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

[Boudica]

Thanks Julia - now if we could only see Kimi follow a ping-pong -game - that could also give us some clues

Raikkonen was in the States - interested in Nascar

23.11.2010 10:42



Kimi Raikkonen followed last weekend a race in Nascar in the United States.

Nascar-season ended on Sunday on Homestad's oval-track in Florida. The last race of the season was also followed by Räikkönen who was there.

They have been rumouring in rally-circles for some time that Raikkonen could race some Nascar-races in addition to rally next season.

IS Sports reached Riku Kuvaja on Tuesday morning and he said that the trip to America had nothing to do with Räikkönen's plans for next year.

- It was just a holiday trip. We only watched the race since we happened to be there, Kuvaja said.

In Florida Raikkonen was seen in the company of Nascar-series star designer Eric Warren among others.

We?
Kimi accidentally had a hollyday with his spokesman?
By the way it's a nice smokescreen. Everybody asking about Kimi's plans with Nascar. We don't pay attention to the opportunity to meet Ken, Ford's bosses, or anybody else.

Yes, indeed strange that people aren't making that association. But somehow the media always fails to ask the right questions.

[Maria d]

ok , so i looked up eric warren and he is involved with waltrip racing , thats a toyota team, so is the nascar red bull team. they do work together, and i can see mwr wanting kimi to drive. waltrip is a huge f1 fan. i dont like it one bit. i hope kimi has no crazy ideas.

[bourbon]

Rally - tough ever changing roads in a multitude of conditions

Or

Nascar - Driving around in circles on a tarmac surface and serving as a battering ram to and for other cars -with perhaps a lite rain now and again ...

That's my perspective and I can't see a rally lovin individual choosing Nascar...

No knock on Nascar, some really love it, but it is quite distinct, isn't it...

[Maria d]

the only thing i could think of is that maybe they want him to run a road course race, maybe the glen,or California . i would hate to see him put up with the nascar media. the minute 1 rain drop hits the track, they throw the red flag,so no rain at all.

[Wolfie]

Rally - tough ever changing roads in a multitude of conditions

Or

Nascar - Driving around in circles on a tarmac surface and serving as a battering ram to and for other cars -with perhaps a lite rain now and again ...

That's my perspective and I can't see a rally lovin individual choosing Nascar...

No knock on Nascar, some really love it, but it is quite distinct, isn't it...

I can't see him do that either but then again who knows what goes on in his mind?

But he was there on a holiday so either he has all his plans made up for him already (Riku Kuvaja isn't taking care of any contractual matters) or then he is just filling in his spokesman about the future plans and they go over media-related stuff - or then they simply had a holiday.

I'm too tired to speculate over anything anymore at the moment

[Wolfie]

But just for the laugh

Raikkonen busy putting up a World Cup team in Fuengirola?

Tuesday, 23.11.2010 at 23.16

Räikkönen's motocross team is expected to be located in Costa del Sol.

Will Kimi become a team manager in Costa del Sol?

It was reported already earlier in the week that Kimi Raikkonen is planning to put up a motocross team.

Now Fuengirola.fi site reported that Raikkonen has been seen in Fuengirola watching places with multi world champion Kari Tiainen.

Tiainen owns big bike-teams on Fuengirola's and Mijas' borderline where the terrains offer good opportunities for training for motocross.

According to Fuengirola.fi Riku Kuvaja has been seen in Fuengirola.

IL

[Anelise]

Thanks Nicole!

[Claudie_Schnaudie]

Thx Nicole

Kimi seems to be everywhere at the moment
But yeah strange that he took Riku Kuvaja with him to the States!

But as Wolfie I´m tired of all this speculation s*** -.- Please announce something KImi!!!

[Julia]

Rally - tough ever changing roads in a multitude of conditions

Or

Nascar - Driving around in circles on a tarmac surface and serving as a battering ram to and for other cars -with perhaps a lite rain now and again ...

That's my perspective and I can't see a rally lovin individual choosing Nascar...

No knock on Nascar, some really love it, but it is quite distinct, isn't it...

I can't see him do that either but then again who knows what goes on in his mind?

But he was there on a holiday so either he has all his plans made up for him already (Riku Kuvaja isn't taking care of any contractual matters) or then he is just filling in his spokesman about the future plans and they go over media-related stuff - or then they simply had a holiday.

I'm too tired to speculate over anything anymore at the moment

yeah, when he explains why he likes rally its hard to believe he would like to swop to Nascar... didnt he say on servus TV in the spring that maybe like to have on on-off in the car but not make a career of it?

didnt he last year also go on holiday the same time his managers worked overtime to finalize his contracts ...

how come you guys are bored already ? We havent even got over the date when he announce his plan last year, wasnt it the first week in december? How did you cope with it laast year when you didnt even know it was possible to take so much time to finalize next years plans?

[Kriss]

how come you guys are bored already ? We havent even got over the date when he announce his plan last year, wasnt it the first week in december? How did you cope with it laast year when you didnt even know it was possible to take so much time to finalize next years plans?

already?

this waiting game is going on for weeks or months now
I'm not bored rather worried. I just want to know something for sure

[Julia]

how come you guys are bored already ? We havent even got over the date when he announce his plan last year, wasnt it the first week in december? How did you cope with it laast year when you didnt even know it was possible to take so much time to finalize next years plans?

already?

this waiting game is going on for weeks or months now
I'm not bored rather worried. I just want to know something for sure

ok, if you have been waiting the whole time.... I try to be smarter this year then last year so i put in my mind that he is not going to announce anything before december even this year so it has been more of a killing time till december.... I start to get worried if we havent heard anything before the holidays!

yeah, of course it would be nice to know for sure that he has a place to drive next year... but im sure he manages to find something he enjoys to drive even net year... be it rally or something else.

[Lunna]

how come you guys are bored already ? We havent even got over the date when he announce his plan last year, wasnt it the first week in december? How did you cope with it laast year when you didnt even know it was possible to take so much time to finalize next years plans?

I can only say that last year there where much more gossip Also last year he strated to work on contract only in autumn, this season he had plenty of time to sort it out... But rally isn't F1 so he still has time

p.s. Can't say that I'm bored... waiting for the biathlon season to start

[brendakarli]

for me, if the possibilty to F1 is no longer viable, then it doesn't matter anymore...everything else is the same to me

[sleenster]

Mmmph not sure how the Belfast Telegraph has the "inside scoop" on Kimi, apart from the fact that Kris Meeke is Irish
I thought Mini was interested in signing Dani, maybe they want Kimi as a third driver?

Raikkonen and Meeke could be team players

By Sammy Hamill
Thursday, 25 November 2010

Former Formula One World champion Kimi Raikkonen is being linked to a role alongside Ulsterman Kris Meeke in the new BMW Mini rally team.

The Finn, champion in 2007, was the highest paid driver in F1 before being displaced at Ferrari by Fernando Alonso at the end of the 2009 season.

Rather than move to another team, he switched to rallying and has been part of the Citroen junior team this season, mixing accidents with fast stage times.

Despite stories suggesting a return to F1 next season, Raikkonen has insisted he wants to continue in rallying and now is poised to test the new Prodrive-developed Mini Countryman which will make its World championship bow in the Spring of next year.

Meeke, the 2009 Intercontinental Challenge champion, is the first driver signed by the team but is expected to be joined shortly by Dani Sordo, World champion Sebastien Loeb’s No.2 at Citroen. But Mini, it seems, are interested in Raikkonen as well. Prodrive managing director Richard Taylor said: “Kimi has brought a lot of profile into the WRC so of course he would be of interest to any manufacturer.”

Apart from Raikkonen’s profile there are other reasons for Mini’s interest.

He would come with personal sponsorship from Red Bull — as does Meeke — and the four-wheel-drive Mini Countryman road cars are built in Austria, home of the energy drink company’s founder, Dietrich Mateschitz.

The Mini is also the company’s promotional vehicle of choice. Red Bull are committed to one further year of sponsorship with Citroen but a switch to Mini would coincide with the team’s full assault on the World championship in 2012.

Meeke, meanwhile, has said he would be happy to see Spaniard Sordo join the team.

Currently continuing the Mini development programme in Sardinia, he said: “Apart from the fact we have been friends since out Junior World championship days and have worked together regularly on Citroen’s test days, Dani has good knowledge of the new Citroen DS3 and would bring that expertise with him.

“There are not many guys around with his experience of the new breed of cars which will appear in the World championship next season. He would be a good addition to the team.”

Former World champion Marcus Gronholm had been expected to join the team. But the Finn has changed his mind, saying he “doesn’t want to do a Michael Schumacher.”

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 13050.html

[sleenster]

This should be in the rally news thread but there are small blurbs about Kimi in the articles. No concrete sources in the articles really, apart from a typical noncommittal Kimi quote. Relevant parts from the article are quoted below:

Legends set for Monte centenary
...
Former Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen has been linked to a Monte debut in a Peugeot 207, while Frenchman Didier Auriol, who won the event three times, and Francois Delecour who triumphed in 1994, are also chasing an entry for the January 19-23 outing.
...
Raikkonen admitted that, like the rest of his rally plans for next year, his Monte entry remained uncertain. He added: "I don't have any plans fixed for next year yet. Monte Carlo is really a classic event for any rally driver, but there's nothing sorted."

Apparently there are only 100 spots available for the Monte but they have as of now received 250 applications. So a panel of judges will convene to decide who gets to take part. I think if Kimi actually wanted to take part, there's no way they are going to turn him down because of the PR value he brings and who he is. Seems like some reporter did ask him whether he was going to take part but he just gave a typical Kimi answer: "Nothing is sorted yet."

Sordo waiting on 2011 offer from Ford
...
Sordo is expected to test the Mini for the first time before the end of the month. Another driver linked to a test in the Countryman WRC is former Formula 1 world champion and Citroen driver Kimi Raikkonen.

A Mini drive could offer the Finn less pressure, with a bigger focus on testing and development away from the rallies. A positive would be the potential tie-in with his sponsor Red Bull and the expected 2012 deal between the drinks firm and Mini.

Autosport seems to be confirming what the Belfast Telegraph is reporting but they don't really have any "real" quotes from the Mini bosses about their interest in Kimi.