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

[Mar]

planetmarcus tweeted

#Wrc - Monster Rally Team will announce 2nd driver Ken Block teammate in January .. would be Raikkonen or Atkinson

Had Atkinson not signed with Proton to do 10 runs of the IRC season?

[Boudica]

planetmarcus tweeted

#Wrc - Monster Rally Team will announce 2nd driver Ken Block teammate in January .. would be Raikkonen or Atkinson

Interesting!

[Andreas]

planetmarcus tweeted

#Wrc - Monster Rally Team will announce 2nd driver Ken Block teammate in January .. would be Raikkonen or Atkinson

Good news! But if Red Bull is going to continue the sponsorship with Kimi and he signs the Monster contract, will Kimi then be a Monster WRC team-Red Bull driver ??
That would be weird actually...

[Claudie_Schnaudie]

The whole siuation pisses me off...nuff said -.-

ah okay..thanks peeps for all the information!

[luieluv]

Yeah its getting more and more annoying than scary. I hope red bull will continue its collaboration with kimi. After a year i still feel its a win win situation for both the entities.

[sleenster]

planetmarcus tweeted

#Wrc - Monster Rally Team will announce 2nd driver Ken Block teammate in January .. would be Raikkonen or Atkinson

Good news! But if Red Bull is going to continue the sponsorship with Kimi and he signs the Monster contract, will Kimi then be a Monster WRC team-Red Bull driver ??
That would be weird actually...

I think it'll be one or the other only....since Monster and Red Bull are energy drink competitors, if he signs with Monster then Red Bull will drop their personal sponsorship.

[Kriss]

I think it'll be one or the other only....since Monster and Red Bull are energy drink competitors, if he signs with Monster then Red Bull will drop their personal sponsorship.

if RB sponsorship was only for one year only (as far as we know it was) I don't understand that documentary movie
RB was around Kimi night and day this year even in December. It will be funny or rather awkward to see the movie next year if they break up.
Why did they make a movie about a one year relationship

[luieluv]

Petter's situation is equally scary. So even if Citroen will be running only 4 cars, its still 50-50 between kimi and petter. And with a heavy heart i will have to say that i would be highly equally saddened to see any one of them without the driver. Oh God, Save them both.

WRC »Solberg: I'll try everything I can to stay

2003 World Rally champion Petter Solberg looking to sort WRC programme for 2011 'as soon as possible'.
Petter Solberg has reiterated that he remains focused on trying to compete in the World Rally Championship next season and that he is working 'flat-out' to achieve that objective.

Solberg shone this season, and despite being a privateer, mixed it with the big boys, eventually finishing third in the championship and notching up eight podiums, including five runners-up spots.

Despite his success though – we felt he had done enough to take top spot in Crash.net's 2010 top ten World Rally drivers' ranking [see separate story - click here], he isn't in a position yet to confirm whether or not he will be back in 2011.

“I still don't have anything ready, except for the one rally with the Peugeot [in the IRC]. It is good to have something. But the World Championship is the main thing for me,” he said recently in an exclusive interview with Crash.net Radio.

“I am working on it. I hope I can get everything together in the short time we have. I want to sort it as soon as possible.

“But I haven't signed with the sponsors yet and haven't got all the things together. I am though trying everything I can. Don't worry I am flat out.”

Asked if he could take a year out from the WRC, he conceded that might happen and that he could do some circuit racing instead, although he emphasised that is not something he is considering currently.

“If I don't get all the season together, all the planning done and have a chance to fight for the victories, and get the budget, I won't have any choice - that is how it works,” he explained. “It is quite simple if you don't have the package, you do something else where they want you.

“I know for sure in Le Mans they want me. There has been interest from a couple of GT teams. It sounds and looks easier and better. Maybe I will go to America – that's another option. Honestly [though], I try this now [WRC] and then we will see.”

http://www.crash.net/world+rally/news/1 ... _stay.html

[sleenster]

I think it'll be one or the other only....since Monster and Red Bull are energy drink competitors, if he signs with Monster then Red Bull will drop their personal sponsorship.

if RB sponsorship was only for one year only (as far as we know it was) I don't understand that documentary movie
RB was around Kimi night and day this year even in December. It will be funny or rather awkward to see the movie next year if they break up.
Why did they make a movie about a one year relationship

Yeah I have no idea either what the purpose of the documentary movie is
But I dunno whether it is actually going to be more a "Red Bull" documentary or more of a "Kimi lifestyle" documentary.

[luieluv]

Very interesting comment made by Petter here :

Crash.net:
You have of course run in Citroens for the last two years, is the Citroen Junior Team still a possibility, as has been rumoured?

PS:
Well, if it is the Citroen Junior Team, they have to be responsible for absolutely everything. I cannot get my sponsors on board, if the name of the team is not the 'Petter Solberg World Rally Team'. So, if I am driving in the Citroen Junior Team they will take all of the credit and so they have to pay for everything. It is a very tricky and difficult situation.

[Mar]

If I remember correctly, rumours said Citroën wanted to say tomorrow who was going to drive in the CJT. Not so long till we know if at least those rumours were rigt.

[Kinga]

if RB sponsorship was only for one year only (as far as we know it was) I don't understand that documentary movie
RB was around Kimi night and day this year even in December. It will be funny or rather awkward to see the movie next year if they break up.
Why did they make a movie about a one year relationship

I'm with you on this one, Kriss.

Very interesting comment made by Petter here :

Crash.net:
You have of course run in Citroens for the last two years, is the Citroen Junior Team still a possibility, as has been rumoured?

PS:
Well, if it is the Citroen Junior Team, they have to be responsible for absolutely everything. I cannot get my sponsors on board, if the name of the team is not the 'Petter Solberg World Rally Team'. So, if I am driving in the Citroen Junior Team they will take all of the credit and so they have to pay for everything. It is a very tricky and difficult situation.

Just read this Q&A with Petter and wanted to post the same! Really interesting.

[apple]

Now also IS and YLE are reporting the same rumour that Kimi is going to go to Monster world rally team and so he will drive Ford. They say Kimis negotiations with Citroen hasnt succeed after Red Bull will invest their money more and more in F1.
(hubby says Red Bulls air show was cancelled for the same reason, they just dont have the money and all their focus in now in F1)
Kimis sponsor will probably be Monster.

[sammyosammy]

Now also IS and YLE are reporting the same rumour that Kimi is going to go to Monster world rally team and so he will drive Ford. They say Kimis negotiations with Citroen hasnt succeed after Red Bull will invest their money more and more in F1.
(hubby says Red Bulls air show was cancelled for the same reason, they just dont have the money and all their focus in now in F1)
Kimis sponsor will probably be Monster.

YLE is only referring to IS. Nothing on IS`s web site. In printed version I quess???
I really don`t trust anything untill Silencio himself speaks..

[sleenster]

Google translate version:

Rally career of Räikkönen to continue in Ford

According to Ilta-Sanomat, Kimi Räikkönen will transition to Ford next season. Raikkonen is not getting any more money from his sponsor, the energy drink giant Red Bull, which intends to invest more in the F1 business. It indeed is rumoured that the Finn is moving to the Monster World Rally Team which is a customer of Ford.

Raikkonen is getting funding from the United States to continue his rally career. The probable alternative for his sponsor is the competitor of Red Bull, which is Monster.

Citroen has commented that the negotiations have not progressed with Räikkönen. The team's factory cars will be driven next season by world champion Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier. In addition to Räikkönen, there is also the Norwegian Petter Solberg, among others who are options for the junior team.

http://yle.fi/urheilu/lajit/moottoriurh ... 21300.html