Will you miss Kimi Raikkonen? (Poll)
19th November 2009, 12:00 by Keith Collantine 264 Comments »
Raikkonen's absence means someone else will have to win the next Belgian GP
Kimi Raikkonen has scotched rumours that he could join Mercedes and now looks set to spend at least one year out of the F1 cockpit.
Reading comments here and on other sites I’ve been surprised by the outpourings of dismay over Raikkonen’s departure from F1 and sympathy towards him.
But when there’s at least 11 seats on the grid for 2010 he could have taken, this sympathy seems misplaced.
How much will you miss Kimi Raikkonen in 2010?
- I'm glad he's gone (260 Votes)
- I won't miss him (568 Votes)
- I'm not bothered (833 Votes)
- I'll miss him (3,095 Votes)
- I'll stop watching F1 (1,245 Votes)
Total Voters: 6,001
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Raikkonen complains there is no top team able to take him on for next year. But plenty of former champions have served time in uncompetitive outfits before returning to the front of the grid. In F1 today where testing opportunities are scarce, it would have been the best way for him to stay ready for a ready to the sharp end of F1 in 2011.
For an example, look no further than the man who’s replacing him at Ferrari – Fernando Alonso. His battling drives for Renault these past two seasons are surely a large part of the reason why he’s been given Raikkonen’s job – a year earlier than Ferrari originally planned.
There’s also the small matter of whether Raikkonen still deserves a front-line ride. After winning the 2007 championship he was beaten by team mate Felipe Massa last year and over the first half of this season before Massa was injured.
He had a better end to the season but a lot easier to look good against Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella.
These are not unusual circumstances for an F1 driver to lose his seat. It’s a bit much for Raikkonen to expect the likes of McLaren and Mercedes to be salivating at the prospect of putting him in their cars when he’s only delivering the goods once a year at Spa.
Army of fans
Where I do have some pity for Raikkonen is that his love of motor racing and his great talent have put him in a position where he finds himself having to cope with public appearances and PR events – something he clearly abhors.
I saw him at the opening of the new Ferrari Store in London earlier this year and, as I wrote at the time, I felt sorry for him as he plainly did not want to be there. Prised from his private life to do his PR duty, he grimaced at his surroundings when the cameras weren’t on him (which was rare).
But you have to keep things in context. Is a bit of glad-handing really that much of a hardship when you’ve got an eight-figure salary and the best job in the world?
Last year I saw him at the Silverstone test, ducking out of the side of the Ferrari tent to avoid the fans waiting outside. Other drivers lingered, signing caps and photographs.
It made me reflect on how despite Raikkonen’s aversion to appearing in public he’s inspired a passionate allegiance from an army of fans.
Their loss is rallying’s gain, but I’m sure he’ll be happier in a much lower-profile championship where his PR responsibilities will no doubt be insignificant – at most.
I am disappointed it’s come to this. I suspect this sabbatical may turn out to be like the one Mika Hakkinen took at the end of 2001 and still hasn’t returned from. Some people think Raikkonen will be back in 2011 to drive for Red Bull. But surely that’s the last place he’ll find a safe haven from the horrors of having to shake hands with people?
It’s always sad to see a world champion quit the sport. But it’s especially sad to see one leave in this fashion, when he could still have achieved much more. I might not understand his fans’ point of view, but I think they deserved more from their man.
What do you think about Raikkonen’s retirement? Is F1 poorer without him? Did he deserve a drive with a top team? Have your say in the comments.
Read more: Kimi Raikkonen to take sabbatical in 2010 as McLaren talks end
iBlaze said on 19th November 2009, 14:42
I’ll miss him, because he has been an out-and-out racer over the years and given us many classic moments to remember – Nurburgring 05, Suzuka 05, Interlagos 07, Spa 08…
Not forgetting those classic moments off-the-track (Interlagos 06!!!).
I admit that he has been his own un-doing, and would not say I feel sympathy. But he is still a loss to the sport.
Wesley said on 19th November 2009, 14:44
I posted this in the forum yesterday:
Kimi has natural talent.He is the fastest man on the track.He has no fear.Unfortunately he can’t be bothered with the technical aspect of racing or the promotion aspects.He can get in the car and drive the hell out of it.Just,don’t ask him what got him there or why the car was so fast.These all go hand in hand and Kimi doesn’t want to accept that.I am dissappointed that he is going but,he brought it on himself and we all knew it would happen.This is not the era of James Hunt.Kimi was born at the wrong time I suppose.What a shame.
Good Luck Iceman.
mp4-19b said on 19th November 2009, 14:53
Kimi was born in 1979, the same year James Hunt retired
Tom said on 19th November 2009, 23:20
in the last f1 racing magazine, they interviewed martin wintmarsh and he said kimi and mika were the two best drivers they’d had to provide technical feedback. i personally don’t know how fans would know unless they’ve had a pit lane pass on a weekend. kimi in public is definately not kimi in private and i think a lot of people forget that
Parkp said on 19th November 2009, 14:46
It speaks volumes that his reward for being pretty much the only person in F1 who can keep his own counsel and never complains or lays blame on others has no place in the sport.
AJB said on 20th November 2009, 21:46
Yes Parkp – spot on!:)
Tiomkin said on 19th November 2009, 14:46
The world is in recession, if he prices himself out of the sport then I feel no sympathy. Good residence. Lots of time to eat those icecreams. Also it is part of the job to meet the fans (they pay your wages), if he wants to vanish into obscurity then he has my blessing.
mp4-19b said on 19th November 2009, 14:52
I am a great admirer of his driving & feel he is the most naturally gifted driver since Ayrton Senna.
Unfortunately he is also an idiot.
Scribe said on 19th November 2009, 15:03
You feel he could’ve gotten over it a little bit, he was his own undoing. In Ferrari the team definately felt like supporting him, an its supposedly a very congenial team to be in, but he brushed them off an they preffered Massa anyway.
McLaren would’ve loved to have had him, he was offered good terms, an presumably a future but once again, he wanted to much, on the back of too little uncertantiy.
I’m definately sad too see him go but I feel with the money he’s got he didn’t need to be such a hardball, an if he wanted to be at McLaren in a winning car confirmed already, he easily could be.
Bon Voyage Iceman. Enjoy Rallying.
mp4-19b said on 19th November 2009, 15:16
Lets hope he ends up at Merc at least. Norbert Haug loves Kimi.
SLK Maniac said on 19th November 2009, 16:18
I don’t think being paid a ton of money for not driving a racecar is the sign of an idiot. I wish someone would pay me millions of Euros to not drive their car while I go off and have fun in someone else’s car!
Maciek said on 19th November 2009, 17:44
mp-4, you made me smile
Kav said on 19th November 2009, 14:56
I don’t blame him for only wanting a top car, he’s only interested in winning, he’s been saying that all year “this podium is okay, but we need to win because only that feels good”.
Most of his peak years were spent in uncompetitive McLaren’s, if you think about it, in the 5 years he spent there only 2 of the cars had a shot of winning races. In 2003 he had an okay car but Ferrari and Williams had faster ones, and in the case of Ferrari they had a more reliable car. He had some bad luck aswell that season, losing a win in Australia because of a glitch and Nurburgring because of the engine failure. In 2005, he had no chance of winning the title, the car was just too unreliable. There really wasn’t much more he could have done that year, it is unrealistic to expect him to have won the races where he received penalties. He lost some wins because of engine failures, lost some good points because of a puncture in Malaysia, only in Australia could he have done better but even then McLaren weren’t as quick as they would later be. So really in my opinion, he only had one decent shot at the title in 2003 and he did the best he could in an outdated car. So I really can’t blame him for only wanting the chance to win the title, he’s already 30, he’s not going to stay in F1 until he is near 40 so he wants the spend the rest of his peak years trying to win.
However I don’t think he should assume that Red Bull will be a top car in 2011, because as we have seen in the past, just because you are on top one year doesn’t mean you will be at the top in the future. We’ve seen that with Renault, and BMW were also progressing into that stage.
He’s clearly a shy person, I am as well and I would hate people sticking loads of microphones in front of my face and taking my space. I know it is part of his job, but who would like that?
steph said on 19th November 2009, 14:58
He is the most naturally talented on the grid in my opinion. He can be quick as hell but is seriously flawed as for whatever reason he doesn’t always deliver. However, for those moments when he does do it I’m paralysed infront of the TV watching such great driving. For those moments I will definately miss him. I can see why he was replaced at Ferrari but he is still in the top tier of drivers.
I don’t really care about PR or the money. For me it is all about the driving and that is why I’m saddened by this news.
sicali said on 19th November 2009, 14:58
it’s almost the same like when Schumi retired, but then I still had the prospect of Kimi in the sport, so I kept watching..now that Kimi is gone, there isn’t too much to cling to..unless Rosberg gets a good enough seat..in all seriousness, I’ll still watch F1 with the same passion and anxiety, but this occurrence will probably take its toll sometime during next season
Kovy said on 19th November 2009, 21:37
I feel the same way, none of the other drivers really inspire me.
Kav said on 19th November 2009, 14:59
Also one more thing, he left McLaren at the wrong time. As soon as he left, McLaren became fast and reliable! Hamiltons had two realistic shots at the title in his first two years! That’s already better than what Kimi had by the time he left!
I really wish he was with Hamilton next year, we’d have seen a huge fight! Them two are the drivers who I would fear in a sole race. Alonso would be the one I’d fear over a season.
matt said on 19th November 2009, 15:10
Kimi left McLaren and the next year he won the championship and the following year he was in a car which won the constructors and was 1 point off the drivers championships. Although he left McLaren when they got good, they were still arguably no better than Ferrari.
Kav said on 19th November 2009, 15:16
In 2007 I think he’d have wrapped up the title sooner, firstly there wouldn’t have been Hamilton to deal with, and Raikkonen would have had continuity with the team rather than Alonso who’d have had to adapt, added to this the car had perfect reliability. Although in that case maybe Schumacher would have stayed and beat them both while they adapted to BS tyres! Also if he really couldn’t adjust to the Ferrari than 2008 would have been better for him as well. Of course it’s impossible to say what would have happened, but if I were him I’d feel a bit of regret in leaving, but he isn’t one to do that so good for him.
I was quite excited before at the thought of having a dream team of Kimi and Fernando for 2007! If only!
NomadIndian said on 19th November 2009, 18:28
McLaren were definitely better than Ferrari that season. It was only all the off-track distractions, infighting and Hamilton’s inexperience at the end that allowed Kimi to seize the title.
Seedy001 said on 19th November 2009, 14:59
I’ll miss him, no doubt about it and I think he remains very misunderstood by those judge him on his press conferences rather than the character he is away from the track.
I also think it’s a myth that he was poor in the first half this year. He out qualified Massa, scored a podium at Monaco; was running 4th in Sepang until the team put wets on; he was let down by the team and car in Spain and had some terrible luck: like making it into the top 10 at Britain unlike Felipe which ended up giving him a poorer strategy. He also outqualified Massa at turkey but started on the dirty side, Felipe overtook him and damaged his wing – more bad luck!
So I think that good performances on Saturday were ruined on Sunday in the 1st half whereas they seemed to go right on both days in the 2nd half – particularly after the final update in Budapest.
Finally, as iBlaze hinted at, I’ll miss him for that racers instinct which only the best have – he really did give us many memorable moments over the years and I fully understand him not wanting a poor car for next year, he’s had one this year and a couple at McLaren and I suppose unlike Alonso, Keith, he doesn’t consider F1 the be-all and end-all and would rather be competitive in another series – I’ve got to congratulate him for that.
Natalie said on 19th November 2009, 15:03
@Keith You were dismayed and surprised at the outpourings for Kimi? Well let me say that I cant really understand why you have that opinion. Kimi is one of the originals: supercool, fast, and not bothered with the F1 “airs” all he cares about is racing, as it should be.
Kimi has millions of fans that would support him to the ends of the earth. Im not saying other driver’s dont have the same kind of fans, Im pretty sure they do, but they are not Kimi…he IS the most naturally talented driver since Gilles Villeneuve and his placid facade is well..classic.
People who watch F1 care about the racing not the PR crap and carefully scripted interviews and that is what Kimi gives his fans pure, unadulterated racing. Pure and simple, just like Kimi.
Keep Flying Kimi..
Hakka said on 19th November 2009, 16:05
Keith doesn’t say he was dismayed. Just surprised. Here’s Keith’s actual quote:
Keith Collantine said on 19th November 2009, 17:15
This is the crux of it for me – if all he cares about is racing then why isn’t he racing for Renault next year? Or Campos? Or Toro Rosso? Force India had a tidy car at the end of the year, and they’ve got Mercedes engines, so why not them?
On the other side of the coin, can anyone name a driver who does enjoy the PR side of the sport? I doubt it.
Hakka said on 19th November 2009, 17:21
Hello Keith,
Your response above would have made sense if the original claim was that “all he cares about is racing in F1“.
He will be racing, just not in F1. That behavior is entirely consistent with the claim that “all he cares about is racing.”
Which isn’t a claim from the horse’s mouth to begin with, so you could be responding to a straw-man.
Keith Collantine said on 19th November 2009, 17:29
OK, well, now we’re into a semantic difference. Rallying is time trials – when you say ‘racing’ I think of, well, Raikkonen at Spa in 2005 – not the WRC.
Perhaps what we mean is Raikkonen loves driving. I’d buy that.
Hakka said on 19th November 2009, 17:44
Perhaps:
Raikkonen loves driving competitively
Might be closer to the truth.
I see your point if you don’t count the WRC as racing – which is quite a radical position I must say!
CD said on 21st November 2009, 6:20
Kimi loves driving and WINNING. Not just racing. If you already got a championship in your bag, would you step down a try other non winning cars? where is the point? If you are a racing driver, you surely would want to win. And your edge of winning is greater on a good car. Kimi doesn’t want to develop a car to win. He wants a fast car to win. He loves winning. Period.
phoros said on 19th November 2009, 18:01
Keith, I think exactly the same. I will miss him and always liked to see his name high on the grid. But leaving F1 like this? For me it’s lack of… Sorry for his fans but there’s something – let’s say – smelling badly for me. I’ve never been fan of Lewis but look at him this year, where he started and how he managed driving in the undrivable car. He gained a lot respect in my eyes. Kimi? Small talks about “a winning car” and untasty self-overrating. I’m afraid Iceman has started to melt…
NomadIndian said on 19th November 2009, 18:50
Kimi gave it everything this season. He had lost favour with the team bosses specifically Luca D, and the team did not want to go all out getting updates till the last race for one driver. So they decided to stop development. Yet, Kimi single handedly got the Ferrari to within 1 point of McLaren.
And I dont get it how he did worse than Massa in the first half?
Alex said on 21st November 2009, 19:50
It was in Malaysia, when Ferrari put him of full wets on a dry track.
Rikadyn said on 19th November 2009, 18:13
Is being a back marker and or a mobile chicane really racing?
kalirocket said on 23rd November 2009, 13:44
stupid comment.
02CH36 said on 19th November 2009, 18:54
It is absolutely ridiculous to ask KIMI 2007 world champion to drive for smaller teams.I hope evry drivers dream is to get into the top team and figth for WDC.Thats wat competition is abt ie to WIN.He didn’t get a competitive drive so he is leaving.Now comes the point that “F1 is not a sport” as cars speaks more than individuals talent in F1.AHAHAH
MAD said on 19th November 2009, 19:14
All the drivers dream is to win.Everyone wants to get into a top team and win WDC.kimi a WDC is no exception.U have compared with Alonso who left a top team to a uncompettive one just because he could not compete with a rookie.It is not his willingness to drive a crap to show that he can do wonders even in a crap car.Thats the truth everyone knows.
DrF1 said on 19th November 2009, 21:19
“if all he cares about is racing then why isn’t he racing for Renault next year? Or Campos? Or Toro Rosso? Force India ” err, could it be because none of those teams have any chance of giving him a car he can fight for the WDC with? Why should he spend a year or more struggling in the mid field like he did in 2009 and the likes of Alonso have been doing since 2008? You think the last 2 years have been fun for Fernando? If he’d had the option of sitting out for a year on full pay or taking a multi-million dollar pay cut to race in a Renault, Campos or Toro Rosso or Force India… you seriously think he’d have done it?
HG said on 20th November 2009, 3:14
yes, but kimi is, by all accounts i’ve heard in the media from people who have actually worked with him, ‘painfully shy’. It may not be a matter of him simply ‘not liking’ pr events, but actually been emotionally torn because of his shyness. I have, as have a good portion of the population, battled shyness and it is not nice, and in all honesty a eight figure salary wouldn’t take the pain of the moment away-it would make me feel better when i got back to my house for sure- but not at the moment. Also put into the fact that english is not his native language, and he is not as fluent in it as some other drivers for who it is their second tongue, and maybe add a bit ‘finish-ness’ to his personality, and a media that loves to pull anyone down who 1-doesn’t play along with how they like and 2-is different from the norm/what they would like to see, and then you can easily end up in a situation where kimi
‘only mumbles incoherently’, ‘gives short unintelligible answers’ ‘Kimi was eating an ice cream instead of siting in his tub of car drowning while we waited for officials to do the obvious meh meh meh’
It makes no sense to drive around mid-pack when you can be a couple of mil better off giving rallying a try, you only live once.
I will also have to disagree with you in regards to rallying keith. For me it is racing. There is no less passing than F1, it takes guts and tremendous skill.
i like kimi, he is unmistakably gifted/talented. I will miss him.
inc0mmunicado said on 20th November 2009, 4:35
Michael Schumacher made how much a year in endorsements? But that’s besides the point…
I remember this article from May If you’re making lots of cash doing endorsements (like MS or Tiger Woods or that French tennis guy) then maybe you’d enjoy having people shouting at you to take a picture or sign an autograph all the time. Sometimes PR is just a part of the fame that you have to live with. Kimi seems to be about having fun more than enjoying his fame… Remember, he’s the kind of guy who would dress up in a gorilla suit with his buddies while powerboat racing under someone else’s name…
Terry Fabulous said on 19th November 2009, 22:12
Natalie I watch F1 racing and car about the racing and not the PR crap.
Which is why Kimi is so disappointing. He doesn’t deliver pure unadultarated racing, he is wildly inconsistent and acts like he doesn’t care.
If that is the sort of person you want to follow then that is your choice. But for me, I prefer (gulp, I hate saying this) Lewis Hamilton for putting his head down and trying his hardest, not stuffing about killing time, ducking fans while waiting for a winning car or Spa to roll around again.
DanThorn said on 19th November 2009, 15:04
While he’s a refreshing character on the grid, I’ve never really warmed to him as a driver. I don’t like him, and I don’t dislike him. I’m not too bothered whether he stays or goes, after all, half the time he hasn’t seemed too bothered about racing.
Patrickl said on 19th November 2009, 15:05
Are you kidding? Raikkonen only delivers at Spa?
Sure on the tracks that take a racer with a big heart (Spa and Monaco) he has a bit of an edge extra on the more average drivers, but given a good car he’s fast at every track.
In fact in raw race pace Kimi is flat out the fastest driver around (for instance most fastest laps in 2008). He always keeps on fighting. Not some boring driver who just sits in the fastest car behind a slower competitor all race long.
If Ferrari hadn’t messed up his car halfway through 2008 he could have taken the WDC. He was doing a lot better than Hamilton and Massa before he got rammed by Hamilton in Canada.
With 2 non scoring finishes and 4 races to work out the problems with the car he was back on top in Spa, but he had to take too many risks in an effort to come back ahead. In hindsight he should have just settled down and racked up the points and he would have had a pretty good shot at the title anyway.
So yeah, of course he will be missed. He SHOULD be missed by a proper F1 fan.
Good for him that he doesn’t want to drive for a poor team. Good for him that he gets more money not to race than to race.
Geez, people forget so quickly. It’s just disturbing. Massa has one good season and all of a sudden he’s considered a “driving god” instead of the “whining crasher”, Raikkonen has a whole career of spectacular drives, has a poor half season once and gets completely written off. Bizarre.
Even more bizarre, the people who still whine about the ice cream. The car had broken down. You expect him to sit in a broken car to wait for the rain to clear? What’s wrong with you people?
NomadIndian said on 19th November 2009, 19:26
Also, can’t believe how much people talk about drivers being too politically correct with scripted answers and “for sure”s and someone like Kimi has an icecream and they make negative jokes. The guy was displaying his personality. He knew there was no chance of a restart and did not care to wait like others. Character/personality is not shown only through words during press conferences.
shery said on 19th November 2009, 15:06
kimi raikkonen has so much fans that no one on the grid have…after micheal schumacher and ayrton senna,he has the higest number of fans.correct me if iam wrong..i dont know abt europe and the rest of the world..but if u visit india.u guys will be shocked how many fans raikkonen have…i know hundreds of people who cried over this news..and just couldnt get over it..many are even ready not to watch f1 again if raikkonen leaves..and this is sad for formula one..
Matt said on 21st November 2009, 8:48
Oh yes. I am an Indian, been following F1 since 1994, and totally love Kimi. We don’t care about whether he talks or not, but we remember how he raced whenever the car was any good, or sometimes total crap. Truly we are a despondent lot now.
steph said on 19th November 2009, 15:06
I have to add I feel very sorry for his dedicated fans. I spent half a season without Felipe and it was still fantastic watching the sport but there is a bit of a hole when your driver is not then. For Kimi fans it is also an unknown if he will come back so I hope you can find someone or a team to cheer next year and I hope your iceman comes back to the sport
mp4-19b said on 19th November 2009, 15:08
Actually Red Bull might be the best place for Raikkonen. I say that because I remember an interview by David Coulthard to BBC, when asked an question about the major changes he felt between macca & Red Bull, he said mclaren is a global brand with global sponsors. Its true, it ranges from Exxon Mobil in the USA to AIGO in China. Its too corporate.
But at Red Bull he’ll have no such problems. Kimi will not need to praise sponsors, do promotional works etc
As long as he doesn’t criticize the energy drink
he’s safe. And I am sure he’ll not do that! He loves Redbull mixed with Vodka 
We dunno whether he uses some of the products he was forced to endorse, for example Alice,marlboro,west,henkel etc
Dietrich Mateschitz know that fact.
Wesley said on 19th November 2009, 15:34
“Actually Red Bull might be the best place for Raikkonen.”
Agreed!…I know I would welcome that.
Chianti said on 23rd November 2009, 14:45
really agree with u
NomadIndian said on 19th November 2009, 19:32
On track too, I have never seen him without his Red Bull sipper