennis who made it to look like a sabbatical. It was not Mika’s intention, it was just Dennis hoping Mika would change his mind.
This time with Kimi it’s different – I don’t see any signs that it would have been a team boss or a manager or anything like that who has arranged it to look like a sabbatical only. Just recently Kimi has given an interview in which it is clear he has not closed the door to F1 yet. He would not be talking like that had he decided already that he’s never coming back.
Mike
9th June 2010, 4:32
Actually, Kimi’s cold style of speaking, which I dislike, helps us here, If he wasn’t coming back, he’d just say it.
Joey-Poey
7th June 2010, 20:03
Character? He seemed to have about as much character as a wet blanket. I really won’t miss his stoic mumbling.
Mutton
7th June 2010, 23:45
exactly. he can stay away for all I care
Fer no.65
7th June 2010, 11:21
“while at Renault Robert Kubica has brilliant brilliantly”
LOL! :D
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th June 2010, 11:36
Oops :-( Fixed.
Magnificently Magnificent Geoffrey
7th June 2010, 11:46
That says just how good a job he’s doing!
Mike
9th June 2010, 4:37
Yeah, But I think it would be an understated understatement.
Kav
7th June 2010, 11:22
I remained optimistic up until this morning… There is no chance he will come back now, which is a damn shame. I know many people thought he was overrated, but he was still a world champion and was a real racer (who can forget the spectacular 2005 Japanese Grand Prix?).
It is a shame his reputation took a hit solely due to the latter half of the 2008 season. If he struggled in 2007 and won the title in 2008 instead, everyone would be praising him, however that is Formula 1. I don’t think his 2009 season was poor. Both of the Ferrari drivers suffered reliability issues in the first half of the season, so they lost a lot of points. I don’t think anyone can deny praise for his second half of the season, that was the only time at Ferrari that he reminded me of his form at McLaren.
I’m sure it was his decision not to come back to F1, so his fans should be happy that he is competing in a sport that he enjoys. I just wish McLaren would have allowed him to take part in some rallies, maybe we would have had him in the sport for another few years!
At least we still have a great selection of talent, I will be supporting Vettel the most! Followed by Massa and Alonso.
nik
7th June 2010, 16:31
It is because 07 was a championship that McLaren lost, as opposed to a championship that Kimmi won. His 08 and 09 seasons were very mediocre – outclassed by Massa in 08 and besides a race or two, a complete no-show in 09.
Mike
9th June 2010, 15:08
Actually I’d agree and defend Kimi this time, Certain cars suit certain drivers, the 09 Marlboro car simply didn’t suit him, much like Massa this year.
sato113
7th June 2010, 11:27
‘while at Renault Robert Kubica has brilliant brilliantly’
BIG lol!
Dipak T
7th June 2010, 11:29
Well, at least were going to see a lot more of James Hunt.
Aveen
7th June 2010, 11:31
Unfortunately I don’t see him coming back either but doubt he will be forgotten soon.
Räikkönen, along with Montoya are two of the most recent drivers in memory that have left the sport but are still remembered.
Will Heidfeld ever get an F1 drive again? Banzai Kamui needs a new teammate…
Journeyer
7th June 2010, 12:16
It’s very interesting, the rookie class of 2001. In the same year, you had Raikkonen, Montoya, AND Alonso all starting their first GP. (Yes, Bernoldi was there too, but he didn’t turn out to be much beyond Monaco that year.)
It’s a bit disappointing that in the last 9 seasons, only 3 has come from this trio, and none of them came from Montoya. And only Alonso is left in the sport…
matt90
7th June 2010, 12:39
Unfortunately, on 3 of those years no one other than Schumacher had a realistic chance. One of the years Raikkonen came as close as he could. Then 2 of the 3 championships that came from these drivers featured Alonso and Raikkonen competing against each other, denying more championships from the trio. Then Alonso found himself in a reasonably uncompetitive car for 2 years while Raikkonen was in a poor car one year and simply didn’t race his best the other. I’d say that given then circumstances, the rookie class of 2001 having won 1/3 of the championships since a pretty good statistic.
Burnout
8th June 2010, 4:28
And let’s not forget that last year’s championship was won by someone from the class of 2000. That’s not very far off from the 2001 trio.
Paige
7th June 2010, 11:43
I think Kimi is enjoying rallying quite a bit and wouldn’t make the switch back to F1 even if it was available. He seems like the kind of person to me who needs fresh challenges to motivate him, which is why I think his form in late-2008 through 2009 wasn’t what it was before then. After 2007, he’d done it all in F1: won the world championship, won all the major races (Monaco, Spa, Silverstone, Suzuka, Interlagos) except Monza, and driven for Ferrari. That’s a pretty complete F1 career, if you ask me.
Kimi is adjusting to rallying very well and showing great potential there. I bet he stays and continues to improve. Ogier, his teammate, is a world championship contender this year with the Citroen Junior team in just his third year in WRC. There’s no reason why Kimi can’t follow the same trajectory.
steph
7th June 2010, 11:47
No.
He’s starting to make progress in WRC but it will take time. That’s good for his ambitions, he won’t comeback to F1 for anything other than a race winning car. He’s away from the sport so his talent will fade from memory, he isn’t in the spot light. There are younger drivers who could be just as quick. Ferrari isn’t an option, Mclaren look settled, Mercedes have Schumi, RBR maybe a possibility if they change their line up for 2012 but he will have been away too long.
Wrc seems to suit him beautifully too. I like Kimi, he can be frustrating but I admire him for switching to rallying. It’s good to see how drivers fare in different environments. I think staying in rallying would be s great decision. He has the f1 title, he’s done here really.
KNF
7th June 2010, 16:48
The WRC atmosphere certainly seems to fit him more than the corporate atmosphere of the “Pirahna Club”… And he would probably need about two or more seasons to mount a WRC title challenge, as long as Citroen stays competitive…
Hamish
7th June 2010, 11:55
The more individuals that are not afraid to be themselves the better. It adds character to the sport.
I struggle to see the passion to drive from drivers who’s only comments come from well scripted lines. They are basically PR spokesmen that can drive.
The one thing I always liked about Kimi was that he was Kimi. The only thing he gave a damn about was driving, and thats the way it should be.
Anders
7th June 2010, 12:00
Some people actually loath him for the way he is – I don’t think they are getting his personality at all. I am from the same country and I can relate to him – I think I understand why he behaves like he does. To many people from different cultures it seems it’s really hard to understand him – but they should refrain from badmouthing him because of that – if *they* don’t get his personality, is it Kimi’s fault? Both sides share responsibility for that so you can’t lay the blame solely on one side.
Hamish
7th June 2010, 12:22
Agreed mate. Let the man be himself and thats what I admire about him and lets be honest – what person in there mid/lates 20’s doesn’t like having a few too many from time to time? Hes a normal bloke in that respect, and drivers that show their human traits and personality are usually those that the fans connect with.
When you get a driver who shows no aspect of human emotions and instincts and is merely a person who can recide very well practised lines for the sake of their sponsors and isn’t themself you get a bland boring driver. And thus, Lewis Hamilton is created.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th June 2010, 12:44
I wouldn’t say Hamilton’s a boring driver – he’s given us more entertainment on the track this year than most of the other drivers, one way or the other.
Yeah, he trots out the scripted stuff in the press conferences and that is pretty tiresome but really so do most of his rivals, with Mark Webber perhaps the most significant exception (at least among the front runners).
BasCB
7th June 2010, 13:21
Right you are Keith, Hamilton is far from a boring driver, just like Kimi was not a boring driver. Only Kimi lost interest and now has something new for a challenge.
OK, so in Press conferences both were not the most entertaining guys, and Mark Webber (for example) makes better comments, but who watches F1 (or any sport) mainly for that?
Hamish
7th June 2010, 13:39
I agree with you Keith, hes not a boring driver. But as a personality for the sport I cannot stand him. One day hes claiming to be “just a regular guy” and the next hes claiming that “sometimes I think Ayrton is in the car with me”. I mean come on, does that McLaren PR department really have to patronize us with that nonsense?
I just think the sport at the moment lacks the character. Sure these guys are clean cut and fit in well with what their corporate sponsors want of them, but they just don’t appeal to the common man. The difference between F1 20 years ago and today, the common actually showed an interest in F1.
Do you think Valentino Rossi would be as popular as he is if he was a quiet, reserved and was the mould of an F1 driver?
Usain Bolt is another example. Amazing athlete yes, but many people admire him and look up to him as he is simply, well, a dude.
F1 needs people like this. I’m not saying they have to do backflips off their car when they finish or climb the safety fence. Just be themselves.
Patrickl
7th June 2010, 19:16
Do you even know F1?
Why do you think the drivers don’t go out celebrating?
Haven’t you ever noticed how they were being hounded by the FOM people?
F1 is all abuout schedules sponsors and TV money. There is no time for emotion.
They can show emotion in the car and perhaps a little on the podium.
As we saw last race, Hamilton did indeed pretty clearly show what his emotions were. No fake “happy jump” or “happy fist thrown in the air”. Just. Pure. Hamilton …
Hamish
7th June 2010, 23:07
No Patrick, I know nothing about F1. Absolutely nothing. You are supreme, all hail Patrick (note the sarcasm).
Judging by what you’ve said, you missed the point, completely. Your mentioned aspects of the sport is what is wrong with it. The sport needs more of the human element as it is these sort of characters that fans can connect with and will move the sport to be more “mainstream”. Kimi, James Hunt, Jo Siffert, Nelson Piquet just to name a few.
No prefabricated nonsense. Just. Pure. Driver (your words, not mine).
Patrickl
8th June 2010, 11:43
Yeah, because Raikkonen never gave a pre instructed PR speech.
Indeed you don’t get the point. Guess that’s all we can agree on.
Mike
9th June 2010, 15:11
I agree with Pat, Hamilton was angry, we saw that, that’s what causes us to argue over why he was angry.
Angry, or sad, or happy is great. That’s one of the many reason I like Rubens.
PJA
7th June 2010, 12:07
I don’t think Raikkonen will come back to F1.
When Raikkonen originally said he would be rallying in 2010 I thought he would only come back to F1 if he didn’t enjoy Rallying and he could secure a drive at a top team in F1.
Although I don’t really follow rallying I haven’t heard of Raikkonen being unhappy, and I don’t see any vacancies at a team likely to for the championship next year. The longer he is away from F1 the more unlikely it will be that he ever returns.
slr
7th June 2010, 12:11
I hope he comes back. I think he still has something to offer.
Karan
7th June 2010, 12:12
I really want him back. Imagine the amount of talent the field would have if he came back in 2011.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th June 2010, 12:41
Assuming everyone else stayed there’d be at least five world champions if Raikkonen came back. And if one of the Red Bull drivers took the title this year there’d be six.
slr
7th June 2010, 17:05
Villeneuve could come back also.
DC
7th June 2010, 12:38
No, I don’t think he will come back. He is going the way of Keke Rosberg – won a WDC then fade into the background. (He is even getting chubbier and growing his hair long like Keke did.)
I can see him being involved somehow with racing in the future, like with his junior team, but I don’t see him in F1 again.
It really is a shame, because Kimi was really fun to watch on the track.
sumedh
7th June 2010, 12:43
I don’t think he wants to come back in Formula One.
I don’t follow rallying. But if Kimi were unhappy in rallying, then news articles about that would have immediately surfaced on Formula 1 websites, in order to trigger the rumor mills. The fact that it hasn’t, indicates that perhaps Kimi is happy doing rallying.
Kimi left Formula 1 because he couldn’t care enough about F1. And why should F1 really care about Kimi then?
He was perhaps the most God-gifted driver in terms of absolute speed since Senna!! Formula 1 definitely misses a driver of such immense talent. But lets hope that he makes good use of his talent at something else.
F1NATIC
7th June 2010, 12:56
As a Ferrari fan, Kimi has been my favorite driver, I enjoyed wathing him race when he had the car. Even during the Schumi era I enjoyed him taking it to the man as well as Alonso during the first half of the decade. And I was glad to see him take both championships with Ferrari in 2007. Yet in a way Montezomolo was right, he is not a great developer, he is simply fast by nature, he only drives to the top of his ability. I think he has even expressed it himself in which he doesnt like much of the technicalities of the sport. More like the drivers of old, he was more committed to the life of a super star. Boat racing in gorilla suits, crashing in Monaco and watching the race from a yatch, etc. I would like to see him return to F1, but in a way he got screwed by Ferrari. Money had a lot to do as well, and also the teams decision to drop development in the F60. As it has been said it was a big mistake for Ferrari not to use that car as a test bed for 2010 trying new things at least. In Spa we saw Kimi still had the speed. I hope he does well in the WRC as I would like to see him get a shot at the title in 2011 hopefully.
Also the Scuderia should think about providing stability in the team for drivers and tech guys. The team has recently been buckling every time anything goes wrong. There is hardly any continuity and it clearly shows its affecting its development pace as every one gets reshuffled all the time.
Rob
7th June 2010, 12:57
I would either expect Kimi to stay in rallying as long as he gets good enough results to keep him employed and then retire from professional racing, or for him to do it for a few years and then maybe get into tourers or sportscars where the media spotlight is not as intense and there maybe is not quite the same demand for drivers to live like monks…
pSynrg
7th June 2010, 13:10
Depends how skint he gets…
The Pink Bengal
7th June 2010, 13:23
I don’t think he’ll come back and certainly not for a smaller team. It seems to me like he’s just not very good at developing the car. He just wants to drive.
The championship he won was based a lot on the development work that Schumacher had done for Ferrari before he called it quits. I just don’t think he has it in him to push the development work as much as it would take to make a winner out of a middle-of-the-pack-team.
Rahim RG
7th June 2010, 13:29
Well after 3 yrs of defending Kimi during his criticism period, i would like to make a tribute to him…and no longer predict that he will come or not…
Kimi was a Real Natural Talent in terms of Raw speed since Senna….I think Alonso is no match to him….But its just that a time came in his unfortunate run to to the title where he was just thinking it was enough…And that he could no longer take anything other than racing….He will always be remembered for his old school nature and he will never be counted amongst Alonso Schumacher Hamilton maybe Vettelsss……but amongst Hunt Prost and Senna
He will never Be forgotten.
Suzuka 05, Monaco 05, Malaysia 01, Brazil 09….
Spa 04, 05, 07, 08, 09
*Stirling Moss: “Quite frankly, Kimi Raikkonen is the fastest driver in the world”
*Peter Sauber: “I saw that the same quality that attracted me to Kimi – his steely determination – was also the reason why I lost him.”
*Sergio Rinland: “I looked in his eyes and I thought ‘I’ve seen this look before. And I know where I saw that look before. And it gave me goosebumps when I remembered that look. It was Senna.”
Metallion
7th June 2010, 13:40
I don’t know if he’s going to come back. Personally I’d love him to come back, but I’m doubtful so I voted no.
I read a while back that he’d be interested in doing the Le Mans 24h and also racing in America in the future. I think it was his manager who said that.
After some research I couldn’t find anything about racing in America, but definitely Le Mans. I think it’d be great to watch him do Le Mans and hopefully win it:)
DC
7th June 2010, 14:27
I think Kimi said he would be interested in racing in America and LeMans back when the manufacturers were talking about splitting from F1. In other words, it was just PR and he probably wasn’t serious. I think Alonso said something similar, and I’m sure he wasn’t serious either.
Metallion
7th June 2010, 17:12
Yeah that could be quite right, or it could have been something he was saying to help his negotiations. I still think Le Mans is not impossible. I mean Mansell is in it this year, so he has many years still if he wants to do it.
UneedAFinn2Win
7th June 2010, 13:59
He won’t, no need. What he wants is to be the best racing driver in history, in every discipline. He is a savant behind the wheel, and his ambition is to be the first to win in multiple top-tier series. There’s been some who’ve done it in bikes and F1, but not for a long time. He has four,five years to get it done in rallying, then go on to LeMans, at the age of 35-36 he has plenty of time to make it to the top there. I just wish he’d skip WRC,get together with Mika and enter LeMans with a works AUDI next year :)
Alianora La Canta
7th June 2010, 14:35
Depending on what happens to the rallying calenders, perhaps Kimi can dovetail a top-line rallying programme with some Le Mans in future years? It’s not completely out of the question – though getting a works Audi with Mika Hakkinen may be asking a bit much, especially since Mika’s retired from racing altogether.
KNF
7th June 2010, 16:52
You mean a Triple Crown? The only one who’s done it so far was Graham Hill…
UneedAFinn2Win
7th June 2010, 18:44
I was referring to Surtees, having won championships in other forms of motorsport.
Icthyes
7th June 2010, 20:03
Surtees won his other championship in motorcycles.
KNF
8th June 2010, 3:20
Graham Hill was F1 World Drivers Champion, won LeMans and the Indy 500.
John Surtees was Motorcycle GP champion and F1 World Drivers Champion.
Both were equally laudable achievements in their time and to pull off either of these in this current era of specialization would be an even greater achievement (think crossing over from MotoGP into F1, or winning the F1 and WRC WDCs and then winning LeMans, how many racers today could pull it off)…
Tiren
7th June 2010, 14:15
Kimi has stated in at least one interview that he wants to win the WRC championship someday and that the WRC title would mean more than his F1 WDC.
Does that mean he is done in F1- I don’t know. But if I were a betting man I’d say he won’t be back.
dim
7th June 2010, 14:18
I don’t get it, Kimi didn’t get involved with the engineers in building the car?/what a crap,.what about Massa? How much useful he is>, he sucks on rain, he can’t overtake-, he wins only from poll, when starts from mid field usually spents half a race behind the car what was in front of him..Kimi is way much better than Massa, they did a mistake chosing massa over him,a combination of kimi and alonso woould have been more stronger than what it is now. They shouldn’t let go to drivers on the reason that the car isn’t progressing, they should replace engineers and maybe even Stefano Domenicali…
sumedh
7th June 2010, 15:02
Almost all the things you count of Kimi over Massa are true.
Yes, Massa isn’t the best overtaker. But he was good at qualifying at the front during 2007-2009. Something Raikkonen wasn’t. And he was good at converting poles into victories. Thus, inspite of the talent difference, you see Massa matching Kimi every step of the way.
After 2007 and 2008, in terms of points Kimi had 185 (8 wins) and Massa had 192 (9 wins). But Kimi was paid 80 million USD for this and Massa was paid just 12 million USD. And at that time, there was a hungry Alonso who is everything Kimi is and comes at barely 25 million USD per year.
As a team boss, I think your choice o drivers is obvious. Ferrari still persisted with Kimi for 2009 though. Only when Massa managed to score double of Kimi’s points did they decide to ‘let him go’ .
David A
7th June 2010, 16:43
The same old claims that he can’t overtake or drive in the rain…
People base their opinions of his wet weather ability on one race, Silverstone 2008. Many have seen Massa perform good overtakes. He isn’t the best at either, but isn’t as bad as you make out…
And I haven’t heard of anyone winning from “poll”
steph
7th June 2010, 20:18
On a personal note it;s nice to see that david also agrees with me about Massa so I’m not alone defending his wet weather driving or overtaking :P
James_mc
7th June 2010, 23:40
Everyone does automatically think of his horror show at Silverstone in ’08, but lets not forget he had a similar experience a few years previously (possibly in a Sauber) at the same circuit.
He drove well in the wet last season, and if we’re talking about the ’08 season we should all remember that he comprehensively won the Brazilian Grand Prix… yes in the rain! :-)
Alianora La Canta
7th June 2010, 14:32
I don’t think Kimi will ever return to F1 for one simple reason: he enjoys rallying more. Kimi has always been a fun-loving driver who races best when his heart is in it. In the latter half of his F1 career his heart only seemed to be in it if there was a result to chase. Having now found his joy in racing again, Kimi is now at his best all the time (except when crashing, and everyone in rallying crashes sometimes!)
I think Kimi will spend a decade in top-line rallying (maybe longer if his body’s up to it), win at least two WRC titles, become renowned for his versatility more than his exploits in any one series and generally be a happy, fulfilled racer. It’s probably just as well that F1 bosses don’t seem to want Kimi because he is more indifferent to them now than they ever will be to him.
Robert McKay
7th June 2010, 14:55
I think it’s just a shame the WRC is so weak at the minute. It’s not much of a window for anyone. With it and the IRC it’s a bit like Champcar and IRL both weakening each other dreadfully.
Still, I doubt Kimi will be back in F1.
steph
7th June 2010, 20:21
Agree with that about the WRC although there are some glimmers of hope with the future with other competititors, new talent and rule changes to shake things up. It’s still good in my humble opinion but not what it used to be. Agree to about the IRC-WRC battle too. I really wish the WRC would get the rally of Monte back as well from the IRC too :P
wasiF1
7th June 2010, 15:13
I don’t think he will come back. Even if he does not sure which team he will race for? The only chance I see is Mercedes if Schumacher quit at the end of the year.
Charles Carroll
7th June 2010, 15:56
Perhaps, if Richard Branson dumps an enormous amount of money on him, and one of his space ships.
Horacio
7th June 2010, 16:22
I don’t think we will see Kimi in F1 anymore.
But gosh how I would like to see him again!!!!!!!!!
Cube
7th June 2010, 16:33
To be honest I don’t care if Raikkonen comes or goes. He always looked bored, he was never interesting to listen to, he couldn’t care less about the fans & he did nothing for his team.
His time has come and gone.
Damon
7th June 2010, 16:39
Oh man, you don’t get it, you just don’t get it.
David A
7th June 2010, 16:44
Someone obviously doesn’t get who the Iceman is or was…
Pink Peril
8th June 2010, 1:23
The fact that Kimi has ‘Iceman’ tattooed on his arm speaks volumes. It was all just a role he was playing, and some people, like Cube, obviously still don’t get that.
Cube
8th June 2010, 14:09
I get it, yes. That’s why I find him boring. No personality. Nothing.
Ral
7th June 2010, 16:48
Nope, don’t think so, as much of a shame as it is for me as a spectator.
But as long as he does what he enjoys most, who cares?
The Dutch Bear
7th June 2010, 16:53
I would like it if he returns. But I’m afraid he is just fed up with the stuff around F1 and I can’t blame him for that.
sumedh
7th June 2010, 18:46
To be honest, there was indeed too much politics in F1 during 2008-2009. And it would have definitely fed up some drivers, not just Kimi Raikkonen.
But in 2010, Formula 1 is definitely cleaner. There are far less politics, controversies this year than in the last 2 years.
I think, Kimi would have enjoyed driving in 2010 more than in the last 2 years. But then again, PR actives by drivers are still at the same level
Les
7th June 2010, 17:51
I doubt it, he doesn’t seem to have enough passion for F1 so its looks like its over too early for him.
Metallion
7th June 2010, 22:28
I think that thing about passion and motivation is something created by the media. The only thing he lacks passion and motivation for is the media:) He said himself after the news broke last year that it had nothing to do with his motivation and it’s no different from 10 years ago. I’m certain he loves racing just as much as he always has.
Ads21
7th June 2010, 18:09
I see no reason why Kimi would want to come back. He has already proven his ability in Formula 1 having won the world championship and coming close on two other occasions. Kimi clearly hated all the corporate and PR BS that surrounds the sport and seems much happier in the WRC which provides a purer form of racing with less BS. He’s happier in the WRC and being successful there would do far more for his reputation than coming back to F1.
feynman
7th June 2010, 18:35
Lewis to Mercedes to be with Brawn and Haug, beside his old teammate Rosberg, guided/managed by Schumacher/Weber.
McLaren get much improved terms in the Mercedes buy-back in consideration for tearing up the contract, Button and Whitmarsh pick-out curtains, and Kimi returns to Woking to put the Finnish twinkle back in ol’ Ron’s eyes.
An outside bet, forsureâ„¢, but just imagine how smart I’d look this winter if it came off.
mjpowell (@)
11th July 2010, 11:14
feynman dude,
close but no cigar.
Ron wishes 2 emulate Ferrari – be the British Ferrari, so NO Mercedes buy back.
Mclaren will be getting No.1 back on their car thanks to Hamilton so no need for Button anymore, he was only brought in to bring the No.1
IceMan 2 aka Kimi, will be brought back managed by IceMan 1, Mika H
Icthyes
7th June 2010, 20:01
I don’t think he will back, and I’m quite glad.
During his last two years in F1, Kimi was very uninspiring. From Barcelona 2008 to Spa 2009 you could only really count 2 good performances by the guy. It was clear that after he had won his world championship he was no longer really motivated, and that’s not the kind of guy I want to see in F1.
Yes, he was talented. Yes, he had a great capacity for pulling out fastest laps. Yes, he had some funny one-liners and antics. But that’s not the Kimi that left in 2009, and it likely wouldn’t be the Kimi who’d come back. I hope he stays in rallying to mount a full WRC challenge, and I hope he succeeds in doing so.
Patrickl
7th June 2010, 22:01
Ehm did you even watch F1 in 2008?
In Monaco his race was messed up by the team who finished his car too late for the start. So Raikkonen had to suffer a drive through penalty for that.
Hamilton rammed the armco and even despite that he beat the poorly driving massa who had one of his signature poor wet race performances (Spinning off twice to let Kubica through twice)
Raikkonen could very well have won that race hadn’t it been for that team failure.
Canada? Raikkonen was clearly one of the fastest there, but Hamilton knocked him out.
France? Yet again, by far the fastest of anyone, but his exhaust broke off.
Then indeed he had 4 poorer races when they change the car setup and he couldn’t get it to work.
Yet he came back with a vengance in Spa. Again, by far the fastest of anyone. Until the rain started to fall and Hamilton turned out to be unbeatable again.
By then Raikkonen had decided that he HAD to beat Hamilton or he would be out of the hunt for the WDC. So he risked too much and lost it. Uninspiring? No motivation? Ehm yeah sure. More like “over motivated”.
Italy then. Sure he had his problems in qualifying just like Lewis had. Still he drove the socks off that car and he was a huge lot more impressive than Massa in yet another signature poor race wet race.
Raikkonen came all the way from behind and yet he finished only a few seconds behind Massa. Again a lot more inspired drive from Raikkonen than from the ever poor Massa (if he’s not starting in the fastest car from pole).
Singapore then. Raikkonen’s race was messed up when Massa ran off with the fuel installation. Because of this Raikkonen and Massa were all the way at the back of the field. Raikkonen worked his way back up to 5th while Massa couldn’t even pass an STR.
Japan. Good start for Raikkonen, but he got pushed off by Kovalainen at the start (after Hamilton messed up hist start). Still he fared a huge lot better than Massa’s rampage ho just went from bad to worse. Raikkonen made it back to the podium while Massa was just going nowhere.
China. Embarassing race for Massa. Raikkonen was so far ahead, that he practically had to stop the car to let Massa pass him.
Interlagos. Finally an inspired drive from Massa, but luckily it was too little too late. Raikkonen’s race was compromised because he had to play scond fiddle to Massa, but still he did fine. He kept pushing Alonso all race.
The first 6 or 7 races in 2009 Raikkonen suffered either car failure (smoking KERS or failing engine or whatever). If his car didn’t fail, his team would put him on full wets on a dry track.
By the time they were in Hungary the team got their act together in and the car was sort of reliable. From then on Raikkonen started getting podium finishes and even a win.
steph
7th June 2010, 22:36
I tried so hard to resist…
I will just say before I start my defence of you-know-who that I really admire Kimi, I never thought he really lost motivation (or not a lot) as he only ever seemed interested in winning and I thought his speed at times was impressive to say the least and is a better overtaker than Massa generally.
However, when it comes to set up issues it’s pretty much down to the driver to make good of it. It seems harsh but I’ve said the exact same thing about Massa and his performances this year.
The F2008 clearly had issues in the rain. Massa can’t be dreadful in the rain becvause he’s rubbish but Kimi suffering at Spa because of the car. Massa was poor at Silverstone granted but Monaco he had the wrong tyre strategy (made mistakes) but salvaged a podium and set the flap. Kimi also knocked his front wing off that race if I remember rightly so neither were infallible.
China – yes Kimi was better. France -yes Kimi was again better. However, every driver sufferes at the hands of reliability.
Canada was a big shame for Kimi but Massa had fuel issues there and was quick enougn to recover somehwta and perform that double overtake (personally I thought his Hungary move was much better as Bar and Kovy practically sent him an invation but nevermind).
Kimi was never as bad that year in my opinion as people made out. In fact, I thought he was really rather good. Massa just beat him that’s all and he did in 2009. Kimi was the most naturally gifted of the two bt he didn’t beat Felipe often enough. I don’t like how this keeps coming to a Kimi vs Felipe these days (perhaps I shouldn’t have responded but I think you may have expected it and I’m starting to enjoy this debate with you) because it isn’t much of an issue now they aren’t teammates and more than anything I’d just like to remember Raikkonen being damn fast at times and getting his title in 2007 esp now I can’t watch him race in F1.
Patrickl
8th June 2010, 11:53
The 2008 Ferrari didn’t have much issues in wet in the hands of Raikkonen though. Of course it couldn’t compare to the Red Bull/STR or even the McLaren (in the hands of Hamilton), but still. Raikkonen did pretty well with it in Silverstone, Imola and Monaco.
The point about Monaco is that they ruined Raikkonen’s race. When you are forced to play catch up the drivers is put in a situation where he needs to take a lot of risk. Otherwise he could have cruised to a win or P2.
Look at Webber in Australia. If he could have stayed at the front he would have driven a typical Red Bull race. Cruise up front until the race ends or the car breaks down. Now they put him in a situation where he needed to make places up (and he failed miserably at that, but still).
I’m not arguing that Kimi had more bad luck or whatever. I’m also not arguing that Raikkonen himself was (partially) to blame for the problems he suffered with the updated car in 2008 for 4 or 5 races.
I AM arguing against the notion that Raikkonen was driving around without any motivation.
If you actually look at what he did, the only conclusion can be that if anything, he was trying too hard (and hence crashing too often).
David A
7th June 2010, 23:28
A few corrections, Pat:
Massa went off only once at Monaco, and a poor strategy lead to him settling for third, after taking pole and fastest lap. In Monza, Raikkonen qualified eight places worse than Massa (and quali was also in the rain that weekend), hence why Kimi had to race through the field, where he couldn’t break into the top eight. At Singapore, Felipe wasn’t just held up by the fuelhose fumble, but was slapped with an additional penalty for an unsafe pit release. Massa’s “rampage” eventually got him some points at Fuji.
I agree that Kimi had his share of bad luck and did drive extremely well most of the time. I do admire him, and hope he returns, but you’ve really got to lay off Felipe Massa.
Patrickl
8th June 2010, 11:45
Massa spun off twice in Monaco and in both instances Kubica passed him. Seriously.
Icthyes
8th June 2010, 5:53
I remember 2008 very well, thank you. If you cut away the races where Raikkonen had car trouble (and that’s assuming he was driving brilliantly on the day, when in most cases he was “only” solid) or the best car on the day, it’s hard to find any really good performances apart from Spa 2008 and Monaco 2009. The Canada example is particularly good – had Hamilton not knocked himself out, he would have more likely won than Kimi. And using one example, Spa, where he simply had to do something, as evidence that he was motivated all the time? Why didn’t he perform like that in the races leading up to it? Hardly proof – totally the opposite!
I like the comparisons with Massa. In them, Kimi is being compared to someone who was supposedly not doing very well. No wonder he looked good on the day then!
This is the problem with many Kimi fans; they insist his good drives were great ones, that his results were from his skill and non-results a product of misfortune. Raikkonen got a win in 2009; that it was mostly down to KERS at his favourite track seems to have escaped your interpretation. I could quite easily construct a plausible alternative scenario in 2009 where Hamilton only finished 7 points behind Button in the final standings, putting Kimi’s “what ifs” for that year in the shade. Only selectively can you make Kimi seem better than he was in either year; a few tweaks, and Massa would have scored over 30 more points than Kimi in 2008 than he really did.
Patrickl
8th June 2010, 11:55
Well then you obviously DON’T know 2008. As I described above, there were a whole lot more races in 2008 where Raikkonen showed tremendous motivation and drove well.
Massa was (suddenly) considered a driving god in 2008. Indeed not because he actually drove well (or even better than before), but because he had more points than Raikkonen.
Bendana
7th June 2010, 20:17
Since Kimi is clearly a robot sent back from the future to win motor races, I think he’ll be back in F1 at some point. how many other drivers have cybernetic interfaces directly to the steering wheel?
But in all seriousness, I reckon he wont be back for a while. He’s enjoying rallying too much – and he never seemed to truly enjoy F1 in the last few years, it was just his job. If he Misses it, he’ll come back, if not, he wont.
Lady Snowcat
7th June 2010, 20:44
This has me in two minds…
I have always been an F1 girl at heart but the loss of Kimi has taken a lot of the joy out of the sport for me..
I have been to Barce and am about to head off to Canada but my trips to rallies this year have been so much more fun… the current F1 drivers are all just sooo the same corporately correct bunch of whingers…
From insisting on a lucky number, to criticising your teammate, to slagging off your team on the radio, to needing a cuddle… just absolutely no class…
Hence my dilemma…
If Kimi were to return he would rekindle my F1 enthusiasm but then would I want to go rallying?… where you have to say the guys make F1 look pretty effete..
The guy who the uninitiated say is not a techy seems to enjoy getting his hands dirty with the compulsory rally driver mechanic activities…
And I want to see Kimi doing rallies when he really gets the “old married couple” thing with Kaj.. he’s still struggling with concentrating and listening at the moment so as soon as it becomes instinctive he’ll be amazing…
He has a new challenge… likes the atmosphere… and absolutely hated everything about F1 except the driving, and there is a lot less of that these days…
He’ll not be back…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th June 2010, 21:37
You reckon he liked testing that much?
Lady Snowcat
7th June 2010, 22:00
Hi Keith…
I really think he likes the driving.. all the driving..
The weird thing is that Kimi used all the bells and whistles that the car had… more so than Schumey according to the reports I heard…
I believe he did feed back but expected the technical team to react to what he asked for and get the car right for him…
Macca did this and reacted but after Jean left I don’t think Ferrari had the capabilities… and Alonso has found that out too..
And that is probably why Kimi was actually only wanting to talk to Macca… he trusted their guys to react… he was probably right…
And so now he goes rallying… and here’s to his next WDC…
Patrickl
7th June 2010, 22:06
Raikkonen argued that he wanted a lot of testing kilometers for the 2009 car. They promised him 10,000km for the 2009 car.
Of course that never happened when the teams agreed on less testing as a cost cutting measure.
manatcna
7th June 2010, 22:11
Maybe there should have been a fourth option on your poll:
Who cares?
Lady Snowcat
7th June 2010, 22:21
No… that would have been about the current boring bunch…
the Sri Lankan
7th June 2010, 22:28
He should have agreed to join Toyota. if he did, both himself and Toyota would have been racing this year. that tf110 looks like a cracker and may have actually got him some good results. too bad that Raikkonen gave into greed. im sure that WRC doesnt pay him as much as what he was demanding in F1. i surely wont miss his unenthusiastic ass. im keen to see that Tf110 race more than raikkonen. by the way does anyone know any details between Toyota and HRT negotiations?
manatcna
7th June 2010, 22:31
OK, I don’t want to start an argument – Perhaps I should have added IMO
SPA09
7th June 2010, 22:47
I think that Kimi didnt even get good chance for doing a new deal for F1, Ferrari waited too long(Massa accident) in ending his contract during 09 that all the seats were basicly taken,(good ones) and even if there still was good seat, the decision would have been a horry one.
Anyways, he is a car mechanic in civil profession. I never really thought he was bad giving feedback and developing the car. At Ferrari Dyer said Kimi gives good feedback. The same was said by M Whitmarch. (Its just what haters came up with, by media)
But now he has turned a new page, maybe all the bad things thrown on him will finally fade. It might take pretty long for Ferrari to get another WDC for the team.
Kimi is out.
mharries
7th June 2010, 23:13
Few years of rallying, then Williams Audi in 2013?
Terry Fabulous
7th June 2010, 23:16
At the time he left I made some controversial comments about Raikkonen to the effect that he wouldn’t be missed.
It would appear to be the case, the F1 steamroller waits for no man and lets not kid ourself, if we survived after Senna left, and Schumacher left, we sure as heck can carry on after Raikkonen leaves.
He won’t come back and like Keke will be an interesting footnote in F1, freak one off title winner who will give a talented son with astonishly smooth skin.
Gilvan
8th June 2010, 0:37
lol, couldn’t agree anymore if I tried Terry!
Mark in Florida
7th June 2010, 23:20
The problem with Kimi I think was that Ferrari maybe thought they were going to get a younger cheaper version of Schumi.But what he turned out to be was a hired gun.Kimi could drive but he didn`t get involved in developing the car or worry about how it drove.He just took whatever they gave him and did his best which was usually better than most.It`s a shame that Kimi`s gone but the sad fact is that now you have to be a media star to keep your job for any length of time.
Mkt
7th June 2010, 23:47
I think kimi will be back. Hes a racer and racers like to beat the best. With the many champions on the track next year, it will be a challenge i think he will be eager to take on. I dont doubt his passion to drive. They call him iceman for a reason. He has the same expression and tone weither he is happy or frustrated with the car. He just plays it off cool. I can see him driving for team like williams, fi, or str. They are always trying to develop a competitve car and his driving talent can help the struggling midfeild get closer to the top.
dragon
8th June 2010, 0:00
To be honest, I didn’t think I’d miss him. How wrong I was. F1 needs the Iceman!
Gilvan
8th June 2010, 0:27
I don’t think he is missed in F1 at all. He was a fast driver no doubt. But that my friend is only half of the story.
Goodbye and good riddance!
Mutton
8th June 2010, 2:19
Judging from many of the comments, it sounds he was such an amazing driver. His WC was won with a lot of luck, and he has had too many seasons where he was mediocre.
I think by staying away from F1, he’ll actually cement his name as one of the greats. He isn’t though.
David A
8th June 2010, 3:22
“His WC was won with a lot of luck, and he has had too many seasons where he was mediocre.”
But one could argue that he lost the 2003 and 2005 WCs with a lot of bad luck. In 2007, his WC year, he won six races, two more than anyone else, and despite only winning by one point, lost points through unreliablity at Barcelona, the Nurburgring and other bad luck at Montreal.
“Judging from many of the comments, it sounds he was such an amazing driver.”
Which seasons are you thinking of? After his first two seasons in F1, he has only been beaten in the WDC by his team mate once. If you still need proof that he’s a great driver, then watch this and think again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlKOSI8PeW8
Icthyes
8th June 2010, 6:08
And you could also argue that he was only in contention in 2003 and 2005 through circumstance. It simply doesn’t work that way to raise “ifs”. What matters is what happened.
One thing I’d like to find out, is if any other F1 driver is considered a “great” by many fans, despite having “only” won one WDC (or less) in a career not cut short? Apart from Mansell and Moss – and the comparison isn’t exact – I can’t think of any others.
Zibit
8th June 2010, 2:25
I’m an avid WRC fan and I don’t think Kimi has what it takes to be a champion in the WRC. I bet he’s already irritated that he hasn’t won. Winning’s everything right? Besides the fact that he’s not in a top car. Yeah Ogier won in the JR. car, I just don’t think Kimi has the skill for rally.
I, like others, hope he comes back with Williams or Force India.
PS. He was my favourite F1 driver. :(
Dane
8th June 2010, 7:06
Why would anyone want to pay almost 3times the price of the leading drivers, to have someone who is bored with the sport?
Kimi wont be back.
Dorian
8th June 2010, 7:38
Totally agree with David A and Icthyes: Raikkonen has had some diabolical luck in his F1 career. Granted, 2008 onwards was very unspectacular but from 2002-2007 he drove some amazing races, notably Suzuka 2005.
On his day, IMHO, I believe Raikkonen was fastest F1 driver out there – faster than any current drivers inclusive of Hamilton and Vettel (both of whom I believe to be very very fast). That’s not to say I think he was the best as I think Alonso and Hamilton are better allround.
I loved watching Kimi race and personally I loved his ‘ I don’t give a s**t’ attitude though I completely understand why other’s wouldn’t, especially the sponsers.
Sadly though, I don’t believe Kimi will return…
Sandman
8th June 2010, 7:54
Dane has the crucial point here.
“Why would anyone want to pay almost 3times the price of the leading drivers, to have someone who is bored with the sport?”
Bored with the sport being crucial here. He just doesn’t have the spark in him anymore.
Metallion
8th June 2010, 10:40
Again, I think that’s just something created by the media. He’s always had an indifferent attitude to the public. You can look at videos from after his first Sauber tests, before his first season, and you can see his attitude was just the same then.
Arjun
8th June 2010, 13:34
I think he is one of those who just want to race and come first. That is what makes him the Iceman. Well he did try to be more vocal after becoming the Champion but I always felt he wanted to be left alone by the umpteen journalists. I don’t think Kimi will come back to F1. But will he win more races – Yes, I do think so.
vermaden
8th June 2010, 15:43
First time in these ‘forums’ or site should I say, so hello to everyone, it was nice to read Your comments in the past.
As for RAI, as Red Bull is no more an option (2 drivers signed up), I would say that the most propable team RAI could race in is Renault F1, it may seem odd in the first place, but when You think about it …
‘BIG’ teams like McLaren and Ferrari (and Red Bull/Mercedes too) are more or less focused on bussiness, same is for Renault, but only to some degree.
We all read news in whom RAI told, that he do not want to participate in media/sponsor oriented events, that he want these kind of ‘activities’ to be limited to minimum.
He just do not want to be a celebrity, but ride in his car.
IMHO Renault F1 attitude this year seems best for RAI attitude (just look at smiling KUBIKA[*]), Renault, the Racing team by the big R …
While I very like PET, his ‘rookiness’, or should I say RAW/OPEN attitude to all coments/cases, I like his style (fighs with HAM and ALO), but KUB + RAI on Renalut which seem too find again its development pace and general ‘team pace’ at the same time seems most reasonable choice for RAI.
… but all that I have written over it propably just a limited wish ;)
[*] I’m from Poland and I know how KUB name should be written/spoken but I just love BBC comment from 2007 race (propably Australia 2007) when they laughed that polish fans say it should be pronounced KUBICA, but KUBIKA seems faster ;)
HAIL! ;)
macca77
8th June 2010, 15:56
I don’t think he is coming back. First, he is happy in WRC, he loves f1 too but I think his only real option is McLaren (the one he wants) when they have a lot of development that is not driver oriented unlike ferrari. But we know McLaren is not going to change its current driver line-up, Hamilton has to pay the investment they have made since he was 12 and button has been fast this season so they are happy.
I think Kimi is one of the best if not the best driver in the last f1 years (after schumi retired), he was fast, unlike alonso he really added 0.6s per lap in any dog he drove (as the F60 showed us), and the best thing about him: He didn’t whine about anything.
Electrolite
8th June 2010, 23:49
This is a long shot. A very long shot. But what the heck.
People talk about Raikkonen not liking all the PR baggage that comes along with the more corporate teams – well, suppose Williams do work with Volkswagen/Porsche, like many people suspect… Williams could be more Raikkonen’s sort of team, and with a partnership with a big manafacturer like VW and therefore more money, maybe work their way back to the top? Just a thought!
SeattleChris
9th June 2010, 1:16
Its just speculative, but I know that guy likes the challenge of driving fast and there is no reason to think that he may get to a point in rallying within the next 12 months where he wishes he could go faster. Time heals and helps one forget about the bul7Schit – Michael Schumacher forgot about it!
I am on the fence as to whether he will indeed rejoin F1, but I can definitely see it either way. He is tremendously quick and top teams can make room if they need to to get an ace pilot. Vitaly is a solid driver, but he certainly isn’t going to keep Renault from grabbing Kimi if they could. I don’t think he’d go there unless Kubica stays to help develop the car however. He needs a solid developer driver as it isn’t his bag. Now that testing is so lame and limited he won’t have a younger Pedro Delarosa developing the car in the preseason for him.
I’d personally love it if he could come back in a Mclaren, Mercedes, Williams or even a Sauber, but my guess is that IF he comes back it will be with Red Bull in 2012. That is the team for him. I heard he is going to out-do Pastrana’s rally car jump by jumping a Red Bull F1 car over a 1000 feet this New Years! He’s going to do it on a full tank of Vodka/Red Bulls! Welcome to Kimi’s world and the world of Red Bull!
atsnok
9th June 2010, 19:04
“I loved watching Kimi race and personally I loved his ‘ I don’t give a s**t’ attitude though I completely understand why other’s wouldn’t, especially the sponsers.”
Oh man that reminded me of something:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILmODpW92r8
:D
kim
22nd June 2010, 4:31
his return looks unlikely at the moment. agree on red bull, ferrari & mclaren; but i don’t really see the mercedes & renault being pleased w/ schumi & petrov(?).
would any of you know how much is his 2010 wrc salary? if it’s twice as much as loeb’s then it’s hell of a sabbatical!
would the number change if he opts to re-sign in wrc 2011? or would he agree to the same figure if matched by a top f1 team?
i would have loved to see him back in f1, though, if not to spice up the competition then for redemption.
Marti
6th July 2010, 15:44
How about Kimi back to McLaren
Button will have done a good job at McLaren he was only signed as an interim to bring the No 1 back to the MP4.
Lewis is Ron’s Prodigy so his seat is safe.
Button has no connection with McLaren, Mercedes just wanted the number 1 on their car – which he brought.
Now RD is involved heavily with the Mclaren road car. When Mercedes leave and stop suppling Mclaren. Bring back the flying Finn
Marti
26th October 2010, 19:27
Isn`t it obvious,
Kimi will return to F1 AND in a top race seat.
2012 the Mclaren Mercedes deal ends.
Ron is tryin 2 create the British Ferrari.
When the Mercedes deal ends, so does Buttons contract – they are paying for him.
Buttons seat becomes available, Paffett won`t be ready to step up.
Vodafone want the marketing of a F1 champion.
Raikkonen returns to the new Mclaren powered Mclaren