Will you miss Kimi Raikkonen? (Poll)
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 (4%, 260 Votes)
- I won't miss him (9%, 568 Votes)
- I'm not bothered (14%, 833 Votes)
- I'll miss him (52%, 3,095 Votes)
- I'll stop watching F1 (21%, 1,245 Votes)
Total Voters: 6,001
Loading ...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
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.
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.
Kimi was born in 1979, the same year James Hunt retired
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
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.
Yes Parkp – spot on!:)
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.
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.
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.
Lets hope he ends up at Merc at least. Norbert Haug loves Kimi.
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!
mp-4, you made me smile
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?
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.
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
I feel the same way, none of the other drivers really inspire me.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
@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..
Keith doesn’t say he was dismayed. Just surprised. Here’s Keith’s actual quote:
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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…
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?
It was in Malaysia, when Ferrari put him of full wets on a dry track.
Is being a back marker and or a mobile chicane really racing?
stupid comment.
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
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.
“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?
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.
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…
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.
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.
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?
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.
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..
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.
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
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.
“Actually Red Bull might be the best place for Raikkonen.”
Agreed!…I know I would welcome that.
really agree with u
On track too, I have never seen him without his Red Bull sipper
everyone has its own opinion keith has its own..if he thinks raikkonen delivers at only spa.it wont change wat raikkonen fans think.it doesnt make difference to them..so its useless to argue over that..i will just say one thing:
massa is never better than raikkonen..why?..becuz i think he can only win from pole..and he is always lighter than raikkonen in qualfying..i can prove this with stats..
Your poll should have a typical Kimi answer in the form of “Yeah I suppose”.
I say good riddance, while I enjoy watching him do one of his charges from the back of the grid when he smells the blood of a failing front running car thats too few and far between.
I’m not gonna sympathise with anyone who wants 15million to drive a McLaren when they are getting paid 15mil already to not drive a Ferrari.
uhm…can you confrim that Kimi requested 15 million a year from McLaren? Didnt think so…and by the way Ferrari will pay 10 million if he races in F1 next year not 15…get your facts straight
$ 15 million or $10 million…the guy would still have a seat today if his demands weren’t so outrageous. credit McLaren and whatever other teams he dealt with for not giving into his demands when there are plenty of other good drivers out there.
which report has said it was because of the money? The ‘terms’ which could not be agreed appear to be those not allowing Kimi to do other sports. Remember montoya!
Doesn’t matter does it?
If he’s a true racer like you say then he’d be racing for nothing, as it goes he’s getting 15 million to not race… therefore you retort is flimsy at best.
I’m really glad you like the guy, but allow someone to post their opinion on a matter without using the symantics and specifics of a part of a comment such as “CAN YOU PROVE IT?”. Its what made your reply flimsy.
So I re iterate, he’s getting paid to not drive a Ferrari…
What a racer!
The event of Kimi not securing a drive is a study in itself, based on many factors and not only on something as simple as his skills, abilities or motivation.
1. Kimi can not/will not do as much PR as other drivers.
2. Finland may have produced great drivers but does not have big ticket sponsors except perhaps Nokia (I may be wrong here but thats what I know). Alonso had Santander to smoothen his move to Ferrari.
3. In the current economic climate the driver deals are becoming a much more complex fusion of all these factors than ever before.
4. Lowering one’s wages for a year under special circumstances does not guarantee a return to previous levels, later. Ask Button. Even after winning the WDC he has signed for 6 mill/year while he got 8 mill/year from Honda.
5. And no comparisons can be made with Alonso’s second stint with Renault(after leaving McLaren). Renault was home for Alonso, with Flavio going to the lengths that he did to secure a win. And we do not know how much Alonso was paid there.
6.And while I believe he should sign with Mercedes at a lower price if there is a chance, it may not be what Kimi may want to do at that prize-risk ratio. Mercedes-Brawn’s competitiveness next season is very much in doubt IMHO. (They have already been overtaken by Red Bull and McLaren by the end of this season.) Kimi may well take up rallying for a challenge as he really does not care and that is his personality.
Apologies for the long post.(Its only my opinion – I cant prove anything
)
if anyone has doubt about will formula miss Raikkonen or not.visit the orkut community “Kimi Raikkonen:we will miss you”..it has around 30K members who are crazy raikkonen fans.
Force India must be jubilating at Kimmi’s exit. He was always hounding their car!
hahaha brilliant Kanyima, that made me giggle like a kid!
I think Kimi had it in him for Sutil only
.
He was careful around Fisi… I had my heart in my mouth for that entire race…
Its bad say this again and again…but let me remind you about everything….
The Iceman (a woefully underused way of describing sporty Scandinavians, we’re sure you’d agree) was frozen out at Ferrari earlier this autumn and now seems set for four-wheeled frolics on ice as a rally driver.
In common with many comic book creations, the Iceman doesn’t say a lot and his words aren’t weighed down with deep meaning, but his animated F1 driving has been the stuff of dreams… or nightmares, depending on which side of the ‘no pain no gain’ credo you fall.
When Raikkonen’s car burst into flames in the pit lane on the first lap of this year’s Brazilian GP and drops of petrol trickled into his eyes, rather than leap out of the car, douse his eyes in Optrex and run to an optician, he put his foot to the floor and rejoined the race.
The fire went out, but the flammable fluid in his eyes remained. Despite the risk of an incendiary outcome just around the cornea (apologies), he continued for the duration of the race – 70 laps – and finished sixth.
Afterwards the flaming Finn monotoned: “I ended up with some drops of petrol in my eye from the fuel line stuck on Heikki Kovalainen’s car and then I was engulfed in flames and blinded. I was going to stop, but luckily the flames soon went out.”
He added, with all the emotion of Schwarzenegger delivering a Hollywood line: “My eyes are still burning, but I’m all right.”
Driving at speeds of up to 200mph for 70 laps while virtually blinded with your eyes about to combust may seem superhuman or stupid, but this is mere child’s play for a man who has been described, often and unimaginatively, as born to drive… brings to mind an image of a baby Raikkonen driving his mother back from the maternity ward with the umbilical cord still attached like a fuel hose feeding a Ferrari. Born to drive indeed.
In 2002, while racing for McLaren, Belgium GP fans looked on incredulously as he powered his car into a sea of smoke caused by the blow-up of a BAR Honda.
Most drivers would have slammed on the brakes knowing that, somewhere in the dense black cloud, the obstacle of a slain F1 car was lying, but the Finn accelerated into the blackness and emerged from the smouldering plume like the T1000 in Terminator 2. A best qualifying lap was in the bag.
And at Suzuka in 2005 he put in a Herculean effort to rise from the back of the grid and torpedo past Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault on the final lap to take the chequered flag. Oh and he won the world championship in his first season at Ferrari.
While Raikkonen’s F1 driving was dramatic, his interviews were devoid of drama. When he spoke to the media – he preferred not to – he did so in a Dalek-like drawl.
He sometimes needed waking up shortly before the start of a race after a power nap – or just a nap – and he could be ruder than Amy Winehouse. His response to being asked if he would get over the disappointment of missing a special presentation involving football great Pele and Michael Schumacher at the 2006 Brazilian GP: “Yeah. I was having a —-.”
Now the flying Finn is heading for a Formula One sabbatical. He leaves F1 unchallenged as the paddock’s monosyllabic maverick.
Are you a Hollywood script writer?
Copied and pasted from the Telegraph. It would be polite to give a link or at least put it in quotes rather than making it look like original writing.
Who would WANT to take credit for that horrible writing?….It had me in stitches..
“brings to mind an image of a baby Raikkonen driving his mother back from the maternity ward with the umbilical cord still attached like a fuel hose feeding a Ferrari. Born to drive indeed.”
Ha..ha..ha…are you kidding me?
Wow. Here I was thinking that an english major needed an extra outlet to practice creative writing. Copying and pasting – real classy.
I won’t miss him, not in his current form at least.
While Kimi’s best days came before I became interested in the sport, I am tired of seeing him drag the car around each track in a noncompetitive fashion. He’s lost his motivation and was miles behind many other drivers (including Webber) this season, IMHO. But the thing that really gets me is that he could be driving for most any team on the grid if his salary demands were more realistic. Sure he’s a former world champion and all, but he refuses to live in the real world when it comes to things like salary, sponsor obligations, etc..
In short, I would much rater have a hungry, motivated driver (like Nick) that doesn’t have Kimi’s raw talent than a lazy, noncompetitive Raikkonen taking up space.
I agree completely.
Additionaly, how can he know in anticipation if any car will be a winner or not?
He hasn’t complained about this. He’s just laid out his desires and terms. That’s not the same as complaining at all.
The qualifier is unnecessary, because he got absolute results, including podiums and a win. He also almost beat the rest of the grid (matched Hamilton at least) in the period under discussion. He was never being compared against Luca and Giancarlo.
Right.
You don’t need to be accessible to have fans. It’s his driving and character that his fans admire I think. You may understand the corollary better: Being accessible doesn’t automatically generate fans for a driver.
Shades of schadenfreude in this post. Don’t know what happened here, but you really don’t have to pick an angle in all your posts – you can just lay out the facts.
You wouldn’t have written the Spa comment if you weren’t working from a predetermined angle. That was very forced – you’ll probably realize that yourself soon enough.
+1
+1!
+10!
As far as I know, this is a blog, not a media outlet claiming objectivity. I don’t understand why people are so upset here. I guess in part it’s because I largely agree with the article, but also because I cannot fathom where everyone gets the gall to expect that the website admin somehow owes it to you to write his articles the way you think he should. Speaking of just stating the facts – if you don’t agree, just state your facts, and please spare us the lecture on objectivity -how many of the pro-Kimi comments here are objective, including yours?
@ Maciek – again I have to agree with the way you put it.
I must say that I’m getting rather bored and tired of comments from certain ‘contributors’, and in some cases don’t even bother reading their predictable dross and dribble.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK KEITH!…
Hi Maciek,
I don’t know which of your points apply to me and which apply to a broader “everyone” you mention, but I’ll give it a crack anyhow.
I would like to see this blog be objective. I don’t think it’s a big deal if I express that. Most of the articles on here are in fact quite objective. I thought this one wasn’t for some reason, and I pointed it out. No doubt Keith will take the feedback and accept or reject it based on his judgement. He’s a big boy, he can handle it.
I’m not upset about anything, but you are referring to some “people” so maybe this doesn’t apply to me. You seem to be a little worked up for some reason.
Who is this “us”? The comments were addressed to Keith, the author of this blog post. Unless he’s appointed you as his spokesperson, I don’t see where you get the gall to speak for him. They weren’t addressed at you at all. Just Keith. Not you. Keith.
I don’t know about the rest of the comments. I don’t think my comments were particularly “pro-Kimi” as you put it. I was just pointing out some factual and interpretational errors in the post. My last paragraph was a general comment about the article and how it seems to differ in tone from the usual posts. I definitely stand by it.
If you want to continue this thread, I’ll be honored, but please respond to my specific points, not to a general “everyone,” “people,” “kimi fans,” or other such strawmen. I really can’t speak for others.
Have a nice day.
Well, when you write things “to Keith”, I’m sure you’ll admit that in fact you’re writing for everyone to see – and leaving your comments open to criticism on the same terms as the article itself, right?
I’m pretty sure that I haven’t claimed to speak for anyone. What I’m trying to get across, is that many comments, including yours, are on a charge to colour the article as lacking objectivity – through arguments that, to my eyes, have little objectivity in them.
So:
Kimi hasn’t complained. Well, not in words – but his actions and his manager’s statements strongly suggest that he felt miffed about not being snapped up at a high price.
Kimi got absolute results – well, you can’t call his results absolute unless you take his results to represent an absolute reference – I think that looking squarely at the trend of Massa’s results vs Kimi’s, I’m at pains to conclude anything else than that Massa was the one setting the reference, and his unsuccessful replacements probably made Kimi’s end of season look better than it would have had Massa been there.
Kimi only delivers at Spa – to me it sounds like a sarcastic way of saying that since some time it’s about the only track that has brought out a spark in Kimi’s driving. Matter of opinion, but I agree with it.
The other points you pick out in the article – about Kimi’s inaccessibility and that he could have acheived much more – to my eyes you’re arguing against fairly objective assertions there.
Thank you for responding.
Oh yes. Certainly. Wouldn’t have it otherwise.
That’s just wrong and non-standard usage of “complains” then. You can’t really blame me if I pointed that out. Maybe clearer words should be used?
My point is that when you get podiums, a win, and almost beat the rest of the grid, comparisons with teammates are moot. If Kimi was languishing in the mid-field, the only benchmark would have been his teammate – and that’s when the Massa argument would have had merit. But he wasn’t languishing, so we have plenty of other standard benchmarks. In other words, if you just forget about the other Ferrari, it’s still obvious that he drove very well – the results show it (without comparison to teammate).
Keith may have been using this as a rhetorical device to accentuate a broader point about Kimi’s inconsistency. I think it was unnecessarily snarky, and made the point very poorly. I still think it’s very forced and is simply untrue (backed by data). I similarly consider “Massa can only win from pole” to be snarly and a poor argument and hope to never see it when Massa retires, even as a rhetorical device.
Oh, the accessibility point was just me offering my perspective – I wasn’t picking on his point or offering an argument. Keith just said it made him reflect – no problem there.
Most of my points were about the literal interpretation of Keith’s words, while your arguments are along the “spirit” of the article (which you happen to agree with, and so may find it easier to gloss over the wording errors).
The point I was making in my final paragraph in my original comment was that Keith got carried away with supporting the “spirit” of the article and consequently chose poor words and unnecessary qualifiers (”complains,” “only in Spa” for example). This is unusual for Keith, so I pointed it out.
Fair game, Hakka.
You cant blame raikkonen for not wanting to risk his life if he has no chance of winning, with all the money in the world he does not need racing as a job, more as a hobby.
And to say Massa had the upper hand on kimi , is absurd.
Like they said he was brilliant since his first race with sauber, Massa was promising but erratic, Raikkonen was called by mclaren to fill the shoes of a double world champion and he delivered, Massa had to go become a test driver, and when promoted at ferrari needed half a year to get close to michael´s pace. When they were teamates, Raikkonen dominated 2007, and started 2008 clearly dominating massa, it was until the error at monaco all fell apart, he had the exhaust issue in france, hit from behind at the pitlane in canada, the spin in the rain at spa, with all those he could easily taken on hamilton and massa up to the last race.
this year, he corrected his worse flaw from 2008, and outqualified massa, was faster at races, and the second half comapared to fisi he showed what a racer he is.
Spa shows the real racer, and there only raikkonen´s name can be spoken in the same sentence as senna and schumi
Then why not count the points Massa and Hamilton lost through bad luck/penalties?
India media reports very few formula one news.but they reported the “raikkonen to mercedez”.possibility,,that shows how much it is important for raikkonen fans in india..there are only a few handful fans of lewis hamilton and fernando alonso..here is the report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/racing/top-stories/Raikkonen-open-to-Mercedes-offers-says-manager/articleshow/5247206.cms
Personally Keith, I think you have been a little harsh on Kimi in this article. I think that he is the last of a breed of real racers, who love the racing not the PR. And he does perform at more races than just Spa(which is regarded as the toughest challenge, where the driver excels)
Agree. Keith has been uncharacteristically harsh
Not sad to see him go – I won’t have to listen to his voice again. They say he has charisma. No he doesn’t. They say he’s the opposite of the PC brigade because he has personality. Alonso has personality, Lewis this year showed he has once you get past him saying what he thinks he should be saying because he’s spent all his life racing and hasn’t really formed as a human yet (though he’s progressing) he does have some personality, Button does as well, Vettel and Webber have tons to dish out. Kimi doesn’t have more personality than these people, he has less. He was boring to talk to and made me lose the will to live every time I heard his voice. He couldn’t be bothered to put the effort in, particularly after his first season in Ferrari.
Do watch the races to see the driver talking to the media or to see them racing? O__o
my head says button deal to mclaren was just to put raikkonen is Mercedes.Mercedes would never like to have two top drivers in mclaren .i still can see rosberg lining up with raikkonen..Raikkonen for past few points is lying to media alot first he said “ferrari will be his last team”..later when everyone was assuming fernando is on the move to ferrari he kept saying “i have a contract”..i hate to trust on his statement “mclaren or nothing”..yes it was his priority but he knows Mercedes is capable of delivering a good competitive car.and i think Mercedes wants raikkonen more than raikkonen needs Mercedes..
I’ll miss him when he can be bothered…
The best thing about him is that he’s always concerned about his pride……
Though he might not be that interested in F1 now…..he will come back to Settle the business with Ferrari…..
And btw…..guys who saying Alonso being a world champion went back to struggling stages or a struggling team…….
Well Alonso went because he wanted to……U cannot compare kimi and alonso on their decisions…..while alonso in order to wait for his chance to come, went back to renault…..Kimi never wanted to wait and just drive for numbers while he could make a mark at something that he tries….and i’m happy that he did that…….its just that he’s an honest driver that there many fans of him and haters as well….
Read this:
Even Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug does not want the quiet blond completely removed from the list. “Kimi hat meine Nummer. Er kann mich jederzeit anrufen.” “Kimi has my number. He can call me anytime.” Man kennt sich ja aus vergangenen McLaren-Tagen. They know each other even from former McLaren-days.
Sure he’s a very good driver but why would I miss him? I didn’t miss Michael who was better. He’s had his time, and he’s another driver flattered by often weak or troubled team mates, and the single-lap quali era which played to his one-lap strength. After edging the championship in ‘07 (aided by an illegal car in Oz, team orders in Brazil, and Mclaren self destructing) he never looked like he was ‘9x the salary’ better than Massa, and didn’t seem to enjoy not being a clear No.1 in the team at all. I can’t see how he could possibly readjust to McLaren, where he would be a certain No.2 this time, Lewis would have slaughtered him. If Montoya had been happier at McLaren, or had DC been able to single lap qualify Kimi’s reputation wouldn’t be so very great, it was built on being compared to mediocrity. Is it any wonder McLaren were willing to pay more for Button and Ferrari were looking to sign Alonso as early as the end of 07?
wow Keith, you’re really p****d on Kimi for taking the 2007 title from Hammy..I wouldn’t call this article objective journalism, unless you’re a Brit that is..but still, why you hate him so much I can not tell..anyway Kimi will be missed, and those who can differentiate the passion for racing in a driver from drenching yourself in media adulation know what he was (and still IS) about, and you’ll see how 2010 will be filled with PR robots who drive an F1 car every now and then
I don’t hate Kimi Raikkonen. If you’d read the other article I linked to you’d realise that:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/05/07/being-kimi-raikkonen/
Kimi just want to drive….why people even ask him for more duties?? I´m sure if we ask: Kimi, would you consider much lower price from your servings, if you don´t have to do press conferenses and other stuff like that? Answer would definetily be YES!! He then gets payment only from driving, and then salary is not that much, but he would be happy with that…
Räikkönen kann Haug anrufen
“Kimi hat meine Nummer. Er kann mich jederzeit anrufen.” Man kennt sich ja aus vergangenen McLaren-Tagen.
it says raikkonen has my number he csn call me anytime.haug want to be approached by raikkonen…here is the link
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/ross-brawn-sucht-button-ersatz-keine-schnelle-entscheidung-1479466.html
Leider, zu spaet.
I will miss not having a sportsman of Raikkonen’s calibre and talent on the grid. He leaves behind many drivers who are less talented than himself and I am confident that there is still more he will achieve in F1, so I’ll patiently await his return hopefully in 2011.
For that to happen Hammy & Jense or at least their dad’s must fall out astronomically. Chances of that happening are very bleak.
The best scenario for Kimi(if he doesn’t get a drive) would be, to hope that Nico Rosberg miserably under performs, in the process proving most of the F1 audience that he’s just a good looking guy who resembles Leonardo di vinci, but a mediocre talent.
Kimi could replace him for 2011.
Or Redbull?
Personally, I think Lewis and Jensen will do alright together, or maybe that’s just me hoping they’ll conduct themselves in a gentlemanly manner. Also, I look forward to Rosberg in 2010, definitely one to watch.
Yeah, I was thinking Red Bull too. He’s rumoured to be going in a Red Bull sponsored Citroen in the WRC (if not in f1).
Kimi and his daredevil antics fit exactly with Red Bull’s image.
I thought more di Caprio myself
i like him because he’s unique. doesn’t say much, no bs. no controversies. and he just gets on with the job. he needs a team he really likes to be with, not just the car.
blah blah blah. i dont give a toss whether he signs every cap handed to him or never signs another one.
In a top line race driver you have to ask of him 2 things, and its not : is he quick? thats a given. the question you ask is can he overtake if he needs to and can he carry a team to greater heights? the answer to both of these is no kimi cant. he did well in the uber pay era to get such a salary but then eddie irvine was on 12 and so was little schumacher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oF1Fp8tkRw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=471WGsG7Mrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlKOSI8PeW8
its an unfair world!!!
the article says :
Raikkonen may bring Haug
Who’s eligible, you can imagine. Nick Heidfeld, while being on the list, but the Mönchengladbacher is not the only one. Even if Kimi Räikkönen speaking from a rally season, the train when the Finn did not yet left completely. Offers you the world champion of 2007 is the ideal environment, then that Formula 1 remains a priority. One, two rallies he can still ride alongside. Even Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug does not want the quiet blond completely removed from the list. “Kimi has my number. He can call me anytime.” They know each other even from former McLaren-days.
Perhaps there are indeed still one or two surprises on the driver market. Renault intends to decide by the end of December, as it continues with the team. If the racing team will be locked or sold, and Robert Kubica would suddenly come back into the conversation.
I can understand why kimi was so keen to avoid some of his fans – many of them seem to be obsessed with him. More than any other driver, Raikkonen seems to have a very strange bunch of ‘followers’.
Any mention of Raikkonen in the press or the internet that isn’t 100& glowing praise will be savaged as being “racist” or “jealous” by this odd bunch of people who come from all around the world.
I will/would miss seeing him race in F1, certainly. But “sympathy” is not exactly the right word. He made his decision to race only if whatever compromise he would have to make for a contract was acceptable to him, and he stuck to it. In any other area of life, that would be labeled commendable. But because he’s an F1 driver he’s labeled “greedy”. So I can’t blame him for making the decision and sticking with it and I hope he’ll enjoy whatever it is he does do next year, even if it is racing in F1 with Mercedes.
Did he finish the year on 10 championship points? That is a really ignorant thing to say.
An off-hand statement, the kind Keith doesnt throw about normally.
Keith
I love your blog and everything, but you not hiding your feelings to kimi very well!
First of all you seem to ignore facts on this season and last season! Kimi hasn’t been outperformed by Massa at all, look at france where massa inherited a win of kimi or spa where massa inherited another win both of kimi and hamilton. This year also, Massa had better strategy than kimi for a few races, but what about monaco and all the races since? Kimi was 0.077 of pole at monaco in an inferior car to button! Didnt hear much fuss about that?
Or at spa when again kimi had an inferior car to fisi and still kept him behind the whole race, hungary, monza,suzuka,valencia…come on
Have some respect for the man, it seems a lot of selective memory is going on on this blog! You cant argue with wins, fastest laps and statistics, take a peek you might learn a few things about drivers that aren’t british!
it is requested to all Raikkonen fans that keep it cool..just like “ICEMAN” .Keith has its own opinion.it doesnt make any difference to us or kimi raikkonen..we know how good he is ..and its going to prove next year as i still believe raikkonen is set to move to mercedes gp.
There is no point discussing at all then, because everyone has their opinions and nothing is going to change them : )
As I wrote yesterday, I have also noticed Keith doesn’t like Kimi and that is OK, everyone has their opinions, but it’s disturbing since it clearly shows on his articles, which sometimes are clearly not neutral. It’s a pity since I think this site is in many ways best F1 site.
I challenge you Keith! You said Kimi was beaten by Felipe over first half of this season, I don’t think that is true at all. I hope you would make an article about this, analyzing Massa vs. Kimi throughout 2007-2009 taking into account every single detail as you normally do. How much influence did the fact that Massa was more often given lighter car thank Kimi? What about the rumors that Ferrari backed Massa more than Kimi etc. You could try to prove your point, but it would be anyway be interesting article since their three-year-long “team mate relationship” has just ended.
Or instead of rumours, we could just use facts. Here is a summary of Raikkonen and Massa’s results at Ferrari up to the point Massa had his accident:
2007 Wins Pods PP F. Laps Pts WC
MASSA 3 10 6 6 94 0
RAIKKONEN 6 12 3 6 110 1
2008 Wins Pods PP F. Laps Pts WC
MASSA 6 10 6 3 97 0
RAIKKONEN 2 9 2 10 75 0
2009 Wins Pods PP F. Laps Pts WC
MASSA 0 1 0 1 22 0
RAIKKONEN 0 1 0 0 10 0
2007-9 Wins Pods PP F. Laps Pts WC
MASSA 9 21 12 10 213 0
RAIKKONEN 8 22 5 16 195 1
So Massa has more wins, more points and more poles, whereas Raikkonen has one more podium, more fastest laps and one more world championship.
So now you have the facts. Let the statistic twisting begin!
Hey, I spent ages perfectly spacing this reply and now you can’t read it!
Can read it just fine James…thanks for the effort.The results surprise me but,can’t argue stats.
Well you can give Kimi’s win in Brazil 07 to Massa, that was handed over for the sake of the championship
What about Massa’s 2nd place in China ‘08? It’s a slippery slope… and what counts in the 1 championship. Kimi was also runner up twice.
Thank you, nice effort
I don’t think it can be said Massa beated Raikkonen when looking at these statistics. It’s a tie in wins and podiums. Massa has more pole positions, Raikkonen has more fastest laps. Massa has 18 more points than Raikkonen and Kimi can blame himself for this, his second half of 2008 was terrible. However, he beats Massa in the most important statistic: Championships. Looking only these statistics, I would call it a tie.
However the statistic I’d like to see most is how many times Massa was lighter than Kimi when they both made it to Q3. That might explain why he has so many podiums more than Kimi and maybe also why he has 18 more points, since “one lap lighter than your team mate” is often said to be the better one.
Sorry, “That might explain why he has so many podiums more than Kimi” should be “That might explain why he has so many pole positions more than Kimi”
I have little sympathy for Kimi. Take the Ferrari money and run mate as that’s what you only really care about after all.
F1 needs people who are crazy hungry and prepared to fight tooth and nail every step of the way and not have it all handed on a silver platter to them as he seems to think is his right for some strange reason.
The publicity and PR are par for the course and he should just get on with it. I too would hate it but then again he is extremely handsomely rewarded for it.
And therefore if he does not return to a F1 grid as a racer, I for one will not be to sad or sorry. You make your bed and you sleep in it, end of…
And you assume he’s not hungry because he doesn’t whine on and on in front of a camera telling everyone?
do you live in a world where everyone has the same personality?
End of the day he’s a world class driver, he will go down in history as one of the most SUCCESSFUL drivers of all time no matter what you say!
I will only miss his lively post race interviews. Zzzzzzzzzzzz
I still hope that he might join Mercedes.
He said that he thinks that Mercedes would prefer German drivers.
BUT this is not true, since Zetsch and Haug said that Mercedes is an international team and it is not a pre requisite to have German drivers.
So, I can’t vote yet.
here are what Zetsch and Haug said:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80175
Most people seem to think that Kimi’s aversion to the press and adoring public have to do with him being a bit arrogant or simply a bit of a dink.
However, there are a lot of people who are introverts and find social appearances and participation to be difficult, uncomfortable, and tiring. Maybe Kimi is one of those people. Sure, he gets well rewarded for what he does, but that wouldn’t make it anymore pleasant.
I’ve always tried to give Kimi the benefit of the doubt on this particular facet of his personality. I don’t know him, so I don’t know why he doesn’t like to do that kind of stuff.
There are things at work that I hate doing. I try and avoid them if possible, but do them them when they’re absolutely necessary… but not with a smile on my face. I think everyone has that right.
(Kimi)
I’ll be back………….after a sh/t
And it’s these little nuggets of his character that make him actually a very entertaining and fun driver to follow. Much more so than PR monkeys towing the company line at Press Conferences.
I almost voted that I’d stop watching F1, but that would be a lie. It crossed my mind, the same way it did when the Mansell / Senna era ended. But who am I kidding.. I’ll always watch F1.. ‘cos I am a racing driver, which is another reason why I appreciate Kimi’s perspective on the F1 Circus.
@UnicornF1
yes its not over yet..ive came across a link which says:
Raikkonen may bring Haug
Who’s eligible, you can imagine. Nick Heidfeld, while being on the list, but the Mönchengladbacher is not the only one. Even if Kimi Räikkönen speaking from a rally season, the train when the Finn did not yet left completely. Offers you the world champion of 2007 is the ideal environment, then that Formula 1 remains a priority. One, two rallies he can still ride alongside. Even Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug does not want the quiet blond completely removed from the list. “Kimi has my number. He can call me anytime.” They know each other even from former McLaren-days.
Perhaps there are indeed still one or two surprises on the driver market. Renault intends to decide by the end of December, as it continues with the team. If the racing team will be locked or sold, and Robert Kubica would suddenly come back into the conversation.
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/ross-brawn-sucht-button-ersatz-keine-schnelle-entscheidung-1479466.html
I’ve voted I will miss Kimi Raikkonen if he finally don’t be part of next year grid, just because one simple reason:
I prefer to have another fast and challenging driver in the grid than other untrained rookie two seconds off pace.
When was the last time we had the opportunity to watch 4 world champions fighting for a title?
Fair point.
And Keith’s harshness continues
Guess he’s sad his medals nonsense is not on the cards anymore …