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

[Moominpappa]

I don't think that Kaj has had enough for rally. No signs for that. He likes to see how Kimi is growing to real rally driver and want be a part of it.

[Julia]

Joe Sawards analyze about räikkönen-Renault

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/09/ ... d-renault/

Raikkonen and Renault

September 17, 2010 by joesaward

There have been some stories kicking around in recent days, suggesting that Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 with Renault. These do not make sense to me. Kimi Raikkonen won the World Championship in 2007. This was the culmination of a long career and an achievement that had seemed insurmountable when Raikkonen was starting out as a teenager in Finland. It is fair to say that he never really enjoyed the world of Formula 1, except when he was driving, and he went out of his way to be uninteresting when being interviewed. In that way, so he reckoned, his life would be quieter and he could enjoy himself.

He also hated the restrictions that F1 teams placed on him, with regard to enjoying his life, doing dangerous things, drinking and so on. He now has more money than any sensible person could spend in a lifetime and he has raced for McLaren and Ferrari. In other words, he has been there, seen it, done it and sold the teeshirt about doing it. It has been a great career, has showed off his talent and has proved that, at a moment in time, he was number one. After that it seemed as though his interest in F1 waned. One can say that the car in 2008 and 2009 did not suit his driving style, but this seems to be making excuses. The fire just did not seem to be there any longer. It happens with some World Champions. They are happy with one title and do not need to go on proving themselves by winning a string of championships.

What Kimi liked to do was going rallying and thus a deal was brokered (because Ferrari wanted him out) to leave early and to join the Citroen factory World Rally Championship team. This is stepping in at the absolute deep end. His team-mates this year have been multiple World Champion Sebastien Loeb, Dani Sordo and rising star Sebastien Ogier. Given his relative lack of experience compared to his fellow drivers, he has done all right. Co-driven by Kaj Lindström, who has partnered multiple world champion Tommi Mäkinen in the past, Kimi has finished eighth in Turkey, fifth in New Zealand and seventh in Japan. He is 10th in the World Championship. What is clear is that this is a learning year for him. Next year he will do better as he will have learned more about rallying and then Citroen will decide in 2012 whether he had got what it takes to be a World Champion. If he can achieve that, he will have done something that no-one has ever managed.

At the same time the French company competes at Le Mans, with cars entered by its sister brand Peugeot. Raikkonen has said that he would quite like to win the Le Mans 24 Hours as well, and this is clearly an option. Sebastien Loeb competed at Le Mans in 2005 and 2006 and finished second in the second year, in a Pescarolo-Judd. Thus the rallying route offers Raikkonen opportunities to write his name in record books which F1 cannot allow him. It pays him and it gives him a better lifestyle than previously. In these circumstances one wonders why he would even consider a change.

Renault is looking for a new driver, or at least is going through the motions of doing so. There are two levels to this. Robert Kubica has done well this year, while Vitaly Petrov has done a decent job for a newcomer, although it must be said that Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Hulkenberg seem to have fared better in their respective teams. Having said that, being thrown up against Kubica was one hell of a challenge, as Robert is THE rising star of F1. Renault will almost certainly need to find a replacement for the Pole in 2013. In all probability he has already been signed for 2013 by one of the big teams. The smart money is on Ferrari (because everyone wants to be a Ferrari driver) although McLaren would also have taken a look. Renault, therefore, will probably need to find a new team leader in the long term and must decide whether to invest in a new talent, or buy in an experienced name.

But who is there out there? Taking a driver who has been the top and is on a downward glide path is not really a good option. Renault may not have identified the next Fernando Alonso, as yet, but this is much more likely to be the route that the team will take. The cars are good but not good enough to land a current star. Whether Petrov is the right man remains to be seen. He has done a decent job, brought in much needed money and will get better. He also represents a major market for Renault which may not be important to the team, but it is important to Renault, if the driver is of a sufficient level to make it worthwhile.

Renault might decide to take a look at Mark Webber. He was a Renault test driver and for a long time was contracted to the team. He has done well with Red Bull Racing and is fighting for the World Championship, although things have not always been easy in the Austrian-owned team. He is clearly an option for the long term – but the chances are that he will have had enough of F1 by then.

All things considered, the idea of Raikkonen joining Renault does not seem to be a very realistic idea, although in the wacky world of Formula 1 it is all possible. The chances are that the rumour is there to achieve some other goal. Perhaps a younger driver is asking too much money and Renault wants him to understand that there are other viable options. Perhaps not. In F1 one is never sure. Usually, however, if there is a story leaked there is some reason that this happened.

hmmm... he is definitely one of the who thought it was all down to Kimi and his motivation the last two years...

[Julia]

I don't think that Kaj has had enough for rally. No signs for that. He likes to see how Kimi is growing to real rally driver and want be a part of it.

Definitely no signs of that and I presume he s not the only possible co-driver for Kimi. I have never hear of a rallydriver to stop driving because hes co-driver want to stop, he just have to get a new one... I mean Sordo survived it and so did Petter.

[realms]

Joe Sawards analyze about räikkönen-Renault

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/09/ ... d-renault/

Raikkonen and Renault

September 17, 2010 by joesaward

There have been some stories kicking around in recent days, suggesting that Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 with Renault. These do not make sense to me. Kimi Raikkonen won the World Championship in 2007. This was the culmination of a long career and an achievement that had seemed insurmountable when Raikkonen was starting out as a teenager in Finland. It is fair to say that he never really enjoyed the world of Formula 1, except when he was driving, and he went out of his way to be uninteresting when being interviewed. In that way, so he reckoned, his life would be quieter and he could enjoy himself.

He also hated the restrictions that F1 teams placed on him, with regard to enjoying his life, doing dangerous things, drinking and so on. He now has more money than any sensible person could spend in a lifetime and he has raced for McLaren and Ferrari. In other words, he has been there, seen it, done it and sold the teeshirt about doing it. It has been a great career, has showed off his talent and has proved that, at a moment in time, he was number one. After that it seemed as though his interest in F1 waned. One can say that the car in 2008 and 2009 did not suit his driving style, but this seems to be making excuses. The fire just did not seem to be there any longer. It happens with some World Champions. They are happy with one title and do not need to go on proving themselves by winning a string of championships.

What Kimi liked to do was going rallying and thus a deal was brokered (because Ferrari wanted him out) to leave early and to join the Citroen factory World Rally Championship team. This is stepping in at the absolute deep end. His team-mates this year have been multiple World Champion Sebastien Loeb, Dani Sordo and rising star Sebastien Ogier. Given his relative lack of experience compared to his fellow drivers, he has done all right. Co-driven by Kaj Lindström, who has partnered multiple world champion Tommi Mäkinen in the past, Kimi has finished eighth in Turkey, fifth in New Zealand and seventh in Japan. He is 10th in the World Championship. What is clear is that this is a learning year for him. Next year he will do better as he will have learned more about rallying and then Citroen will decide in 2012 whether he had got what it takes to be a World Champion. If he can achieve that, he will have done something that no-one has ever managed.

At the same time the French company competes at Le Mans, with cars entered by its sister brand Peugeot. Raikkonen has said that he would quite like to win the Le Mans 24 Hours as well, and this is clearly an option. Sebastien Loeb competed at Le Mans in 2005 and 2006 and finished second in the second year, in a Pescarolo-Judd. Thus the rallying route offers Raikkonen opportunities to write his name in record books which F1 cannot allow him. It pays him and it gives him a better lifestyle than previously. In these circumstances one wonders why he would even consider a change.

Renault is looking for a new driver, or at least is going through the motions of doing so. There are two levels to this. Robert Kubica has done well this year, while Vitaly Petrov has done a decent job for a newcomer, although it must be said that Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Hulkenberg seem to have fared better in their respective teams. Having said that, being thrown up against Kubica was one hell of a challenge, as Robert is THE rising star of F1. Renault will almost certainly need to find a replacement for the Pole in 2013. In all probability he has already been signed for 2013 by one of the big teams. The smart money is on Ferrari (because everyone wants to be a Ferrari driver) although McLaren would also have taken a look. Renault, therefore, will probably need to find a new team leader in the long term and must decide whether to invest in a new talent, or buy in an experienced name.

But who is there out there? Taking a driver who has been the top and is on a downward glide path is not really a good option. Renault may not have identified the next Fernando Alonso, as yet, but this is much more likely to be the route that the team will take. The cars are good but not good enough to land a current star. Whether Petrov is the right man remains to be seen. He has done a decent job, brought in much needed money and will get better. He also represents a major market for Renault which may not be important to the team, but it is important to Renault, if the driver is of a sufficient level to make it worthwhile.

Renault might decide to take a look at Mark Webber. He was a Renault test driver and for a long time was contracted to the team. He has done well with Red Bull Racing and is fighting for the World Championship, although things have not always been easy in the Austrian-owned team. He is clearly an option for the long term – but the chances are that he will have had enough of F1 by then.

All things considered, the idea of Raikkonen joining Renault does not seem to be a very realistic idea, although in the wacky world of Formula 1 it is all possible. The chances are that the rumour is there to achieve some other goal. Perhaps a younger driver is asking too much money and Renault wants him to understand that there are other viable options. Perhaps not. In F1 one is never sure. Usually, however, if there is a story leaked there is some reason that this happened.

hmmm... he is definitely one of the who thought it was all down to Kimi and his motivation the last two years...

i never liked his articles ... he is a bit cynical and kinda biased i felt

[Wolfie]

Joe Sawards analyze about räikkönen-Renault

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/09/ ... d-renault/

Raikkonen and Renault

September 17, 2010 by joesaward

- he went out of his way to be uninteresting when being interviewed.

- He also hated the restrictions that F1 teams placed on him, with regard to enjoying his life, doing dangerous things, drinking and so on.

- One can say that the car in 2008 and 2009 did not suit his driving style, but this seems to be making excuses. The fire just did not seem to be there any longer.

- Taking a driver who has been the top and is on a downward glide path is not really a good option.

hmmm... he is definitely one of the who thought it was all down to Kimi and his motivation the last two years...

I remember Joe Saward and his articles. Boudica wrote once a very good article to some trashy article about Kimi and he really has his own ideas and won't let go of them.

Argh, I would want Kimi to go back to F1 and get the chance to wipe the floor with all these 'experts'

Isn't it amazing how Kimi is the only one drinking alcohol in F1

Jean Todt once told that Schumi was a real fan of alcohol too as were many of the drivers - just because they have drinks behind the scenes it's easy for naive people to think that Kimi is the one with the problem

[sleenster]

Joe Sawards analyze about räikkönen-Renault

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/09/ ... d-renault/

Raikkonen and Renault

September 17, 2010 by joesaward

hmmm... he is definitely one of the who thought it was all down to Kimi and his motivation the last two years...

i never liked his articles ... he is a bit cynical and kinda biased i felt

Joe Saward has never really liked Kimi and he is also not one of the reporters on the F1 paddock who has cultivated a close relationship with Kimi like Heikki Kulta has. You can read his old articles and see that he never rated Kimi highly. Anything that Joe Saward says about Kimi is definitely through observation and not through any inside info. He also clearly knows nothing about rallying, especially since he said that Kimi finished 5th in NZ, when Kimi didn't even take part in the rally! And 7th in Japan?!?! What the...

[luieluv]

Joe Sawards analyze about räikkönen-Renault

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/09/ ... d-renault/

Raikkonen and Renault

September 17, 2010 by joesaward

- he went out of his way to be uninteresting when being interviewed.

- He also hated the restrictions that F1 teams placed on him, with regard to enjoying his life, doing dangerous things, drinking and so on.

- One can say that the car in 2008 and 2009 did not suit his driving style, but this seems to be making excuses. The fire just did not seem to be there any longer.

- Taking a driver who has been the top and is on a downward glide path is not really a good option.

hmmm... he is definitely one of the who thought it was all down to Kimi and his motivation the last two years...

I remember Joe Saward and his articles. Boudica wrote once a very good article to some trashy article about Kimi and he really has his own ideas and won't let go of them.

Argh, I would want Kimi to go back to F1 and get the chance to wipe the floor with all these 'experts'

Isn't it amazing how Kimi is the only one drinking alcohol in F1

Jean Todt once told that Schumi was a real fan of alcohol too as were many of the drivers - just because they have drinks behind the scenes it's easy for naive people to think that Kimi is the one with the problem

I have read joe's stuff before and i must say he is too annoying and forceful in his opinions. Pisses me off and i dont give two hoots to what he has to say.

[Ice-Ludy]

Finally I was able to catch up all the news you guys brought!Thanks!!! I just have one thing to say, I am confused and sad! I just want Kimi stays in the WRC. I used to want him back to F1 but not anymore and this is my wish for a while already. He didn't come back and people are already judging him... I am really sad with all this!!! These rumours...I just can´t take anymore after all we've been through!

[Kriss]

Finally I was able to catch up all the news you guys brought!Thanks!!! I just have one thing to say, I am confused and sad! I just want Kimi stays in the WRC. I used to want him back to F1 but not anymore and this is my wish for a while already. He didn't come back and people are already judging him... I am really sad with all this!!! This rumours...I just can´t take anymore after all we've been through!

Ludy

[sammyosammy]

I said yesterday, I think Marco was just pissed off to hear that the Robertsons are shopping around so much. There is no one else who would give Red Bull better publicity then Kimi in WRC, and that is a fact. That is problem Kimi is worth more to Red Bull in WRC, also Kimi could easily get another co-driver if Kaj isn't interested anymore.
All of these rumours are getting ridiculous.

Ferrari? No way.

IMO Marko´s statement has a) been taken out of the context or b) misunderstood. He may not be "Mr Motorsport" but he can´t be that stupid he expected more from Kimster this season. No-one reasonable person would. And if those words really were the exact words of his..
..like I said yesterday, mindgames. Something bigger is going on

[kiara]

In my experience, Joe Saward's blog is often full of his own ramblings, and 99% of the rumours he posts turn out to be wide of the mark.

Thank you for posting that translation Wolfie , it is a very interesting entry. Though I am still not convinced about his theory on Marko's comments

[Boudica]

Joe Sawards has openly admitted that he doesn't like Kimi. However, his article wasn't that bad atleast he isn't trying to diminish Kimi's rally results.

[Boudica]

I said yesterday, I think Marco was just pissed off to hear that the Robertsons are shopping around so much. There is no one else who would give Red Bull better publicity then Kimi in WRC, and that is a fact. That is problem Kimi is worth more to Red Bull in WRC, also Kimi could easily get another co-driver if Kaj isn't interested anymore.
All of these rumours are getting ridiculous.

Ferrari? No way.

IMO Marko´s statement has a) been taken out of the context or b) misunderstood. He may not be "Mr Motorsport" but he can´t be that stupid he expected more from Kimster this season. No-one reasonable person would. And if those words really were the exact words of his..
..like I said yesterday, mindgames. Something bigger is going on

Yes, I agree. There seems to be a lot of mindgames going on these days.

[sammyosammy]

I said yesterday, I think Marco was just pissed off to hear that the Robertsons are shopping around so much. There is no one else who would give Red Bull better publicity then Kimi in WRC, and that is a fact. That is problem Kimi is worth more to Red Bull in WRC, also Kimi could easily get another co-driver if Kaj isn't interested anymore.
All of these rumours are getting ridiculous.

Ferrari? No way.

IMO Marko´s statement has a) been taken out of the context or b) misunderstood. He may not be "Mr Motorsport" but he can´t be that stupid he expected more from Kimster this season. No-one reasonable person would. And if those words really were the exact words of his..
..like I said yesterday, mindgames. Something bigger is going on

Yes, I agree. There seems to be a lot of mindgames going on these days.

I sure like it more than calm dead silence

[Julia]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/86759

Commercial side key to Raikkonen fate

By Jonathan Noble Friday, September 17th 2010, 16:24 GMT

Gerard LopezRenault F1 chairman Gerard Lopez says Kimi Raikkonen's approach to the team will not sway it from making a decision on its 2011 line-up based on what makes most sense commercially.

Although the signing of a former world champion would be a big boost to Renault's aspirations of fighting for the title next year, Lopez says that the outfit will not be blinded by the prospects of being able to lure a star name like Raikkonen back to F1.

In an exclusive interview with AUTOSPORT, Lopez said that it was far too early to suggest the outfit was keen to pursue the Raikkonen option - and his team still had to balance out the financial attractions of having a driver like Vitaly Petrov against the benefits of paying for a big-name star.

"It's funny because people now think things are going well and we're going to change drivers," he said. "There's a certain rally driver that wasn't interested in Formula 1 but now has made contact and is interested in coming back to F1, funnily enough with us, but we're not there yet."

Lopez says that the team's decision on its second driver will still be motivated by financial factors - as the outfit seeks the levels of sponsorship and investment that it believes it will need to fight for the title next year.

"It's very important, " he said when asked if financial considerations were still important. "As I said, we use Formula 1, and we have to push our team to succeed because we use the platform to do business. And you know, it's a question of image.

"People like to do business with winning teams, so it goes hand in hand. For us still, the main consideration in this outside of Eric's [Boullier] mission and the team's mission to start winning races again, is the business one. And it has become more important now that we've solidified the team, that we've found the sponsors, that we're bringing the sponsors, that we're doing whatever needs to be done.

"It's even more important now to build the team, to use that platform for the business side of it. And the fact that we're doing more and more deals with companies that come through Renault Formula 1 because we provide other things, I think it's even more important for 2011 than it was for 2010. In 2010 we had to rebuild. In 2011 we can focus on business."

Although the sponsorship opportunities that came from signing Vitaly Petrov at the beginning of this year were a key factor in his original appointment, Lopez insists that the Russian's place in the team is not just dependent on money.

"It's not that Vitaly is a paying driver, because he's not, but certainly the sponsors that he brought or that came, which is Lada, have been very good sponsors. But Vitaly was not bringing the kind of money that people were saying.

"And he's a good driver. Vitaly was second in the GP2 championship last year and could easily have won that championship if he hadn't had six failures last year. On top of all that, he is a driver that has 250 million Russian-speaking people that are convinced in him, so we'd be stupid not to assume that there is a business behind that. But we have to build the driver. He is to us a very important element, just as Robert [Kubica] is. "

Lopez has also rubbished suggestions that he is questioning his own future involvement in the sport - on the back of speculation in recent weeks that Renault could be poised to buy back the team.

"There's not even a question," he said. "We have an interest that this team does win races again, that this team does win championships again and hopefully if everything's goes fine we'll still be around in 10 years. And regardless of how often people ask us the question, it is not our intention to sell this. It is not a company like any other company. "

Lopez also reckons that season-long speculation questioning his involvement with Renault was simply fuelled by jealousy from rival outfits.

"F1 is quite an ego-centric environment, so you have jealousy," he said. "It's a little bit funny because people take themselves a little bit too seriously. And, at the same time, it's a little bit... it's not very intelligent. At the end of the day, it is a sport where the sport would benefit from the teams trying not to help each other because it's a competition, but trying to think of ways to help the sport together.

"So just jumping on something, jumping too quickly to conclusions, assuming certain things like a team is not interested long-term, or that a team is just two guys that came in, just had a little bit of fun and they're already bored with their new toy and they're moving on to something - these are shortcuts that people shouldn't take. Pride pushes us to prove even further the opposite."

* For a full interview with Gerard Lopez talking about his involvement with Renault, his plans for the future and its driver line-up, click here.

can somebody get to us the autosport plus story?

autosport is really going hard with this renault-räikkönen thing...