Speculation-thread: Will Kimi be in WRC or F1 next season?

[Wolfie]

Latvala hopes that Räikkönen continues his rally career

Turun Sanomat 27.11 2010 23:15:32

The racer of the year, Jari-Matti Latvala, lifted dramatically his own performance level from year 2009 to 2010. Before that Latvala also made a lot of mistakes that slowed him down.

This year Kimi Raikkonen has just started his own rally career. Latvala encourages the F1-champion to continue on the path he has chosen.

Can Kimi Räikkönen also improve if he continues in rally next year also?

- At least I hope that Kimi will continue. In rally experience is so important. You need that insanely. After the first year Kimi will be able to improve in rally. That's 100% for sure. But it takes about 2-3 years of those those races before you can drive into the group of three, Latvala said to Turun Sanomat.

- Next year would still be a learning year for Kimi but then in the third year he would already be closer. Racing- and noting-experience will still be a different story next year too because there are new rallies for Kimi that the rest of us have drove many times, Latvala says.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Sohlberg rated the motorsport year as satisfactory

Turun Sanomat 27.11 2010 23:09:22

AKK-Motorsport President Kari O Sohlberg thinks that the Finnish motorsport year was satisfactory sporting-wise.

- Jari-Matti Latvala's rally silver is a tough achievement with an underpowered car. Both Jari-Matti and his co-driver Miikka Anttila are absolutely brilliant guys. After that our young karting drivers did it brilliantly. It is good now that the future is theirs.

- I have hoped and I still hope that Kimi Räikkönen makes a comeback to F1 even though it looks difficult, if not downright impossible. Heikki Kovalainen drove a good season with the equipment, which he had at his. Hopefully some parties pay attention to that.

- Then after them comes Valtteri Bottas who is a decent guy. Aaro Vainio is also coming. I think that there's future on the track-side, Sohlberg said.

- The economy is also important for the union. This year we were able to put that one too in balance. It looks good, Sohlberg praised and promised to stand up for election as President next year also.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

[Moominpappa]

Nice words from Latvala Maybe I will also support him more in the future.

[Claudie_Schnaudie]

Hope we get some news this week!!!

Thanks Wolfie

[Julia]

I put this here also....
Kimis season review is up on his homepage:

http://www.kimiraikkonen.com

that guy just loves his new rally-challenge.... I'm so glad for him! Hopefully he get it sorted out with a good rally-deal in his pocket to next year... atleat he doesn't sound much worried about it...

[Julia]

Kimi doesn't want to go back to F1.
His manager just like some of us (his fans) is hoping against hope he he may return.
Wake up Robertson! Wake up icemaid!

but atleast you are in good company , I think Kulta could join you too... I almost feel sorry for kulta and robertson... I see in front of my face a picture of them sitting in a pub whit a pint of beer in front of them and drowning their sorrow and hoping against hope that there still is a small change he change his mind and return.

[Julia]

I post it here because it's Kimi related

Sordo waiting on Ford offer

By David Evans Thursday, November 25th 2010, 14:48 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen has also been linked to Mini, with Red Bull expected to enter a deal with the team in 2012.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88489

ok, so now the press is sure he has the RB deal !? but the problem at the moment is citroen? or they have no idee and just guessing/speculating like everybody else...

on another note is it just me who thinks its funny that the englisch press are betting on RB to jump to mini from citroen and the german are sure that they change to VW?? Nobody seem to think that they stick with Citroen (or maybe the french press?)

Yeah Autosport hasn't exactly been very reliable, they have a different story every week. Last week it was Kimi and Petter at Citroen. They are also the ones who kept on pushing those Renault rumours. At this stage only the official announcement from Kimi himself can really be taken seriously.

well me trusting autosport went down a lot during the renault saga... but the speculation is interesting to follow two weeks ago they where sure about citroen, last week Mini so this week it should be ford then?

[Mar]

I put this here also....
Kimis season review is up on his homepage:

http://www.kimiraikkonen.com

that guy just loves his new rally-challenge.... I'm so glad for him! Hopefully he get it sorted out with a good rally-deal in his pocket to next year... atleat he doesn't sound much worried about it...

I like the last part of his post, too:

For the next year we continue talking to people. When we have something signed and sealed, we tell you.

Thank you all fans for the support and wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The race goes on 2011.

Does anybody still think it may be the R-word? Nah!

[Claudie_Schnaudie]

I don´t But still would be cool if we could be sure about it soooooooooon!!!

[Iana]

Raikkonen sells F3 team

Kimi Raikkonen and his managers have sold their stakes in the British F3 team Raikkonen Robertson Racing.

The Woking based team will be renamed Double R Racing after Anthony Hieatt took over from the 2007 world champion and his managers Steve and David Robertson, according to reports.

"The Robertson family and Kimi have been very supportive throughout but it is time for all of us to take a different direction," said Hieatt.

Raikkonen pulled out of Formula One at the end of 2009 to compete full-time in the World Rally Championship.


He gets money for rally???

[Ferrariman60]

Räikkönen selling the F3 team probably means he needs money for a deal of some kind. Whether it's WRC, F1, or something totally unrelated, time will
tell.

[luieluv]

Räikkönen selling the F3 team probably means he needs money for a deal of some kind. Whether it's WRC, F1, or something totally unrelated, time will
tell.

I feel that is not the point here. As it is Kimi has bagful of money from his previous year which could take care of probably next 3 years of WRC career with citroen if at all Red Bull does not sponsor him with anything. Regarding F1 drive i am sure that if he wants to be a part of any team he wont have to pay for that drive.

So i feel there is no question of selling the stakes of F3 team to secure a drive. It could be probably something to do with his and robertson's business decision. May be Kimi cannot give enough time and must be feeling not doing enough justice as a team stakesperson. This is my personal opinion.

[beefree88]

Räikkönen selling the F3 team probably means he needs money for a deal of some kind. Whether it's WRC, F1, or something totally unrelated, time will
tell.

I feel that is not the point here. As it is Kimi has bagful of money from his previous year which could take care of probably next 3 years of WRC career with citroen if at all Red Bull does not sponsor him with anything. Regarding F1 drive i am sure that if he wants to be a part of any team he wont have to pay for that drive.

So i feel there is no question of selling the stakes of F3 team to secure a drive. It could be probably something to do with his and robertson's business decision. May be Kimi cannot give enough time and must be feeling not doing enough justice as a team stakesperson. This is my personal opinion.

Most likely the Robertsons wanted to withdraw from the team to be more flexible with their new protege. Without them Kimi maybe didn't want to continue his involvement. Besides he just founded a motocross team, so his focus is probably there

[Ferrariman60]

Good points all. Maybe Kimi was encountering a conflict of interest somewhere as well.

[Boudica]

Räikkönen selling the F3 team probably means he needs money for a deal of some kind. Whether it's WRC, F1, or something totally unrelated, time will
tell.

I feel that is not the point here. As it is Kimi has bagful of money from his previous year which could take care of probably next 3 years of WRC career with citroen if at all Red Bull does not sponsor him with anything. Regarding F1 drive i am sure that if he wants to be a part of any team he wont have to pay for that drive.

So i feel there is no question of selling the stakes of F3 team to secure a drive. It could be probably something to do with his and robertson's business decision. May be Kimi cannot give enough time and must be feeling not doing enough justice as a team stakesperson. This is my personal opinion.

I agree with you 100% on everything, Double R racing was more of the Robertsons doing.

[Ice-Ludy]

I didn´t know where to post this news... so I posted it here!

Rally - Räikkönen says Monte-Carlo is a classic

Ex-Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen has described Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of next year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge, as a “classic event” amid suggestions that the Finn could tackle the centenary edition of the rally.

Interest in the IRC qualifier has rocketed in recent weeks with organiser, the Automobile Club de Monaco, reporting requests for entries from more than 250 crews ahead of the 6 December deadline for registrations closing.

Räikkönen, who began rallying in 2009, said: “Actually I don’t have any plans fixed for next year yet but I would like to stay in rallying. Of course Monte Carlo is a really classic event for any rally driver but there’s nothing sorted.”

Thirty-one-year-old Räikkönen has some knowledge of the IRC: he attended Rallye International du Valais in Switzerland in 2008 to visit his friend and countryman Anton Alén, who was competing on the one-time IRC round in an Abarth Grande Punto Super 2000. Räikkönen even took time out of his schedule to have an impromptu seat fitting.

Rallye Monte-Carlo takes place from 18-22 January, 2011. It has formed the opening round of the IRC for the past two seasons.

http://rally.madeinmotorsport.com/en/he ... 15616.html#