Should Renault sign Raikkonen? (Poll)

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With many drivers staying put for 2011 the most coveted place on the grid for next year is the second Renault seat.

Speculation about who might take that place has come alive in the past week with the news that team principal Eric Boullier is planning to meet with Kimi Raikkonen. Is the 2007 world champion the right man for Renault?

Pro

The question is, does it make sense for Renault? And with all respect to their Russian rookie no-one would deny a Robert Kubica and Raikkonen is a strong driving pairing than Kubica and Vitaly Petrov.

Kubica is clearly a great talent but there were times at BMW when Nick Heidfeld showed him the way.

Having a bona fide world champion alongside him will leave the team in no doubt they’re getting the most out of their car every weekend.

Con

When Raikkonen left the sport last year he did so partly because of the lack of opportunities with front-running teams. But it was also motivated by his dislike of the degree of public exposure that comes with being a Formula 1 driver.

If he did come back, how long would it take him to tire of the press and PR work again?

Even if he didn’t, might Renault be better off investing in an up-and-coming driver who might have a more long-term future with the team? A Petrov, Grosjean or d’Ambrosio, for example?

I say

Speaking purely from the point of view of what’s good for the sport, I’d love to see Raikkonen racing again next year as the fifth or sixth champion on the grid (depending on how this year’s championship resolves itself).

The sticking point for me is which Raikkonen we get. The rapid, combative Raikkonen who won the 2007 championship and was always on top form at Spa?

Or the one that lost his edge after winning the championship to such an extent that Ferrari ended his contract a year early?

If it’s the former, let’s have him back. The latter can stay in the land of mud and Wellington boots.

You say

Do you think Renault should sign Kimi Raikkonen for 2011? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.

Should Renault sign Kimi R??ikk??nen for 2011?

  • No (30%)
  • Yes (70%)

Total Voters: 3,402

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Read more: 2011 F1 drivers and teams

Image © Citroen

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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224 comments on “Should Renault sign Raikkonen? (Poll)”

  1. For Renault certainly…

    They would certainly have been at least one place higher this year with Kimi…

    For F1 fans… definitely, as this year is a bit uninspiring without him… let’s face it the WDC will be the one who has made the fewest number of totally stupid errors as they’ve all made them…

    But for Kimi… I am not so sure…

    He’s much much more relaxed rallying than he ever was in F1… so if he enjoys it and it’s certainly a much biggere challenge, why bother with F1…

    1. Well I am an F1 fan, and I dont want him to go there, I personally dont like Renault so I would rather him not there. That and I dont mind Petrov, sure he has made mistakes, but he is a rookie, thats what they do.

      1. you don’t like renault, i don’t like YOU!!!!

    2. Kimi Raikkonen is my favorite since Senna passed and a damn talented driver. So he wasn’t a media mogul, I liked that about him too. He was the Iceman, too hot to handle, too cold to freeze. His reason for losing interest at Ferrari are a lesson to learnt by all, when the team, the boss and the guy pulling the strings from above (msc) no longer support you, you show them the same support, yes his salary may have commanded more, but he did help develop that car the year before, the car he won the WDC. Mclaren from all reports loved him and his input and if you can remember he seemed a much happier camper at Mclaren. I was devastated when he left for Ferrari, luckily he was paid out and unfortunately Massa decided an income is more important than a career. No.2 in a team may as well just be called a test driver.
      Enough rambling, I voted No. Kimi is progressing in rallying, the environment is a better one, although I’d love to see him push an f1 car again and I love f1, I think the sport is heading for some dangerous times ( more days spent in courts rather than on the track ) and finally think Kubica deserves a no.1 spot in a team that is ever improving.

      1. lol – too cold to freeze.. i’m sure there is some logic in that aomewhere..

        1. Actually, a somewhat analogous phenomenon happens with supersolid helium 4, which exists in an undefined state. It’s crystalline like a solid, but when cooled to below the lambda point, a frictionless Bose-Einstein condensate occurs, yielding liquid-like properties.

          So, there you go. It makes sense after all.

          1. can you draw me a picture? I don’t understand your langualages flobblewhaops flippyflobs.

      2. LOL
        he helped develop what
        he won the WDC in car deloped by schumacher
        and in 2008 and 2009 the car stank
        even in 2010 its a brick
        it took ferrari with Alonso till spain to get the car to be near the Red Bulls
        funny how a lot of peeps forget that Kimi is a fast racer thats all
        he is like the Hamster all speed and no brains
        sorry to say buts its my opion

        1. he is like the Hamster all speed and no brains

          Well, he earns millions driving fast cars all day, parties all night, and can (and apparently does) have any woman he wants. Smart or not, he seems to have made some pretty good decisions! :)

    3. I suppose he sould do the thing he enjoys most. From what i see about his attetude this year, that looks like staying in WRC is the thing for him.
      I liked the comments from Kubica on Kimis website about himself choosing to stay in WRC if he would get such a great opportunity to drive in a top line rallye car.

  2. Kimi was always a great driver, really fast, but rubbish at giving feedback, and helping develop a car.
    They said as much at ferrari before sacking him.

    Renault are on their way back to the front of the grid thanks to their continious development program, which in turn relies a great deal on the feedback the team get from Kubica, and in a lesser degree petrov.

    Motivation and speed aside, I just don’t think Raikonnen is what Renault needs right now…

    1. You know McLaren say the absolute opposite about him, their engineers love how consistent he is for testing which is why they looked at taking him back when he left Ferrari.

      1. I would think that the Citroen guys would agree with the McLaren engineers. Anyway, he seems to be similar to Button in that he needs a very specific setup for him to do well, in fact, probably the opposite, since Button likes a stable rear while Kimi likes slight oversteer.

        And yes, the Kimi from 2005 or 2007 would be worth hiring back…

        1. Todt brought him to Ferrari and developed the car to his liking in the second half of the season when he dominated. He needs great front grip otherwise he can’t perform. When Todt left noone was there to look after his interests and as we know he is really bad at doing that for himself.

          They did not wan’t to develop the car in his direction and simply ignored to listen to his advice.

          Schumacher was never a Kimi fan and disliked him and he showed it very clearly, he has close ties to Massa so he did everything in his power to give Massa what he wanted, massive understeering.

          Last season both Badoer and Fisichella complained a lot about the understeering.

          This year Alonso came in and the Ferrari is more neutral and Massa struggles immensely.
          Schumacher left for this season and Alonso was the force behind it and would have happened without the Mercedes drive.

          Ferraris decision to put all weight behind Massa for emotional reasons was a huge mistake.
          After this season Massa have been beaten by 5 different teammates in the championship over the years, I think that is all of his teammate(not sure).

          That is not the hallmark of a champion.

  3. meh, only if Renault goes back to the old Blue and Yellow livery. I despise the yellow and black.

    What more does he have to prove? Already has a championship and at least next year he should know most of the stages in the WRC — I’d like to see that experiment continue.

    I definitely miss him in the interview room. On the track, he only pushed if he had a good car– otherwise, he cruised(like last year).

    1. You mean the kind of cruising he did when he got more points than any other driver out of race 9 to 14? In THAT car .. sure, he was SO demotivated and he drove so badly, it was a pain to watch ………..

    2. the renault looks much better in yellow and black!

  4. No. Because I don’t want him back.

    Though in the interests of Renault sure.. they should.. but in MY interests .. no…. XD

    1. HAHAHAHA!~ ;D good point there. :D

    2. Ditto this!

      Though I don’t think it’s in Renault’s interests either…

  5. To be completely honest, Petroc hasn’t impressed me much this year. He had a couple of races where he got off to good starts and overtook slower cars.. but he made mistakes that even rookies would consider amatuerish.

    I wouldn’t mins seeing Petrov around next year, as I’m sure he will develop into a better driver.. but he is not good enough to retain the second Renault seat.
    I would much rather see Kimi back, and hopefully, if Renault can challenge the top 2 teams next year, it will be great to see Kimi and Kubica fight it out.

    1. He had a couple of races where he got off to good starts and overtook slower cars.. but he made mistakes that even rookies would consider amatuerish.

      Technically, you could say the same about Vettel… :]

  6. I say no, and reason is the photo in this article. He is smiling, he is obviously happy in WRC. When did he ever smile in Formula 1? He has nothing left to prove in F1, he’s already won a World Championship, and unlike some he doesn’t need to prove he’s the best coming back to try and win a few more.

  7. I pretty much see it the way Keith does, but I say no.

    Renault have Kubica. He’s proving this year that he is able to take the #1 position and really make something of it. With Kimi and Kubica in the same team, who becomes the leader? Renault have always been best when they’ve galvanised behind a fast lead driver and Petrov has shown flashes of pace and performance, even if he has been mistake-prone and been generally slower than Robert this season. What about him or one of the other potential rookies ready to make the step-up?

    With Kimi, what are you getting? A Formula 1 World Champion, yes. But is that enough? Yes he’s brilliantly fast and yes he’s a proven race winner, but I really had an issue with his attitude and his apparent lack of drive and ambition ever since 2007. He’d need to prove to me that he’s fully committed and ready mentally before I’d say signing him was a good idea. Also, who’s to say that he’ll hop back into an F1 car after an entire year out and be as quick as he always was? For me, he’s too much of a gamble, so why take the risk?

    Ultimately, I think it’s up to Renault to decide what they think gives them the best chance at moving up the grid next year, whether that’s Kimi, Petrov or whoever. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if Kimi joined Renault and found himself regularly beaten by Kubica, the man I think is driving the best out of anyone on the grid this season.

    1. lack of ambition?..in 2008, he was in a position to win the Canadian, British, French Grands Prix as well, despite the team backing Massa’s driving style by then..and in 2009, once they re-focused on him, he was able to perform miracles in that car which hadn’t been developed because they were focusing on the F10 by that time..anyway, this has been said numerous times and it;s way too laborious to try and get everyone to see that

      1. This is an undermentioned point actually an a good one glue.

        His performance, amazing string of podiums and all round brilliance, especially the sensational win at Spa are all completely ignored when Raikkonen’s motivation are considered. I had really hoped to see him at McLaren. Alas it was not to be, never the less I don’t think Renault would do to badly with Raikkonen if he doesn’t try to break their bank.

        1. I think people forget Kimi in 09 because Massa beat him mostly. Kimi’s string of podiums were great but when he had Badoer next door not as special.

          1. Massa didn’t beat him that often though. On the occasions they both finished Massa beat Kimi 3 times and Kimi beat massa twice. Not necessarily a walk over. Over the 5 races leading up to the accident (as the car became more competitive) Massa scored all his points whereas Kimi had 2 retirements. I think people saw Massa beating Kimi in the championship and assumed it was the same as 08, but I would not have been surprised to see Kimi finish the season with more points had Massa continued running.

          2. The stats will say that massa beat him during the first half of 2009 but kimi outqualified him more times than not and suffered bad luck in races – for example nurburgring he retired from p4 and finished p9 at silverstone because of a catastrophic ferrari strategy. at monaco he was half a second quicker in quali. people seem to conveniently forget these things.

          3. When they both finished…in 09 China Massa looked good for a podium in China until his car failed, in Spain Massa was beating Kimi until Rai’s gearbox failed, in Aus both were doing really well and then it all went pair shaped. At Monaco Kimi had a cracking weekend but Massa was flying all race too and may have challenged Kimi met Button coming out of the pits that halted his charge. Kimi (and Ferrari) mucked up his strategy in Malaysia.

            People said Massa was beating Kimi because well, he was…

          4. The first half of 2009, Kimi hardly had a race where something didn’t break down or go wrong. Smoking KERS, miss-firing cilinders, wrong tyres.

          5. Kimi really massacred Massa in qualy but
            had many weird problems in the race.
            There was no question who was quicker.

            I went over stats for qualies and race pace and car weight etc.

            He usually outqualified Massa even as he had a couple of more laps of fuel, Massa liked to go light and Kimi heavy. I think Massa made a better choice since the teams was so close.

            Massa had more points at the stage he left but points are not all the truth.

          6. Massa could’ve won the championship in 2009 had the car lasted in the first part of the championship.

  8. I’d like to see Kimi back. Will Renault be able to stump up enough coin for it to happen?

  9. I can’t agree with “Nick Heidfeld showed him [kubica] the way.”. They were in german team so this team supported Heidfeld more thank Kubica. Just remember 2008 season when Kubica fought for WDC but team was more interested in helping Heidfeld in quali.

    1. BMW were trying to get the best result for the team. If they favoured Heidfeld they wouldn’t have got him to let Kubica through at Canada 2008. That meant that the team managed to get a 1-2 whereas if Heidfled hadn’t let Kubica through BMW would still have won the race but probably not achieved a 1-2 finish.

    2. Nick did show him the way in two out of the three full seasons they were team-mates

      1. I would say he did in 2007 when Kubica was rookie. In 2008 Kubica was better than Heidfeld. I think in 2009 Heidfeld wasn’t better than Kubica as you suggested. He finished just 2 points in front of him and had less DNF because of technical problem. Also Kubica suffered because of KERS and regulations in 2009 which favoured short drivers. There were couple of races when Heidfeld was racing with KERS an Kubica without it because of problems with balancing the car.

        1. in 2006 he was a rookie..Kubica finished so close to Heidfeld last year because of his podium in Brazil which gave him 8 points, while Heidfeld’s podium in Malaysia only gave him 4, for instance

          1. I agree, although at the start of 2007 season Kubica was only in 6 races (2006) when Heidfled was in 117. Malaysia 2009? All I remember from this GP is Heidfeld hailing his crucial tyre choice decision….

  10. I would very much like to see Raikkonen come back to F1, because he is my all time favourite f1 driver. Besides, if Renault are thinking of winning the championship, they should have a champion in the second cockpit. They will not win the championship with such drivers like Petrov, Glock, Grosjean or d’Ambrosio. It takes at least two years until young driver starts to give fruits, and there is still question if they are talented enough to give fruits. Tell me the team, who won championship with weak second driver. You won’t, because there wasn’t such a team.

    1. http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/walkerd/biography.html

      Enjoy! Dave tallied a total of zero points while team mate Emerson won the championship.

      Overall I disagree with your comments, The amount of money Renault could put into development instead of into Kimi’s salary could very well be the difference between them taking the title and not.

      On the other side, Kimi is cool to watch, and he is quick, So I’d like him back too!

      1. I was talking about constructors’ championship, and the feedback which Raikkonen can give is more crucial than saved money.

  11. I say no, if he does come back all we will get is;
    “it was ok I suppose”
    *scratches nose then ears*

    1. Do you watch F1 for interviews???

      1. Some people don’t notice it’s racing not MTV and prefer Lewis-styled PR puppets than drivers focused purely on racing and not seeking media attention like Kimi or Robert. That’s sad.

        1. Don’t be so silly, your just making an assumption about me because I’ve insulted Kimi.

          I don’t like the guy, my allowed to state my opinion via the medium of a rubbish jokes.

          I’d prefer Karun, Sato, Anthony Davidson and JP Montayo anyday because they can actually drive and the have personalities.

          If I’m forced to watch the build up repeating what I’ve read on F1Fanatic for the week then the least I’m asking for is some entertainment.

          Although I must admit watching Kimi charge through the field when wanting a win was always exciting to watch, but that stopped happening after 2007.

          1. wow, you are accusing that kimi doesn’t have a personality…..
            pushing the media person in the pits,
            talking about ‘taking a dump’ in the interview,
            sleeping hours before a race and
            poking his ‘gear’ stick in a bar
            these are all TRUE reflection of his devil may care(but i wont about trivial details like media attention) personality.

            Now tell me what is Hamilton’s personality…..
            Don’t say ‘always pushing and never giving up…..’
            the guy complains like a girl and threatened to quit after a lousy month (which was his making of course).

          2. alfz, why have you assumed I like Hamilton too?.

            Or are you just stating your dislike for a driver?, if so, good on you.

    2. Come on, no personality from Kimi?

      AFAIC, the best Kimi moment was the race where he got champagne sprayed in his face on the podium, and appeared to be pretty uncomfortable. The interviewer asked him whether there was an issue with the champagne, and kimi said, “Yeah – think so we should put in the mouth and not in the eye…”

  12. Kimi is one of those rare drivers that can change peoples loyalties away from their teams. I hate Ferrari but bought alot of Kimi/Ferrari merch. I never particularly liked Renault, even in the Alonso days, but with the new paint scheme and with Kimi and Kubica heading the teams they would probably become the team I’m routing for. Its not exactly a concious choice, but you cant help feel excited when Kimi does well. It will only help Renualt.

  13. Probably the most over-rated driver ever!

    How many years was he with Mclaren? and how many titles did he get: Nil
    And one year after he went over to Ferrari’s ice cream cabinet, Mclaren were on top again.

    He should stick to racing Ladas in the woods, after all there he’ll have plenty of space to “go for a s**t”
    ;)

    1. how many years was Coulthard with McLaren and how many titles has he won?

    2. He came pretty close in 03 and 05 though. And the other years weren’t particularly competitive for McLaren.

      1. “He came pretty close in 03 and 05 though” Not really in 05 as Alonso won before the season even ended.

        To be fair to him though Mclaren were unreliable or like 06 no where near contention.

        “And one year after he went over to Ferrari’s ice cream cabinet, Mclaren were on top again.”

        I don’t think that was Kimi’s fault they weren’t on top before plus Mclaren did have a little bit of help with their car in 07 :P

        1. Ok it wasn’t massively close, but after an early domination by Alonso he upped his game and chased him down for a lot of the season. I think weve got used to thinking from 06-08 and probably this year that it is common for championships to go down to the last race, but really having it decided 1 race early is still pretty close, especially for the number of races on the modern calender.

          Perhaps I’m biased in wanting Kimi back because 05 was the year I started watching every race and Kimi made that season exciting.

    3. Hadn’t the Mercedes engine and the Mclaren had such bad reliability he would be three time champion now. At least. Now you’re sport before hating. Btw, how many lap records and fastest laps does Kimi have? That’s right, quite a few. He’s probably one of the absolutely fastest and most consistent driver in modern ages of F1.

      1. If’s and but’s – I don’t know where you got 3 titles from. He was really only in the 2003 championship by virtue of reliability and in the second half of 2005 Alonso had such a lead in the championship he rarely pushed hard in races because he didn’t need to. In his other years at McLaren the car wasn’t good enough for him to win a title.

        Trouble with Kimi in the last couple of years was that he took half a race to wake up, then when he finally did it was too late on in the race for him to so anything.Most of the time he set them in the last moments of a race when he’d finally woken up and everyone else was just cruising to the end. Consistant isn’t a word I’d use to describe Kimi, you never knew which version of him would turn up in his Ferrari years at least.

    4. How many years was he with Mclaren? and how many titles did he get: Nil
      And one year after he went over to Ferrari’s ice cream cabinet, Mclaren were on top again.

      After he left Mcdonalds, how long did it take for him to win the title? One season.

      1. (((((((LOL)))))))))

        1. Yes, your blatantly wrong opinion of Kimi is hilarious.

  14. I don’t see it myself. Renault (Benetton) has historically been a team more interested in the drivers’ championship than the constructors’. I don’t think Kimi is likely to return to a car that won’t win him the title – there would be no point. But if Renault build a car capable of taking the top spot, they already have a driver who can put it there in Kubica. To dismiss Petrov in favour of Räikkönen would merely lose them untold millions of pounds (both from the money Petrov brings in and what they would have to pay Kimi) just to give them a driver who will be trying to take points off Kubica (Kimi, a team player? I don’t think so.)

    However, the question remains, what is going on? There is, as Heikki Kovaleinen will tell you, no smoke without fire, and there is certainly *something* going on in Enstone. Petrov is under pressure to up his game, with Räikkönen being used as the stick to the ‘seaat for next year’ carrot. But I personally think that’s all it is. Renault’s ideal situation would be for Vitaly to suddenly wake up and turn into the next Pedro Diniz, a wealthy, competent number two supporting a Kubica title bid as his tailgunner. If they decide he really isn’t up to it (and I think the evidence so far suggests he should be given another chance), I don’t see Kimi being the answer. If Petrov has to go, my money would be on Nick Heidfeld being the ideal man to bring his Pirelli knowledge and development skills, as well as the way he has of pushing Kubica’s buttons to spur him on as he did in 2008. They made a great team then, and I think they can again.

    Kimi’s not coming back to F1, at least not this year.

    1. There’s a reason why Renault didn’t take Heidfeld at the beginning of the season – Kubica didn’t want to partner him again. His performance at Singapore was lacklustre at best; we know the Sauber C29 is capable of much more than what he delivered.

      His knowledge of the Pirelli tyres will be of no use to him. He is no longer Pirelli’s test driver, and he only did two preliminary tests. I have a friend who is writing a PhD on polymers (he’s actually looking to work in MotoGP with racing tyres) and we were discussing this a few months ago. Because the exact composition of the rubber compounds is such a delicate science, experienced of preliminary tyres will offer no advantage because the final compunds will have change so much. Heidfeld might as well have been testing tractor tyres.

      1. PM,

        To be fair, Heidfeld’s race was ruined in the first laps with the Force India magnet that was installed in front and back of his car. It looked to me, from Heidfeld’s on-board, that Sutil passed him on the outside of the kerbing which must have been a bit unexpected. The shoddy pit work on his front left didn’t help the situation. Also, later in the race he was missing an entire rear wing end plate which destroyed the aerodynamic efficiency of the whole rear of the car. Oh, and don’t forget about Schumacher’s dive into the side of Heidfeld forcing the retirement of the latter. I do think that describing Heidfeld’s race as lackluster is a bit harsh.

        While you’re right that Heidfeld won’t have real, definite knowledge of the final build of Pirelli’s tire compounds his stock is still potentially higher than (some) drivers that haven’t touched the new tires.

        1. I don’t see how his race could have been any worse…

    2. Kimi, not a team player? What are you talking about? Hes already proved he can be a team player when he was helping Massa in 2008. He is better team player than Alonso. I am sure Massa was happier with Kimi than he is now with Fernando.
      Being a lone wolf in the paddock or in life (even if hes married) doesnt mean hes like that on the track.

      1. vodka and orange
        2nd October 2010, 12:17

        Alonso doesnt have to be a team player….he is the best out there!!! #:)

        1. He could have helped Hamilton to the 2007 title though

      2. Its kind of obvious Massa would be happy with Kimi as a teammate. Kimi never outclassed Massa the way Alonso has. Alonso is a league above both Massa and Kimi.

        Kim is a good teammate because he just shuts his mouth and drives, but he doesn’t have the ability to lead a team or develop a car like Alonso can. But Kimi should still get the 2nd Renault seat. Honestly, Petrov is a pretty crappy driver, and if it wasn’t for the money he wouldn’t be able to get an F1 drive.

        1. Yeah, Alonso brings 6 tents to every team he goes to and Kimi merely criuses along unmotivated .. thanks for clarifying that :-)

          1. 6 tents? Don’t the teams supply their own hospitality centres? Bit much to expect Alonso to struggle along with 6 tents every race :p

        2. I guess you have been watching the wrong F1 for the last few years. Kimi beat Alonso in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Ferrari signed Kimi over Alonso when Schumi returned. Kimi without a doubt was the best driver in F1 from the moment Schumi retired. Alonso can’t pass Massa without team orders, Kimi was always faster that Massa and even at the times when Ferrari wasn’t supporting him for the WDC. Get real man, Alonso is good but no better than Kimi, he is not even better than Hamilton.

          1. Are you familiar with terms such as irony and sarcasm (thats why for example I used tents instead of tenths)?

            To me, Kimi is still the fastest driver, even though he doesn’t drive one of these cars anymore. Maybe overall not the best but I think the fastest and as a package among the best.

          2. Errrr, I’m pretty sure that he was answering Todfod, not you.

          3. Thats possible.

          4. @banarama. I understood your sarcasm. And dont get me wrong, I am a Kimi fan as well, but I can still honestly admit that while he has lightning quick pace at times, he has none of the other skills and traits that Alonso does. If Kimi wasn’t demotivated in 2008, then he was very well off Massa’s pace. Either way it makes him an inferior driver to Alonso.

            @macca77. For you to say something as ridiculous as ‘Kimi beat Alonso in 2007, 2008 and 2009’, shows your lack of in depth understanding of this sport. In 2008 and 2009 Kimi was driving a Ferrari, while Alonso was driving a sub standard Renault. So it is not possible to make accurate comparisons. I agree that Alonso lost the battle and his mind in 2007, but its also very convenient how u forgot Kimi losing 2 WDCs to Alonso in 2005 and 2006. :)

          5. F1 presently is 90% car and 10% driver , so on that , while I wouldn’t mind seeing Kimi on next years grid , I think a number of other less expensive drivers will do the same job he can.

    3. You fail to realise that the money Petrov brought might actually be less than if Renault finished fourth in the WCC. Also, I will say it again, the sponsors Petrov draws towards Renault are relatively tiny pity sponsors. What they need to fight for the championship is a title sponsor and that is something Raikkonen would be able to provide I’m sure partly because he is totally recognisable and adored and partly because he would actually propel Renault in the standings.

      I think Petrov has been rather horrible this year. I was all in favour of him in the first few races, but how long can you be inconsistent AND slow? If he was either of the two you could work on the other one, but alas he is neither. Whilst the Renault is not the best car on the grid, I think that with what he has he should have scored more than about 20 points, especially if his teammate has scored more than five times that amount. I do not see other rookies such as Kobayashi and Hulkenberg struggling that much. Even if their teammates are arguably slower than Kubica, a ratio of 5:1 is ridiculous. How can people honestly say that Petrov has shown he deserves another chance – I think Hungary was an exception. One in possibly 19.

      Kimi and Kubica would be the absolute brilliant partnerships I think. They both love racing (they are the only two that rally), they both don’t love the spotlight, they both are incredibly quick, they both want to win (Kubica in 2009 didn’t care too much in my eyes) and they both are very aggressive if the set-up and tyres suit them.I am also quite certain that they are not motivated by money. People always go on about how Raikkonen earned millions, but if a team offered him ludicrous sums why should he refuse? I don’t think monetary issues were the reason why the negotiations between Raikkonen and McLaren broke down – Raikkonen felt like trying the WRC and get lots of money from Ferrari. Now that he’s realised that it’s not so easy to switch from F1 to WRC, he wants to come back.

      1. Actually, the Lada deal Renault picked up at the beginning of the year is worth fifteen million Euros. Just shy of 10% of Renault’s budget, or so I’m told.

        Raikkonen is a bad fit in Renault. The team is already built around Kubica, and Raikkonen won’t take to that at all.

        Now that he’s realised that it’s not so easy to switch from F1 to WRC, he wants to come back.

        Oliver Quesnal – Citroen’s team principal – has been quoted ahead of the Rally of France saying that Raikkonen has told him that he wants to stay in the WRC.

        1. Kelloggs as a sponsor – Special K
          Kimi & Kubica

        2. Maybe Kimi does want to stay in WRC, but he has totalled a car in just about every race. He is getting to be a very expensive toy for Citroen, one they may not wish to play with next year.

  15. I’d be very hesitant about taking Raikkonen in. He has a history of only doing the bare minimum when he feels the car is not where he’d like it; the first half of 2009 is testament to that. I’d sooner take Jean-Denis Deletraz.

    1. One thing I forgot: Oliver Quesnal – Citroen’s team principal – has recently said that he knows Formula 1 wants Raikkonen back, but he himself would like to keep Raikkonen around, and at the moment, Raikkonen wants to keep on rallying.

    2. It’s more like Ferrari did the bare minimum. Of the first 6 races there were only one or two where the car di’dn’t break down or the team put full wets on on a dry track.

      You have such a ridiculously biassed view it’s depressing.

      1. Soumya Banerjee
        3rd October 2010, 13:42

        Exactly. He sees only what he wants to see.

    3. William Wilgus
      4th October 2010, 9:19

      I agree. You never knew ‘which Kimi’ would show up.

      1. He had several mechanical breakdowns, and of course there was the infamous Malaysian race where he was sent out on full wets on a bone dry track. How do you expect to see a driver’s full potential then?

  16. No. I don’t want Raikkonen back, I dont like his attitude towards the sport. He looks much happier in the WRC and I’d much rather see him happy and competitive there than miserable and competitive in F1.

    Petrov has made his mistakes but somewhere in there is a good driver and he deserves another crack at the whip.

    1. I agree full heartedly. With the lack of testing things are so difficult for rookies and Petrov has shown talent so it would be a shame to see him go for someone we don’t even know will give one hundred percent. Glock or Sutil should be given a chance if they’re set on getting right of Vitaly.

      I really liked Kimi but I don’t think he brings anything to the sport any more. Having an extra champion on the grid means little to me if they look lacklustre and there’s other drivers with bags of promise.

    2. Agree regarding the point of Kimi’s attitude. There is a thin line between being ‘cool’ and being nonchalantly ‘cold’ and Kimi crosses that line. His heart was never in F1, he never celebrates wins with passion, just takes the champagne and sticks it to this mouth.

      Besides, the 2010 silly season showed that he cared more about the money and rallying than he cared about F1. Also, Alonso’s domination of Massa this year also puts into perspective Kimi’s actual speed.

      Infact, Alonso’s speed this year should open up questions about the 2007 season, was the F2007 a very very fast car in hands of two slow drivers??

      1. “Also, Alonso’s domination of Massa this year also puts into perspective Kimi’s actual speed”

        Has it actually though? I won’t make excuses as Massa has done as well as I’d have hoped but he had eight months out, hates the tyres and is up against Fernando Alonso. Atcually, wait, what if Kimi comes back after a year out, hates the new Pirelli’s and is rubbish…?

        For all the talk of having champions on the grid I don’t see the fuss. Michael’s racing this year and half the time I forget he’s even there. I’d rather have a great non-champion with promise than a champion who doesn’t actually drive like one.

  17. Maybe Kimi could be a driver for Porsche when they come back into F1, they would want at least 1 driver with experience…

  18. No. It is to big risk to take him. His form after one year off is unknown and his attitude and motivation as well. Unless Renault will be clever enough and offer him much lower salary. Then we know he is eager to race again in F1 or just wants to cash in.

  19. Raikkonen is the most overrated driver in last few years!
    He was beaten fair and square by Felipe and we all see where is Massa now.
    He is demanding, expensive and irritating.
    I’m happy that he will stay at WRC and continue crashing his car there!
    Get Sutil I would say.

    1. To be fair 07 was Kimi’s, 08 Massa’s and 09 cant be counted because of Massa’s accident. One all I think.

  20. Sorry, correct me I I’m mistaken, but is that pictre at the top Raikkonen smiling?

  21. If Raikonnen came back and we had a first-time champion this year, e.g. Webber, then next season:
    Webber
    Hamilton
    Button
    Schumacher
    Alonso
    Raikonnen

    …there would be 6 F1 champions in the grid. Wow.

  22. Surprisingly, I voted yes.

    Renault haven’t had the greatest history with running two strong drivers. Actually they haven’t run two for a long time. But then again Raikkonen didn’t exactly leave F1 at the top of his game.

    So why then want him back? Well, he might be rested and better.; Renault can deal with having two top equal drivers for a change. And if he’s the tired Kimi, that’s still as good as having a Petrov or a Grosjean.

    I’m not a fan of Raikkonen but I have no reason for not wanting him there. That, and when Kubica beats him we can put the whole argument to rest ;)

    1. Well I don’t really see what F1 people were watching last season. Maybe none because they were Brwan-bored. From Hungary to the end of the season he got 38 points, Hamilton got 40, Barrichello 33, Vettel 37 .. and that in a Ferrari that didn’t get developed any further and already knowing he would be shown the door for the Spaniard. Maybe it was for lack of talent of the other drivers but I think only Hamilton was as impressive as Kimi in the second half of the season, but he was lucky to get the car massively improved to a point where it was actually fast enough to fight for winning races.

  23. All we F1 fans like to see is good drivers driving fast. Who cares about the attitude and whho are we to question his attitude.
    He spent nearly a decade in F1 and no team ever questioned his attitude. Mclaren signed him after just 1 year in Sauber. Do u think Mclaren would have signed him and kept him for 5 years if he lacked attitude.
    I would definitely want him and every capable driver back on the grid. Let him give 1 year. If he performs, keep him otherwise show him the door. And this gies for each and every driver who are nothing but the employees of the company which is F1 team.

  24. I would like to see Raikkonen back in F1 but only if he was fully motivated and back at his best, and I think that is the view that Renault will be taking as well.

    I suppose Raikkonen wouldn’t be looking to leave Rallying and return to F1 if he wasn’t motivated, so hopefully it won’t be a problem.

    But even if he did come back considering the form Kubica is in Raikkonen may struggle to beat him even if he is at his best.

  25. I like Kimi a lot – he’s a very funny guy.

    But, Renault don’t need him. Petrov brings a lot of money but he’s no Yamamoto: he’s got talent enough to keep Kubica honest and if the future of F1, as it appears, is going to encourage having a lead driver and a backup act then why pay two ‘stars’?

    And

    Having a bona fide world champion alongside him will leave the team in no doubt they’re getting the most out of their car every weekend.

    …unless they run out of ice-cream, of course.

    1. What’s this about Farrari, Kimi and ice cream. I’ve definatly missed something.

      1. that episode was before or after the gorilla costume?

        1. After .. the gorilla costume was a long time ago. But seriously, the icecream incident just showed us who is the coolest driver in modern F1.

  26. For both Renault’s and Raikkönen interest, I don’t think he should drive for them.
    First of all, he is one of the most expensive driver (if not the most expensive) on the market. Renault should – for now – definately invest more money on developping a winning car.
    Secondly, from what I heard (though I would’nt rely too much on that), Kimi is not the kind of driver who’s sharing a lot with his team mates. That would be a problem if Renault is still aiming at developping a performant car.
    Let’s not forget that Raïkkonen is a world champion, a first class driver. I think he will be expecting a championship contender car. If not, I’m pretty sure he will get bored as he has been with Ferrari last year. Plus, Renault is developping their 2011 car (actually their whole team) around Robert Kubica : I don’t expect a world champion such as Raïkkönen to easily accept that.
    In my opinion, Renault should wait to become a top team before recruiting Raïkkonen… Right now, the team is trying to climb back to the top and bringing a world champion class driver who has always been a fighter : it will only disappoint Raïkkönen and his fans.

  27. Just a quick word of warning, Keith: a link to this thread has been posted on some other forums in the Kimi Raikkonen discussions – with a message to vote “YES”. One of these forums in particular (and I won’t name names) has a particualrly militant band of Raikkonen fans who devour anyone who speaks of the Finn in anything less than glowing terms. The final results might be a little bit skewed.

    1. Strange how that seems to happen with fans of Raikkonen but not so much other drivers.

      1. Surely it also happens with a certain vertically challenged perpetually-innocent Spaniard…

      2. Strange how that seems to happen with fans of Raikkonen but not so much other drivers.

        Not to speak ill of any particular demographic, but I have noticed that they can be quite passionate about it. There are some corners of the internet that I wouldn’t dare step into because of the sheer reaction you can provoke by no praising Raikkonen endlessly. I’m at a loss to explain it, really.

        Surely it also happens with a certain vertically challenged perpetually-innocent Spaniard…

        Only really in the Spanish media, who seem to think they have a say in who drives for which team. The fans themselves aren’t so bad, at least in my experience. Kimi fans are a different breed altogether.

      3. Naturally, Hamilton fans aren’t affected by this behaviour either.

      4. Soumya Banerjee
        3rd October 2010, 13:45

        Maybe that has something to do with the forum’s attitude in general towards this driver? After all that was said about him when the driver ratings for 2009 was published,this so-callrd “militant” band has my sympathies.

  28. Kimi is a very good and consistent driver with a unique character. Yes, he hates the PR (probably as much as anyone else on the grid, they just don’t show it). But the prospects of signing sponsors by having a World Champion in the team are very real.

    With all due respect to Petrov, teams get money for the position in constructors’ championship (what i don’t know is what part of the team’s budget that comprises in comparison to what they get from sponsors). I can’t help but think how much closer Renault would be to Mercedes with Raïkkönen (or Glock, Heidfeld or even Trulli or Kovalainen).

    1. consistent

      Only in the sense that you knew he was either going to go very fast, or crash.

  29. Younger Hamilton
    2nd October 2010, 11:26

    All Respect for Vitaly but Yes i think Kimi should definetely one im a big fan of him and his McLaren days and its very good that his interested to come to F1 in these times and plus if Renault want to recover to the top then i think Kimi and Robert pairing is the ideal one for them and possibly even bring sponsorship with him.I dont quite understand why people dont want him back, I do think Vitaly is a great driver but mistakes can cost you Championships and Valuable points

  30. He seemed to become disillusioned after he’d accomplished his goal. Has there ever been any other driver that was competing at such a high level within the sport that this happened to, to such a great degree as there was with Kimi?

    I don’t think we’ll ever see the pre-2008 Kimi again, sadly. He was once my favorite driver and I was sad to see it happen, and sad to see him go. Alas, I believe it was for the best and should probably remain permanent. He’s far happier in WRC.

  31. If I was team principle, my choice in driver would either be glock, who would be cheaper to buy out of contract than Sutil. Both these drivers would be great for New Renault.

    Incedently did anyone notice Lotus ( who will have Renault engines next year) have two drivers who have previously raced for Renault..

  32. I voted no.

    Firstly, Renault appears to be Kimi’s only option (I continue to write off the Red Bull rumours as wishful thinking from Kimi fans) and, as has been said above, Renault have historically not been a team that is any good at running two top drivers. They have always had a clear #1 and #2 – and neither Raikkonen nor Kubica will be willing to accept the latter role.

    Secondly, Kimi had gone off the boil by the time he left F1 and was, in my opinion, never as good as some people said he was to begin with. A year out of an F1 cockpit will have further dulled his abilities, and he’s unlikely to waltz straight into a car that perfectly suits his driving style – which will harm his performance further. Ultimately I’d say that if Kimi came back he’d be so uncompetitive he’d call it a day very soon afterwards. And that’s something no one needs to see.

    Renault need to focus on their young driver program, maybe using the leverage they are likely to have with Lotus to blood some new talent before promoting them to the main team.

  33. Should Renault sign him?: yes, of course they should.

    Should Kimi come back…? not entirely sure. He’s just happier at WRC

    1. +1
      Yes, Renault should sign Kimi.
      The question is if Renault is good enough.
      So, should Kimi sign Renault? Maybe.. As I’ve said earlier, a one year deal with Renault to now be out of the sport to long and then sign for Red Bull for 2012 once Webber is out.

  34. I’d like to see Fisicella in the Renault spot , instead of being a Ferrari nobody.

    1. Fisichella had his time and proved that when he was in the spotlight he couldn’t quite cut it.

      1. Dan aren’t you meant to be a Fisichella fan? I like that! Very honest.

  35. He may have less public exposure driving for Renault than if he were driving for Ferrari.
    I think that it would be good for Renualt and it would be interesting to see how he compares against Kubica.

  36. I’d love it if he came back simply because on the year review dvd’s, his qualifying commentry is hilarious. (And yes, he could drive well)

  37. Kubica and Raikkonen = Mouth watering combination. I say yes.

    1. I agree. Renault need two top drivers pushing the car to the limit if they’re going to close the gap to the front-runners. If they keep Petrov for the next season it will be a waste of a good seat.

  38. Publicity-wise Raikkonen-Kubica would be a disaster. But as I said in my previous comment, it’s racing, not MTV. If only Kimi had the determination and devotion of Robert, we would have a killer combination, with enough skill to outrace everyone on the grid, providing that Renault will deliver a capable machine.

    Also, I don’t think there would be any character clash between the two. Yes, they both have WDC ambitions but as long as Renault doesn’t do a “Fernando is faster” on one of them, the things will keep being good. And if the situation is clear, that is one driver has a shot for the title and the other doesn’t have, both of them would drive for the team.

    To sum up, it’s all in Kimi’s mind. If he wants to comeback focused and determined – give him a go. If not, let him play elsewhere and bring a solid German to the team.

  39. I hope so.
    If Renault can afford him, they should.
    He sucks monkey balls when it comes to interviews & non-racing stuff.
    But I love that. Drivers are there to drive. Not to say ‘The circuit was very nice’ at every press moment. Raik is a purebread racer and not a popstar. We need folk like him.
    His driving performance need not to be discussed. He’s proven himself already.
    Maybe he can do some nice battles with Schumi behind the McLarens, RB’s & Ferrari’s.

  40. No, they should get Heidfeld.

    Why? Because when I read things like “there were times at BMW when Nick Heidfeld showed him the way.” I feel like something is not right. Sure he got few (yeah few, just look how many times both of them got engine failures) more points in two seasons, but seriously do anyone remember some great driving from him back then? I’m only remember few races with RK who actually was fighting instead of driving safe to home (best work for no.2 driver).

  41. It’s not for Renault alone to say what Kimi does? If you get my meaning? Surely if they come to him with a contract it’s Kimi that makes the decision, Renault doesn’t just sign him do they?

  42. On topic I’m with Keith on this one

  43. I’m disappointed there was no “Hell, yeah!” option

    I think it unfair to tag Raikkonen with “lack of motivation” because of 2009. The car was a dog and Ferrari gave up on it in March it seems… and as I remember he still was on fire at Spa!

    1. In my opinion Mercedes would consider signing Raikkonen and Schumi before Raikkonen and Rosberg? Why? For publicity and the fact both pilots have similar racing styles (oversteer) making it easier to develop a winning car.

      1. This should have been a reply at David BR. Oh well…

  44. For me, it’s a non-question. Raikkonen is one of the best and when motivated capable of beating all-comers, given a good car obviously. And his lackluster days are a lot better than most other drivers’ good days. Mercedes should be snapping him up instead of Schumacher…

  45. I think Raikkonen should come back. With whichever team, as long as he returns.

  46. You are Carlos Ghosn.
    You have to sign off on the second Renault driver.
    You have 2 driver contracts in front of you.
    One is for a driver who will bring you a billion dollars worth of car sales.
    The other is for a driver who will cost you a billion dollars booze bill.
    Which one do you sign?
    QED

    1. No, one is for a driver who can bring home the cash because he is a globally recognisable figure, a proven world champion/race winner and can boost your constructors championship prize money.

      The other is for a pay-driver who the team needs to tell to lose weight and lofts hefty repair bills on the team by crashing the car in every other session.

      1. Speaking about losing weight, is it just me or does Kimi have a double-chin now in some recent photos? I think someone else will have to hit the scales before fitting into a considerably smaller F1 seat.

  47. Yes Im a Kimi fan, but I would hate him see drive for Renault. He should only come back wearing RED! Yes he has always been one of those rare talents of natural speed. Sure ’08 wasnt great, but lets not forget that several things happened that year that left him out of contention. ’09 we can just discard cause it was a terrible year for the Scuderia.
    Ultimately as an F1 fan I would like to have him back, but as a Scuderia fan I could not have him in another color. I would like to see him next to Alonso though ( I dislike the Asturian). I think Massa has completed his cycle. I must say even in the Schumi years, I liked Raikkonen, he took the battle to the man in ’03, and almost clinched 05 if it wasnt for Renaults reliablity (as the Mclaren was way faster but a Redbull-esque car, oh Newey!).
    I’ll add that I always support the Scuderia for the Constructors Championship, but I might support individual drivers for the Drivers Championship.

    1. ’09 we can just discard cause it was a terrible year for the Scuderia.

      Even then, he finished 6th in the WDC, and 1 point off Hamilton in a car that the team didn’t even develop.

      1. To be fair, the Ferrari was never as awful as the McLaren. To my recollection Ferrari stopped developing after Hungary (where Kimi came 2nd) and McLaren after Singapore. So it evens out there.

        Kimi also had his team-mate missing for half of the year, just when the car was coming good, and the only other person left for him to beat was Kovalainen, and I’d worry if he didn’t do that.

        I’m not saying he didn’t show quality in 2009, just not as much as your stat implies. I was always suspicious his upturn in form came as the Alonso rumours gathered pace.

        1. Or moreover, when Massa was unfortunately injured.

        2. “I was always suspicious his upturn in form came as the Alonso rumours gathered pace”

          That’s true and Brawn had dropped back so when Hamilton crashed it or RBR had an off day it was easier to get the podiums. He did drive well though

  48. With Kimi at Renault it’s a bit bit like the Vettel and Webber line up, as Mark said recently that having a strong team mate brought the best in him. He had to up his game and it’s brought out the best in him because they push each other.

    I’d love to see this happen.

  49. As a fan, I’d love to see him back. Logically though, I think Renault is probably more suited for him then a top placed team. If its exposure he wants to avoid, with the thrill of competitive racing, Renault sounds like a good match. A podium or two or 5 in the season is not a pipe dream either. As a team boss, I’d say it makes just as much sense. They essentially have two rookies right now. Granted Kubica is well above normal entry level racing, but he is still relatively fresh compared to teams with the Buttons, Webbers, and Barichellos of the grid. Kimi/Kubica could be the shot at a double podium they haven’t had since Alonso’s championships. We could be looking at a much tighter ‘best of the rest’ title battle next year if it were to evolve this way…

  50. I vote yes to sign Raikkonen. However, if I were Renault management I would offer a contract for one year with (non-public) clauses requiring performance benchmarks as a prerequisite for further employment.

    1. Yeah, cause Raikkonen left because he felt F1 wasn’t repressing him enough already ………..

  51. Just a quick mention to all the people knocking Kimi, did anyone notice how many laps records he had or still holds during his years in unreliable and uncompetative cars.. Suzuka is one them

  52. Renault has done a great job in picking itself off the floor this year, however in my opinion the calibre of driver that Kimi is, he would be more suited to join a top team. lets not forget he is still currently one of the top paid drivers in the championship even thought he is not racing! Kimi is a proven f1 champion and I still consider him an excellent driver. Maybe Ferrai should have resigned him to Ferrari, at least he would have pushed Fernando a bit harder and he would have definitely helped the team score more points. Although Massa is a very nice guy, as we all know theres not much room for nice guys in F1..

  53. They should sign him, if they want to have a chance to return to the forefront. A Kimi-Kubica pairing would undoubtedly rack up enough points (if the car is anywhere decent, which it is believed it will be) to get Renault even in the top-3. W/ the almost certain decline of RBR next year (they are giving it all to win this year), and new tires for everyone, there is no reason why Renault could not challenge seriously next year, at least for the constructors’ title.

  54. I don’t know why the Motivation thing is coming back again….
    Didn’t he prove in that truck and leave…
    Hungary- 2nd
    Valencia- 3rd
    Spa- Victory
    Italy- 3rd
    Suzuka- 4th
    Brazil- 6th(after being last and drinking some fuel…)
    What more can u get from that car…..
    The Problem is u guys have just fixed it in Mind….
    Even Kubica was beaten by Nick in 09 again…but what happened……
    I think he should actually come back….cause i will have to write these things every now and then…..

  55. It’s worth mentioning that Kimi would most likely have retained his Ferrari seat had Massa not had his accident. Following the accident, Ferrari felt owed it to Felipe to keep him on and show support. Had Massa not been KO’d in Hungary last year, I reckon Kimi would still be there now, and Massa’s contract will have been cut short.

    Nobody can deny that Kimi is a quick driver. He got many fastest laps throughout his career, several pole positions and race wins, and of course the 2007 title. Eric Boulier is constantly saying he wants a strong pairing of drivers, both scoring strong points finishes and challenging for victories. I personally cant think of a better (available) pairing than Kimi and Kubica. Both are smart racers, both are quick and both would be challengning for victories next year. If Renault have a real push on next year’s car, I’m sure there will be 5 teams pushing for race victories rather than the current 4 (or 3, depending how you see it).

    1. Would have been better. Imagine Kimi being asked to pull over for Alonso!? He’d have just slapped on another 4 seconds advantage and asked ‘what was that again?’ Well, I’d like to think so :o)

    2. Despite Massa having done a better job than Kimi up until that point in the season? Compare Kimi’s podium in the car-equalising Monaco (where Massa was 4th) to Massa’s in Silverstone, where he had no business being.

      If Alonso was coming the only way Massa would have been out would have been if he had stunk in the second part of the season.

  56. kimi may return next year, but he was never better than massa in Ferrari. i dont think his return will make a big effect.

    1. Kimi’s WDC as opposed to Massa’s lack of…?

    2. Never better than Massa? what have you being drinking?

    3. kimi was never better than massa?..what have you been watching???

  57. I voted no, just because i like it when i am watching the WRC and he is changing the wheels on the car or something, it amuses me.

    And he seems to be having fun in the WRC, he comes across a lot better in interviews then he ever did with F1.

  58. Honestly, it’s more of a question of “would he go” than “should he go”. He’s been making a lot of progress in the WRC, but he’s made a handful of mistakes, and I think right now his priority is WRC. And what happens if Renault have a performance drop like from ’06 to ’07?
    Yes, we all love the Iceman and it would be great for the Finnish and Polish fans (but not for the Russians), but Schumacher’s return was a surprise to me, so right now, it’s a guessing game. After all, Iceman doesn’t talk as much as the Fireman…

  59. No, with the exception of giving him a one off race at Spa because that’s when he’s at his best. I would guess that he would come back and look like Schumacher has this year simply because of the tires, and that’s not good for such a quick driver.

  60. the biggest issue Kimi would have is the ban of refuelling, which he will have to get accustomed to in a few weeks as much as the others have in one year

  61. no renunt have Robert qtiser & raikkonen would not be a no 2driver he like shumaker sould stay out of F1 for good there good & the good of the sport F1 must stop trying to live in the past as all the fools how want them back jon sands

    1. I can’t believe how some people want to see in the grid walking disasters like Chandhok or Petrov instead of experienced pilots like Kimi or Schumi.It’s the end of the world coming indeed.

  62. Yes, let him come back and be rubbish just like a certain German fellow.

    1. Give that German Fellow sometime.

      1. He’s had 15 races already though

        1. Lets wait for 2011!

  63. Oh Yes !!!!!!!!!! Kimi is my number one driver !!

  64. Yayyy, I wan’t Kimi back, Though maybe he’s happier in the WRC, I don’t know.

    I love his cool, zero PR-BS attitude, but above all I love him charging through the field! He’s been maybe not the most consistent but clearly the fastest out there.

    And I absolutely loved the way he snatched the WDC in 2007 when it seemed next to impossible two races before. In 2007 I was rooting for Fernando but after Hungary and all that came afterwards I loathed McL so mightily that I was glad that Fernando didn’t win for them. When Kimi got the Cup my first thought was: Ron, stick it up.

    1. Totally agree with your post.

  65. Voted yes. First, I seriously doubt Kimi will demand the wage he was previously earning at Ferrari. Second, I think he only left F1 because Ferrari were seriously screwing him around and there were no other competitive seats available. Third, Renault should have no trouble finding sponsors if they keep their development momentum and show up on track with two heavy guns in their cars.

    But most importantly, I voted “yes” because F1 is in dire need of a guy who doesn’t give a damn about PR and just does his own thing.

  66. I voted “yes” because F1 is in dire need of a guy who doesn’t give a damn about PR and just does his own thing.

    That’s one of the things I liked best about Kimi. Keith did a nice piece on the opening of the Ferrari shop in London a while back and described Kimi’s painful attempts at PR.

  67. I must be the only F1 fan who is totally apathetic towards Raikkonen. I don’t dislike him as such, but nothing appeals to me on or off track.

    A couple of months ago, I would have told you that I was certain he was staying in rally but now I’m not so sure. He just hasn’t got what it takes to make it in the WRC. Even before he ran into problems in France, his times were way off the other Citroen cars. He’ll improve with experience, but I doubt he’ll ever be a winner and I think he has come to realise this, which is why we are hearing he is more interested in F1 than before.

    As to whether Renault will hire him, I have my doubts to be honest. It needs to make commercial sense, and judging from Boullier’s previous comments about Alonso, I don’t think he’d take Raikkonen unless he was sure that he has committed to the team, and not just using them as a stop-gap. Its certainly not impossible though.

    Personally if I were a team boss, I’d take Sutil over Raikkonen. But thats just my opinion.

    1. You’re not the only one that’s apathetic towards Kimi. He made no impression on me while he raced over the years, and I take that to be an issue. I think Éric Boullier is right to question Kimi’s motives for a potential return to F1 because it’s just downright odd.

      1. I don’t mean to split hairs but what makes it so “downright odd”? I would have thought if anything it makes perfect sense. He is still in his prime in terms of age and he has had a stint at trying something else. What’s wrong with returning to what he might think he knows best or even enjoys more (I guess?).

    2. Weird, I’ve seen this same comment from you on three forums all discussing this same topic and all with your same response -you are apathetic to KR….

  68. I would give my first born child to have Kimi back!!!

    I don’t usually agree with anything that Sir Stirling Moss has to say but he was right on the money when he said:

    “Quite frankly, Kimi Raikkonen is the fastest driver in the world”

    To this day, I’m not sure what happened in ’08 when he went off the boil but what he accomplished in the McLaren years (Suzuka ’05 springs to mind) was amazing – shame he didn’t win in ’03. And yes, his motivation does seem to wane sporadically but IF and only IF he’s motivated, we’ll have one of the great racers back in the sport – ice cream, gorilla suits and all!!!

  69. I’d rather see new drivers get into the sport than them recycling the old ones.

  70. I think he needs to come back to F1, just like the increase in tickets sale in many GP happened this season cause of Schumacher, if Renault singed him then that will help a lot to increase their sales on goodies as there are lots of Kimi fans around the world & especially here in Asia.If he does comeback then for sure we will see the 2007 Kimi hope not the 2009 Kimi, so if does come how confidence is he that the team will provide him with a title fighting car & how confident is the team that he will be back on his top form, that will the biggest question that will develope this season next to the fact whether we will see the Korean GP>

  71. Kimi might not be best in giving his feedback, but he will be fast.
    A silent man but an honest one though.

    Personally I’d like him to be back in F1.
    Kimi does add colour to the circus. 50/50.

  72. I say no, McLaren summed up Kimi perfectly after he’d left them, saying that some days he’d drive like a racing legend and on others he looked nothing special. Kimi had a beautiful career in F1, but by the end of it he was struggling against Massa, a driver who Alonso’s demolished in his first season with Ferrari.

    I also say no for another reason, because Renault really ought to keep Petrov, he’s obviously still learning but nevertheless he’s shown more promise than the influx of also-rans we’ve had recently. Petrov looks like he has the capacity to improve, he just needs a bit longer.

    1. Petrov is doing even worse compared to Kubica than Piquet was doing compared to Alonso.

      With Kubica being a driver of the same level as Heidfeld, I’m assuming Alonso is a better driver than Kubica.

      So what does that say about Petrov compared to Piquet jr?

      1. Well it depends on how one rates Kubica, but I’m with Brundle in believing he’s at the Hamilton / Alonso / Vettel level. This is Petrov’s first season in open wheelers, never mind F1, so he’s on the lower slopes of a steep learning curve – unlike most of the back third of the grid who look like they’ve already peaked. I reckon he’s got potential.

        1. Petrov has been racing different categories of open wheelers for quite a while, since at least 2003.

          1. My mistake, however I thought Brundle said something about his lack of open wheeler experience, I guess I misheard.

      2. Daft comparison, too simplistic

        1. Well, lets see your comparison of driver quality. Hmm, didn’t think so.

      3. My reply was in regard to patrickl surmising that Alonso is superior to Kubica as Kubica is apparently equal to Heidfeld (F1 is full of variables, no?)

        1. Let’s face it, would you say Kubica is superior to Alonso? And Kubica and Heidfeld were pretty evenly matched in their 3 seasons together, no?

  73. This is Kubica’s team; he is in the top echelon of drivers now, where stability and consistency would go along way for him.

    There are many rumours surrounding Kubica’s own Renault future, so we are on shifting sands with this.

    Kimi – I’d have him back in an instant, the more great drivers we have in F1 the better.

    Does it fit with Renault I am not sure? However, this team with a top second driver would push more effectively in all fronts, both drivers and manufacturers races. That must be the teams aim so surely this is more than just gossip but something that Renault must be seriously considering.

    Kimi knows what world he would be coming back into, so by making that choice, on his part, would show in some fashion a desire to compete and a newly found thirst to win.

    Kimi my man “when it’s gone its gone” get back in the race!

    Alby Jnr

  74. Renault are a car manufacturer in F1 to promote their cars.
    They need a driver to actively participate in all of their sales promtions efforts.
    That means for them to employ a driver he has to take an active role in promoting their products at various PR events.
    Thats all part of an F1 drivers commitments.
    Thats he F1 business.

  75. I think Renault is discussing with Räikkönen only that they can push harder to their new Russian investors to bring money their 2011 project. Next year kimi is most likely driving Ford Fiesta RS with monster-energy drink stickers. However he probably have to find a new co-driver to next season. He was shouting to(he really is not Iceman) his co-driver at Rallye de France really badly after his own driver error. Personally I liked F1-Kimi more than Rally-Kimi.

  76. i say YES!his return will be good for both the sport & renault..he still has a lot to give..like bagging another wdc..

  77. I’m tired of seeing old drivers being recycled. What’s the point of having feeder series like GP2 if teams only burn and dump the potential talent each year? Jenson Button & Mark Webber have had 10 years in the sport to work his way up to the top but all of a sudden new drivers get less than a year to “prove themselves?”

    For Petrov, being a rookie this year has been no easy feat. Given the fact that he’s raced on less than half of these circuits before, it’s not simple to jump in and be a superstar. For tracks like Monza & Suzuka, experience matters. Next year, we should be seeing a much more comfortable & reliable Petrov…provided he’s given the chance.

  78. I have always rated Kimi if only for his attitude, it wouldn’t surprise me that his numerous fastest laps in 2008 were a subtle hint at the fact Massa ‘baby’ was been favoured for the WDC.

  79. Kimi is coming across as a potential mute version of Jacque Villeneuve: Won a title now wants to come back for the payday.

    He totally dematerialized at Ferrari and now wants to rematerialize as newly energized racer? This is a cat that won’t change his spots.

    1. ….and don’t we think rating Renault as a “top team” is a bit premature???

  80. I voted yes, just because I want him back in F1 – he obviously has hard times in WRC, and F1 is the right place for him.

  81. We need new drivers in F1, too many experienced drivers. F1 drivers are becoming more and more a closed group where is very had for a new guy to get in. We have seen enough of Kimi, Barichello, Schumi, Trulli. It would be nice to see some new drivers, maybe from US or SE Asia.

  82. it would be very interesting having him back.. although dull, his character does add color to the driver line-up

  83. I think Raikkonen is quite a unique person. It would be nice to have such a character in F1 alongside the other PR-brainwashed drivers.
    But the most important thing is that he is a proper racedriver, who has proved to be quick. Give him a good car and he’ll have a nice challenge to try to beat everyone else on the grid.
    To be honest: I don’t really believe Raikkonen lacked commitment after he won the title back in 07. For instance, if you look at ’06: he didn’t won a race at all! In 08 he still managed a decent 3rd in the final standings. In ’09 he became 6th which is still a decent achievement if you consider the ‘difficulties’ Ferrari had with the F60.
    You might say that Raikkonen has some ups and downs in his performance, but which driver hasn’t? It’s just a human thing
    So I hope to see him back in a decent car. I don’t want to say the fastest car, because I think it’s good to see good drivers drive cars that one can consider to be an ‘also ran’ just to see them squeeze every millisecond out of the car. Like Vettel in ’08.

  84. I wouldn’t suprised if Weber is in the 2011 renault. Massa to Red bull, Button to Ferarri, Sutil to McLaren

  85. Having the highly rated Kubica in the other car will alone be motivation enough to ensure we would get the right Raikkonen.

  86. I would like to just get certain things right just for my knowledge. Please correct me if I am wrong.

    Kimi not real champion: WDC 2007 by defeating both mclarens which were supposed to be the much superior car than that of ferrari.

    Not a good team mate: Always supported Massa for his bid for WDC 2008.

    Not a good feedback: Manufacturer Championship for 2007 & 2008 for ferrari with one WDC and almost another one by Massa. From where the car was getting developed?

    Motivation: It has been proven time and again that once he get any chance of fighting at the top he gives his everything. So give him a car and he will win you races.

    As far as partnering Kubica is concerned, Its more of lack of acknowledgment of superior teammate which bothers me more from Kubica. Nick Heidfeld will vouch for that. I just hope Renault takes the right decision to get Kimi back in F1.

    Also as right now he is racing with Citroen who has red bull as major sponsor. There can be chance of he been just snicked in at the place of webber next year. I am not giving up hope.

  87. Believe me…if he doesn’t come…He will totally be into WRC…
    But if He comes….He will surely be on fire….
    2009 was when kimi left saying he was bored with F1 having more than just Racing….
    but now….He contacting Renault is a proof he really wants to come back….Because he misses it…and when he puts his head down for something and has a Good car….He gives others a Hard time….

  88. I’ve always had the impression that he is massively talented and successful despite what has struck me as a lack of white-hot motivation. It has always seemed to me that F1 is something he could take or leave.

    On the other hand you have other experienced drivers like Heidfeld and De La Rosa that would sell their grandmother for a seat in F1. Villeneuve wants to take another shot at being an owner-driver. Schumacher is willing to gamble his formindable reputation to return at 41.

    I don’t see any of that from Raikkonen. Besides, I really hate his long hair and flat-brimmed hats. WRC can keep him…

  89. Kimi making the first move by contacting Renault is a sign that he’s genuine – if he’s completely happy in the WRC then he wouldn’t try to leave.

    The approach to Renault makes sense as it’s the most competitive team that potentially has a drive available. His motivation will really show though if Renault turn him down. Would he go after, say, Force India? Would he settle for just being in F1, as for him it’s the right place to be, or is he only interested if he can run at the front and get paid loads? Of course, from a spectator’s point of view, you want to have the best drivers in the most competitive cars.

    As far as his personality goes, I found his one-word answers and general “can’t be bothered” attitude to the media quite refreshing, and I found it hilarious that even just after winning the championship he could only just manage a smile.

    I don’t think the sport’s suffered massively without him, but I don’t think it makes sense to have a recent world champion sat on the sidelines when he’s not ready to retire just yet.

  90. Kimi has a rightful place in F1….

  91. With Kubica and Kimi Renault has a chance to fight for 1-3 position next year. With Petrov, maybe 3-5 (I mean constructors).

    If I was Renault CEO I’d tell Kimi – “OK, join us but we won’t pay you more than Kubica”. If he agrees then it would be fair for both sides.

  92. If both kimi & renault agreed & I’m 100% sure kimi will get higher salary than kubica…But the point here is can renault give kimi a champion car to fight..
    It’s not much a driver can do to develop a car…it’s so not true..just look what happened at mercedes GP…how can 7 times WDC look like an idiot????

  93. Kimi is poundas good if not better than any driver on the grid, so what if he dosent like al the PR work! at the end of the day he is a F1 driver and thats what he does best! Ferrari didnt give him a chance. He took a dog of a car and wone in spa last year like the usual kimi we all know and love!
    F1 Drivers dont need to be in the public eye! They have to show there heart on track! In my eyes Kimi has the same heart ha senna! He wants to drive but it hurts him when he is not winning!!!! we all thought senna was bad for the sport but when he had gone we missed him like crazy!
    Kimi back for next year! altho the roumer of webber to renult and kimi under the current redbull management group to partner vettek… lets se how it all works out

    i will put money on kimi winning a couple of races next year!

  94. We all agree, even those of us who are not diehard fans, that Kimi Raikkonen is a great driver. The majority of us would love to see him in a Formula One car again, but there are several reasons why I believe it won’t happen.
    Firstly there is the politics. It is widely rumoured that Bernie Ecclestone is interested in adding a Russian Grands Prix to the F1 calender in the next couple of years, a market which F1 has never made that big an impact in. Apparently, since Vitaly Petrov has been driving in F1, viewing figures in Russia have increased significantly and that only helps to raise the sport’s profile.
    Lets not forget, Petrov is in his first season. If he proves to be a successful driver and the Russians embrace F1 enmasse, it could prove invaluable to the sport.
    Also there is the financial aspect as others have touched on from sponsors attracted by the first ever Russian F1 driver.
    Sadly, what hampers Kimi is the negative image the media built around his final years at Ferrari. The highly paid former champion with no love of the media, a hark back to the days when drivers like James Hunt smoked cigarettes on the grids and spoke their minds.
    This can be excepted when one is winning championships, as Kimi did in 2007. The one snag is when you are not winning, and the guy in the other car is and for alot less money a year. That is the problem.
    In Robert Kubica Renault have a man hungry to win a world driver’s championship after spending years in BMW Sauber team that was incapable of building him a good enough car. The problem for Renault is keeping Kubica at the team, and the only way for that to happen is to be a car capable of winning the 2011 World Championship.
    As for the average race fan, I along with millions of others would welcome Kimi back with open arms, yet I still would like to see young drivers get into F1 more.
    When we look at drivers such as Kobayashi for instance, it proves that there are great young drivers out there who are more than capable of being a future Kimi Raikkonen. After all, Formula One is a sport always going forwards.

  95. I’d like to see him back, but don’t expect it. Given they don’t know if the Citreon junior team will stay next year, this is just the usual games to secure a better WRC drive. If you really think Raik is coming back to drive a renault, you’re insane. He wouldn’t come back to anything other than a top team, which Renault isn’t.

  96. Kimi is one of the absolute best drivers ever, why wouldn´t Renault benefit from that? Ask Mclaren about the input he gave them, they said it was fantastic! From 2002-2009 he has been top 7 in the world, and 4 times in the top 3!
    And this with a car that lacked all reliability, and with an Overhetad Schumacher in an unbeatable Ferrari as opponent!
    I say that Kimi, who has a good relasionship with Kubica, would ligt Renault to a level matching today top 3 teams.
    I say : Go Renault!

    1. Renault would benefit. Renault of course would love Raikonnen, but no way would the ice man come back for Renault. The car would have to be McLaren or Red bull, or he wouldn’t be interested. It’s just playing games to get a better WRC drive next year; I#m surprised it’s getting so much press.
      I’d love to be proved wrong though! Kimi is a legend.

      1. Alistair, if its to be Red Bull, which of their 3 drivers will have to go ?

        1. Webber I reckon. 2012.

          1. Alistair, and how long will Ricciardo have to wait in the wings for his much deserved seat.

  97. Just a few weeks ago Renault announced they were “building the team around Kubica”. What would Kimi’s arrival do to impact this?
    But, yes, you can see the difference between the teams with both drivers contributing Constructors points and the teams with only one driver doing the bulk of the work(Renault and Mercedes).

  98. I would like to see him again! We miss him so much in F1…

    Spain (Valencia)

  99. YES, IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR F1 if Kimi came back. Petrov has a good future maybe with Toro Rosso

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