Raikkonen sees no cause for friction with Alonso

2013 Singapore Grand Prix

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Kimi Raikkonen expects no problems with his new Ferrari team mate Fernando Alonso next year.

It will be the first time in 60 years Ferrari has had two world champions driving for the team.

“I never see the reason why it wouldn’t work,” said Raikkonen during the Singapore Grand Prix press conference. “We are all old enough to know what we are doing and the team is for sure working for the right things to make sure.”

“If there is something I’m sure we can talk it through and it’s not like we are 20 years old guys any more. I might be wrong but the time will tell but I’m pretty sure all things will be good. For sure there will be hard fights on the race circuits but sometimes things go wrong – like I said, I’m pretty sure we’ll be OK.”

Raikkonen said he had no qualms about returning to the team which dropped him at the end of 2009. “I never had a bad feeling with them, really,” he said.

“Obviously things could have gone in the end slightly different but I still have a lot of friends and a good memories from there.”

“I know the team, I know the people, obviously there’s some new people and some more has left since I was there but most of all I think it’s the same,” he added.

“I don’t think it will be too difficult to go there and do well. The car will be obviously different so I think that’s the most difficult thing to get the cars right and get them reliable and whoever makes the best car will probably make the best out of it.”

Asked whether he would be satisfied with the level of personal freedom he will enjoy at the world’s most famous racing team, Raikkonen said: “I always had a freedom there also.”

He claimed stories about him being unhappy with his personal arrangements at the team when he last drove for them were inaccurate: “There’s a lot of stories from my past from different teams but it’s all from you guys and I don’t think that you guys work in the teams so you don’t really know what’s happening and can write a lot of stuff, it can be sometimes true, sometimes not.”

“I had a good time like I said and I am sure we will have a good time together again.”

Raikkonen also admitted the possibility for him to stay at Lotus had been there but “there was a lot of things” they needed to do to retain him.

“For sure they know what it is and it’s hard to say which way it would have gone if that would have happened. But the deal’s done now so I’m very happy with the new deal.”

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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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71 comments on “Raikkonen sees no cause for friction with Alonso”

  1. having a teammate that couldn’t care much apart from driving is really a big plus.

    Alonso can still lead the team and make decision on car development path, something that Kimi doesn’t really care.

  2. I understand that the biggest thing Lotus would have had to do to keep him, was pay his salary + bonuses and give guarantees that there will be money for next years.

    Its going to be a nice side story to see how Alonso goes about pressing his will on the team for next year!

    1. LotsOfControl (@for-unlawful-carnal-knowledge)
      19th September 2013, 18:42

      I think you do not understand correctly. My view is that it was not about his salary as much as it was about guarantees for the development money.

      1. @for-unlawful-carnal-knowledge Isn’t that almost exactly what I am writing?

        and give guarantees that there will be money for next years.

        1. LotsOfControl (@for-unlawful-carnal-knowledge)
          20th September 2013, 8:00

          Sorry. I misunderstood you. I thought you were talking about guarantee for his salary for next years.
          Oops.

  3. How many drivers have been with Ferrari in two separate stints?

    1. Gerhard Berger & Clay Regazzoni are the only ones I remember.

    2. Besides Raikkonen, and excluding drivers coming back from injury or only back to replace another injured driver, I count Ickx, Regazzoni and Berger. Any others I missed?

  4. #Whereisthemoney would be a very apt hashtag for Lotus to use this weekend.

    1. #youhitthenailonthehead

  5. The article in short ” I know what I am doing ” . I hope Alonso can show maturity this time around when compared to his previous stints with other teammates in case Kimi does manage to beat him. Personally I’d like Kimi to win more often before he calls it a day .

    1. I hope Alonso can show maturity this time around when compared to his previous stints with other teammates in case Kimi does manage to beat him.

      I doubt that very much. Alonso (as good as he is) has shown himself to be a petulant child that walks around with a disdain for anyone that isn’t Fernando Alonso. I never thought I’d say this but…I actually want Raikkonen to have a great season next year and spank Alonso’s behind. There’s nothing more entertaining that an annoyed, sour faced Alonso. :D

        1. Hehe. Alonso’s misery warms the very core of my soul. You’ve made my day @omarr-pepper :’)

          1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
            19th September 2013, 19:20

            @vettel1 Me, as a Spanish speaker, enjoy the way “miserable” sounds in Spanish (another meaning) hehehe

        2. @omarr-pepper All images on SkyF1 are copyrighted, posting their links might cause trouble, anyways you would know better

          1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
            19th September 2013, 19:16

            @noob thanks. Please report the pic I posted, to have it removed. Anyway, I made some freinds feel Ok, so job done. Thanks again.

      1. I doubt that very much. Alonso (as good as he is) has shown himself to be a petulant child that walks around with a disdain for anyone that isn’t Fernando Alonso.

        That’s a bit unfair TBH.. No doubt he has criticized other drivers but so has most of the drivers at some point in their career … and I think you conveniently forget that he has praised many of his fellow drivers from time to time…

        @hamilfan
        Except 2007 I don’t recall many other times Alonso behaved immaturely when beaten by a teammate. (off course he would not have enjoyed the few occasions he was beaten by his teammate , but a top driver will never enjoy getting beaten by his teammate) ..

        1. Except 2007 I don’t recall many other times Alonso behaved immaturely when beaten by a teammate.

          That’s because since 2007 Alonso has made sure that his teammates are lackeys that pretty much does whatever Alonso wants, when Alonso wants it. Pique Jr literally risked serious injury and brought the sport into disrepute by crashing on purpose (all in aid of his highness Alonso) and Massa…well, we all know what a push over Massa has been…

          1. @hellotraverse

            you might want to re read about the crash gate as last time i checked Alonso was found to have no knowledge about the whole plan(unless you happened to know something that the rest of us dont)…

            Though Massa has performed poorly over the last 3 & half years, you seem to forget that Alonso was the one who joined Ferrari in 2010 and Massa had been with Ferrari since 2006… I doubt Alonso would have had any say in 2010 over his team mate … Also I wonder if Alonso was that good in making sure to have a lackluster team mate, how come Ferrari hired Kimi ?

      2. @omarr-pepper @vettel1 @hellotraverse
        You guys should be forever grateful to Alonso for his existence. Good thing the man has some misfortunes from time to time so that your lives can be less miserable.

        1. Anyway, I made some freinds feel Ok, so job done.

          @omarr-pepper Can you post a similar pic of Hamilton’s??? I bet it would make more people happy…

          1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
            19th September 2013, 20:45

            @noob right on work!!! well, but let me find one which is not copyrighted…

        2. @klaas he’s not necessary – I find puppies to be far more efficient at removing misery ;)

  6. I can’t stand this assumption that there is going to be fireworks at Ferrari next year. It is based entirely on the situation at McLaren in 2007, and on the clear #1, #2 driver structure at Ferrari in years gone by, two things that are completely irrelevant.

    Is Alonso the same driver that he was in 2007? No. In 2007, he had just come off the back of beating the might Ferrari and Schumacher to the title, and was the undisputed finest driver in the paddock, but was beaten by a rookie. In 2013, he’s the underdog, the chaser, a master on the track, and the master of the politics off of it. And is Raikkonen anything like Hamilton? No. He’s insular, anti-social and most importantly, he’s apolitical. That’s fine by Alonso. Kimi is not the kind of guy to enter a team and mix it up. Frankly, despite his alternative nature, Kimi doesn’t sustain conversation long enough to annoy anyone.

    So if you judge the scenario based on media headline and questions being shot at Raikkonen during the press conference, the Alonso-Raikkonen is, in the eyes of the world potentially explosive, nee foolhardy, whereas the Vettel-Raikkonen proposition was highly feasible. Why is that? 2007 again? Why does the world think Alonso won’t be able to handle a competitive teammate whilst Vettel can? And doesn’t Red Bull’s selection of Ricciardo over Raikkonen protest against that?

    In terms of the team structure at Ferrari over the past years, I think it is simply the way Ferrari run their team. Every year since the Berger-Alesi days, with the possible exception of 2008/9, there has been an overt #1 and #2 within the team, and even when Ferrari were fielding Prost and Mansell, two “big guns”, Prost was the undisputed #1. The way Alonso almost passively gained momentum over Massa in 2010 brought that structure into play again. And Germany 2010? Only an individual void of logic could look at the final points standings and conclude anything other than it was one of the most easily justifiable team orders in the sport’s history. Alonso didn’t gain #1 status because he demanded it, he gained it because quite frankly, he deserved it.

    At no point will it ever be written in official documents at Mercedes, but if Hamilton maintains his current momentum over Rosberg an invisible and unofficial #1 status will be draped over his shoulders, and I genuinely believe that was the case with Alonso and Massa. Alonso knows that arguably for the first time since 1995 it will be even-stevens at Ferrari in 2014, and that he’ll have to regain his status over Raikkonen, but do you not think that he is relishing the chance to prove the doubters that have enveloped his 2013 campaign wrong?

    Alonso has no need to fear, which is probably why he isn’t the slightest bit worried. What’s more important is the fact that with the advantage Ferrari have in terms of engine-chassis integration and a very talented new technical team, and therefore Alonso has a very real chance of taking his third title in 2014 if he can maximize the opportunity.

    1. @william-brierty

      Germany 2010? Only an individual void of logic could look at the final points standings and conclude anything other than it was one of the most easily justifiable team orders in the sport’s history.

      Even with his team mate’s help Alonso still failed to win the title. Ferrari might as well have let Massa kept his victory and his dignity.

      And if Alonso had won the title by six points or fewer, the sport would have had a tainted champion who only took the title because he had a subservient team mate. I’m very glad it was spared that.

      1. @keithcollantine In 1964, Ferrari’s Lorenzo Bandini hit Graham Hill at the hairpin during the final round in Mexico – most likely at Ferrari’s request. As such, his teammate John Surtees went on to secure the World Championship that race.

        My point is that no one remembers 1964 as the year a guy won by dubious team orders, but as the year a former motorcyclist champion managed to win the F1 championship too. The circumstances don’t matter to the vast majority; what counts is the name in the World Champions’ chronology.

        Doesn’t mean I don’t agree with your final sentence though…

      2. @keithcollantine

        And if Alonso had won the title by six points or fewer, the sport would have had a tainted champion who only took the title because he had a subservient team mate. I’m very glad it was spared that.

        I strongly doubt that you would have said the same thing with Lewis Hamilton in 2008, Hamilton won that WDC by one point and in Germany 2008 there were definitely team orders given to Kovalainen to give position to Lewis Hamilton

        1. There is a big difference between Massa being ordered to give up a race he was leading to Alonso and Kovalainen making way for Hamilton when running in 4th, and then seeing Hamilton gain another couple of places to win it @tifoso1989, especially because they were on different strategies. The same was probably true for Kubica vs. Heidfeld in Canada that year.

          In the first case its clearly a result being pampered with. In the second case its to give Hamilton as much chance to win it as possible given the late stage of the race and his strategy.

      3. But Raikonen won his championship with massa moving over in Brasil…..

        1. I dont like team orders in general but then many teams do employ team orders and Alonso is certainly not the only driver to have benefited from it…

      4. Hindisght is great, isnt it?

  7. It will be the first time in 60 years Ferrari has had two world champions driving for the team

    Wow……

    1. Well, the last time McLaren had two world champions in their team was 1989 with Prost and Senna (both had own titles at that time, unlike with Alonso and Hamilton). So it appears it’s not a terribly common occurrence – that’s 24 years since McLaren have.

      All the more credit to Ferrari really for breaking convention and preparing us for a fantastic spectacle next season!

      1. I cannot believe that you forgot McLaren 2010-2012, Button and Hamilton!

        @vettel1

        1. So I did haha @mike-dee! *facepalm*

          I’ll amend the comment to *2010-2012 was the first time McLaren had a world champion’s line-up since 1989 ;)

          I think I’ll have a look for other occasions in which two world champions have been in the same team: of course Ferrari 1953 & 2014, McLaren 1974, 1989 – any others?

          1. It appears McLaren are quite good for fielding world champions by reckoning (I’m discounting ones in which both drivers weren’t world champions at the season beginning, for the record) as there have been 5 seasons in which they’ve had two world champions at the start of a season.

          2. Forgot Rosberg won a championship for a minute there! Ta very much @hotbottoms :)

            So yes, it’s not a terribly common occurrence @jason12 – that’s 10 times that’s ever happened. Good on Ferrari!

            Or in other words, an average of once every six years does that happen.

          3. @vettel1,@hotbottoms
            Ferrari 1953 : Alberto Ascari-Nino Farina
            Brabham 1967 : Jack Brabham-Denny Hulme
            Lotus 1967-1968: Graham Hill-Jim Clark
            Mclaren 1974: Emerson Fittipaldi-Denny Hulme
            Mclaren 1986 :Alain Prost-keke Roseberg
            Mclaren 1989 :Alain Prost-Ayrton Senna
            Mclaren 2010-2012 :Lewis Hamilton-Jenson Button
            Ferrari 2014 : Kimi Raikkonen-Fernando Alonso
            The interesting thing is that all the WDC drivers line up succeeded to clinch the title except in 1967 because the title was won by anther WDC driver line up

          4. @tifoso1989
            Neither did Hamilton-Button line up.

          5. @hotbottoms
            I was really 100% conscious when i wrote my comment ,let’s say the only years the WDC drivers line up didn’t worked were 2010-2012

      2. you forgotten hamilton & button

        1. okay a bit late hehe

          1. @amiranuar at least you noticed haha! :)

  8. Ice usually has a low level of friction.

    1. Ice is also cold and uninteresting… :P

    2. Ice makes you feel cool ;-)

    3. Ice is brittle and tends to skid at high speeds…

      1. Ice will melt swiftly when it comes anywhere near the fire :)

  9. Kimi and Fernando: a song of ice and fire :)))

    1. I’d take Ice or fire any day rather than a blue energy drink.

      1. A Red Bull would maul a soft, feeble prancing horse. :)

        1. @hellotravese not if the horse has a rider who can make it gallop with haste . Better if it is a samurai :-P

        2. @hellotraverse

          feeble prancing horse

          is it a horse or a pony?

    2. @hamilfan it does give you wiiings though…wings are pretty badass ;)

    3. @vettel1 hehe . Wonder what the samurai can do this weekend . But the prognosis does not look all that great for Alonso this week . But I won’t make any assumptions just yet

      1. @hamilfan I think it’ll be Mercedes vs Red Bull, but you can never discount Alonso, of course (I’ve learned that many times in the prediction’s championship!). I think it’s going to be more difficult to call this one – the Red Bull just generally looks quick everywhere, but Mercedes have a very good high downforce set-up. We can’t ignore Lotus either (although I feel their qualifying performances will render them out of podium contention in normal circumstances).

        Pretty much, if Alonso can get on the second or third row he has a shot at the victory. Otherwise it’s Vettel or Hamilton for me (again though, that depends if RBR’s gearboxes hold up).

        1. @vettel1 Just want a thrilling qualifying like what happened in Spa and a thrilling race like ……..any race last year :-(

          1. @hamilfan I thought 2011 produced some really good races as well (except for P1 a lot of the time, obviously). Canada 2011 was a cracker and I enjoyed Belgium because it felt on-edge.

    4. Was my “Game of Thrones” pun so lame that everybody went on a tangent to compare Bull vs horse?! ;-)

      If you want to go with that at least a reference to the “Rejoneador” (essentially a matador on horse) considering the nationality of Alonso would have been more apt :-)

  10. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
    19th September 2013, 16:04

    Exactly.

  11. I guess (and hope) that both driver will start as #1. Like Ferrari has underlined it several times: The driver is supposed to drive for Ferrari in the first place. If during the season one of the driver will then fall behind he will have to help his teammate. And that could be Räikkönen or Alonso.

    1. They’re quoted directly from the FIA I think – I saw a photo of an official FIA document on Red Hero’s Facebook page saying the same thing haha!

      Silly FIA @puneethvb

  12. I can’t wait to hear the classic quote from Kimi… “Yea yea yea, I know what I’m doing”. Now, effing leave me alone, lol

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