Kimi Raikkonen has strongly denied rumours he is considering an F1 return with Renault in 2011.
He told Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat:
I am very disappointed with how they have used my name for their own marketing. I have never even seriously considered driving for Renault, and I can assure you that I am 100 per cent sure that I will not drive for Renault next season.
Kimi Raikkonen
Raikkonen’s plans for 2011 have not yet been announced. He is currently driving for the Citroen Junior Team in the World Rally Championship. Team mate Sebastien Ogier will step up from the Junior Team to partner champion Sebastien Loeb next year.
Read more: Should Renault sign Raikkonen? (Poll)
Victor.
6th October 2010, 9:44
I’m afraid this means Petrov…
Todfod
6th October 2010, 22:15
Yep… the least deserving candidate with the most sponsorship wins again.
What I found funny was Petrov questioning the possible reasons Renault management have to favour Raikonnen over him.
If i had to answer that …
1) He is approximately a second a lap faster than you on any circuit, at any given time.
2) He makes around 95% lesser errors than you do.
3) He is a race winner and a WDC.
For a guy who has been very unimpressive, his sponsorship money has definitely made him very smug.
Mike
7th October 2010, 11:44
On the other hand Petrov is a young Rookie… Kimi is not exactly known for his great PR ability, and Kimi, if offered a better car or a better salary, would likely jump ship…
I see your point, But Petrov does have some things going for him…
mario
6th October 2010, 10:01
I’m afraid too, but perhaps next season will be better for Petrov. We can’t forget about experience which he is collecting this year.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
6th October 2010, 10:14
So yeh, all that stuff on your website was a Renault marketing scam. Your agent being the one to make the first move was a Renault marketing scan. You’re so disappointed it’s taken you the best part of the week to respond.
We’re not idiots, Raikkonen. If we’ve jumped to the conclusion you wanted to come back it’s your own fault. Considering the way you left F1, expect many to believe this was really a scam to get more money from Red Bull, since that lovely $17m from Ferrari runs out next year.
Before I get flamed by Kimi fans, no I don’t believe that. But Raikkonen has no right to play the victim here.
On the plus side, this means if Petrov doesn’t improve Glock or Sutil can finally move up.
Dorian
6th October 2010, 10:37
True, they’re both long overdue to get a shot in a performing car. However they both seem to be dreadfully boring fellows…I hope I’m wrong
David-A (@david-a)
6th October 2010, 17:22
Sutil made me laugh at last year’s Italian Grand Prix with the “Do you know her?”, “Not yet” line.
Glock seems to be hopelessly dull though.
BBT
6th October 2010, 11:39
Turning out like someone said here last week.
Both sides gained from the ‘marketing scam’ this latest statement is to heighten the media interest one last time, probably job done now and a nice new contract for the WRC
BasCB (@bascb)
6th October 2010, 14:17
How true that is. Is it sad or is it clever?
So now were back to where we were with the rumours last week (one point of interest, if Renault do not want to get Petrov in the Lotus, this might give Chandhok some kind of a chance there).
Soumya Banerjee
6th October 2010, 12:12
Well if for you F1 is more about marketing glitz and glamour rather than racing,cant help it.
Long live Iceman!!!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
6th October 2010, 12:14
That couldn’t have less to do with what he said.
Travis (@)
6th October 2010, 13:40
And a perfect example of how NOT to write a good comment for the thread in the forum.
Electrolite
6th October 2010, 10:25
This is bad really… fans are getting mixed signals and different stories from all over the place, so what are we supposed to believe?
wasiF1
6th October 2010, 11:55
The funny thing is that even the official F1 website claims this story?
US_Peter (@us_peter)
6th October 2010, 17:52
Where’d you see that? I don’t see it anywhere on their site.
plushpile (@plushpile)
6th October 2010, 10:26
Well our suspicions are confirmed, but it would have been nice to have Kimi back.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
6th October 2010, 10:41
If only racing cars were fuelled by your sense of humour, whereby the funnier you were, the faster you would go (bonus points for being unintentionally hilarious). If that were the case, Petrov would be winning races, especially after this gem in his reaction to the Raikkonen rumours:
But maybe I’ve been hanging around the Russians too much. Their sense of humour is starting to rub off on me (“Dune? Sounds dry.”) …
James
6th October 2010, 11:41
I hope this is Kimi trying to lead the media astray so Renault and Kimi can get down to negotiations…
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
6th October 2010, 11:58
Sorry, but that’s pretty thin. If Raikkonen wanted to talk, he’d send a message to Renault through his manager asking them to stop dropping his name. It would give Kimi a bit more weight in the negotiations. Publicly deriding them for doing it and saying in no uncertain terms that he won’t drive for them does nothing for his cause. Kimi has always been the kind of person who speaks his mind, so if he says something like this, he generally means it. The suggestion that he is collaborating with Renault to stage a comeback is needlessly complex and achieves nothing because there is no logical outcome to it. This will not be a case of Renault signing Raikkonen in a coup de grace to attract more stable long-term spoonsors, because it is already well-known just how good the R30 chassis is, and it will form the basis of the R31. This isn’t Kimi bluffing. This is Kimi folding.
James
6th October 2010, 12:20
Yeh I know, but one can still hope!
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
6th October 2010, 12:29
Hope away – you’re ot the only one who is. I’ll say this about Kimi fans, though: while they can sometimes be mistaken for an angry mob, they have very vivid imaginations. And I pride myself on having an eye for imagination.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
6th October 2010, 17:59
So what you’re saying is that Kimi’s coming back for sure? I imagined that’s what you’re saying at least… ;-)
wasiF1
6th October 2010, 11:47
The takings were for weeks why he didn’t denied it a the very moment when it started? I am really dissapointed I thought both Kimi & Kubica would have been a very good team-mates. So the question remains who will seat on the second seat? If Petrov can provide some good result in the last couple of races then it’s him if not then Heidfeld will be a better option.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
6th October 2010, 18:01
Because he was using the hype to leverage his WRC contract with Red Bull for next year, just like Renault was using the situation to leverage all their prospective drivers.
Funkyf1
6th October 2010, 12:01
OMG, Eric shot himself in the foot, didn’t see that coming! Can we start the Raikkonen to Mercedes rumours up now? Or better still Redbull sponsors Kimi, Lotus just announced they are using Redbull technology next year and are yet to confirm a driver line up = Kimi at Lotus? What about Vettel loses the title, leaves Redbull to join Ferrari, Kimi joins Redbull!
On a serious note, although Rubens has stated that he is working on next years car for Williams , they are yet to sign him or Hulkenburg. Heidfeld will not retain his Sauber drive for next year, so under no circumstances is Petrovs drive guaranteed.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
6th October 2010, 12:08
Given Raikkonen’s comments, it is unlikely he ever intended to drive for the team. Renault may have freely bandied his name about because they knew he wouldn’t race.
Heidfeld won’t race for Renault. One of the reasons why he didn’t join Renault this year is because Kubica didn’t want to race against him again. He moved to Renault because he wanted a change of pace. It stands to reason that he didn’t want the single biggest constant in his career hanging around.
jerry b.
6th October 2010, 15:11
from what i understand it wasnt a matter of kubica not wanting to race against nick, it was more a matter of very different driving styles and being hard to develop a car to fit both drivers, it happened before at bmw sauber, another factor was nick asked too much money, eric said kubica was asked for his opinion on nick but the decision was made by the team management
Red Andy (@red-andy)
6th October 2010, 12:10
Raikkonen in emotional outburst? Has the world gone mad?
What next – Michael Schumacher apologising for something? Jenson Button saying that he has enough grip? Martin Brundle standing in line politely?
Gill
6th October 2010, 12:26
….. and Alonso saying that he is hoping to win starting from pole. (He never says he is going to win.
Funkyf1
6th October 2010, 12:12
@Prisoner Monkeys I only hope the R31 is a succession to the R30, but are you forgetting the rule changes to next year. No blown diffusers means a much tighten rear end and total change of chassis. It’s a new ball game for everyone… Who will be the new Adrian Newey?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
6th October 2010, 12:14
Adrian Newey.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
6th October 2010, 18:04
Hah! Nicely done.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
6th October 2010, 12:27
Most of Renault’s work this year has focused on the front end. That’s where they’re generating such phenomenal downforce figures from. While aerodynamics is treated as a whole (after all, Virgin couldn’t just cut the VR-01 in half, add in a larger fuel tank and lengthen the car; they have to redesign it), the back end of the R31 – specifically the rear bodywork, which has th most influence over the diffuser – hasn’t changed too much. I think Renault will be fairly safe, and while the R31 won’t improve by leaps and bounds the way the R30 has, nor do I think they’ll go into freefall. Car development tends to follow a convex curve; you might pick up a second with your first upgrade, but only get a tenth of a second with your last. As the chassis’ potential is maximised, there is less room for improvement. The changes between 2010 and 2011 aren’t anything major compared to the changes between 2008 and 2009, and while Renault didn’t exactly weather those admirably, the past has no bearing on the future in Formula 1.
Funkyf1
6th October 2010, 12:36
I’m with you on that one Keith!
Funkyf1
6th October 2010, 12:41
If you believe Ross Brawn, it’s all in the tyres.
BBT
6th October 2010, 13:13
Ah, yes the tyres.
Maybe you’ve hit on something there ;-)
Maybe Kimi realises after a year out and the changes to tyre and full tank racing he’d only be running around MSC’s pace…. 10th ish!
lol
UneedAFinn2Win
6th October 2010, 16:24
Here’s Kimis PA, Riku Kuvaja, in a Finnish tabloid http://www.iltalehti.fi/ralli/2010100612472760_ri.shtml
quick translation:
“Kimi didn’t worry about it much. It just isn’t gentlemanly of them (Renault) to use an outsiders name in their own marketing, says Riku Kuvaja about the month long rumor of Räikkönen going to drive for the team”
Has Kimi contacted Renault
“No”
and then he just basically says the same line “we have many options, which we will publish later”
I think I’ve mentioned here before, if he goes to F1, good, if he stays in Rally, good.
Dakshin
6th October 2010, 16:40
I think Kimi was angry(!) because his Manager’s approach to Renault was to be kept confidential??
P5ycH0
6th October 2010, 17:06
Oh darn. I would have liked him back on track.
jose arellano
6th October 2010, 17:36
massa out. raikkonen in..
US_Peter (@us_peter)
7th October 2010, 0:00
Don’t think so.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
7th October 2010, 1:29
Luca wants Massa to be there NUMBER 1 driver! So I don’t think that is happening until they wants to do what HRT did swap drivers a each race weekend.
stack
17th October 2010, 4:48
alonso out kimi in
i plain dont like aloso after the german gp
Fer no.65
6th October 2010, 20:49
is it safe to say most of us expected this?…
Oliver
7th October 2010, 0:45
Yet another flash in the pan.
Lets face it, if Renault really wanted Kimi, doubt they’d have made so much noise about it. Any decent driver will not put himself in a position where he appears to be begging for a drive.
Alexi (@)
7th October 2010, 1:08
Who needs the most overrated pilot to ever walk in the grid anyways. He was slower then Heidfeld in his first year, spent his McLaren years breaking his cars and beating DC (massive acheivement), and as a Ferrari driver he was blasted away by tiny Massa. Let him suffer a bit in WDC instead of paying him fortunes for virtually nothing.
Damon
7th October 2010, 8:30
KEITH!
I’d like to share with you that the Polish sports website “www.sport.pl” has referenced your blog (and the poll you’ve made) in their article on the same subject:
http://www.sport.pl/F1/1,96297,8470975,F1__Wsciekly_Raikkonen__Renault_uzylo_mojego_nazwiska.html
“A prestigious F1 fans blog – “F1Fanatic” speculates if Kimi is the right driver for making Ranault stronger. As many as 70% of the blog’s readers have stated in an online poll that the Fin should join Renault.”
Rahim RG
7th October 2010, 10:03
Haha..I could see that coming….If u observe…..Contract talks are always a bit close and confidential….
But Reading Eric’s Comments…you could actually see he’s just shooting in the air and showing off….while making Kimi’s management wait……
It would have been better if He wouldn’t have spoken so much while making his management wait…..
Kimi has never looked so angry in his comments anytime…
U lost it Eric u lost it…..
stack
17th October 2010, 4:46
kimi should drive for rbr and f1 should make it so 3 drivers can drive for one team
jimbo
7th November 2010, 3:49
After those comments i can’t see kimi going to renault at all, would be good to see him back on track next year but i think mercedes might try sign him up if schumacher under performs next year, but we won’t see him back in f1 till the season after next i think. would of been great to see him in webbers red bull this year as he would of been very quick. i see kubica going to ferrari aswell sometime soon mabey year after next though