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Raikkonen expects no problems adjusting to F1′s changes | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:36:11 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, Valencia, 2012

Kimi Raikkonen says he isn’t expecting a hard time returning to F1 after two years away.

Speaking at the launch of the Lotus E20 he said: “I’ve driven with KERS before and DRS is just a button. Once you’ve done it a few times it will become automatic.”

Asked about the introduction of the Drag Reductions System last year he said: “In 2010 I didn’t really follow Formula 1 but I saw more races last year.

“It doesn’t really look different, but there is overtaking in some different places where people can just drive past by opening the rear wing and the driver in front has no chance to defend himself – so is this really overtaking? I don’t think it counts all the time. But for sure the show is better.

“The tyres make a difference too, as there is a big speed difference between when the tyres are new and when the tyres are old. In the old Formula 1, you had to be so much faster than the guy in front of you to have any chance to overtake, but now with the tyres and the DRS, it’s different.”

He said his brief appearance in NASCAR last year reignited his passion for racing:

“When I did the NASCAR races, I enjoyed the racing and I want to do more racing. I still want to do rally and if I could I’d do them both at the same time – but this isn’t possible.

“For sure I will do rallying again in the future. I want to do racing as I had a really good time in NASCAR racing against other people and I realised that I was missing this – that’s when I decided that if there was a good chance to return properly that I would do it.”

He also refuted claims his motivation suffered after winning the world championship in 2007: “There’s always talk about my motivation, written by people who don’t know me and couldn’t have an idea on how strong my motivation is.

“If I didn’t feel I had the motivation, I would stop. My feeling is that I probably drove some of my best races in my last season in Formula 1 and I was very happy with my performance. I’ve never had any issues with motivation.”

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Image © Lotus F1 Team

Kimi Raikkonen continues his F1 familiarisation in Valencia | F1 pictures

Keith Collantine — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:14:54 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen continued testing for Lotus in Valencia today.

Here are pictures from his second day at the track:

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Images © Lotus F1 Team

Kimi Raikkonen makes his F1 return with Lotus | Pictures

Keith Collantine — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:44:12 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen returned to an F1 cockpit for the first time since 2009 today.

The 2007 world champion drove a Renault R30 in Lotus colours at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

Raikkonen, who sported a new helmet design on his return, had to drive a two-year-old car due to testing restrictions. Lotus will launch their 2012 F1 car on Fenruary 5th ahead of the first test session in Jerez.

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Image © Lotus F1 Team

Raikkonen plans to start testing in January | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:11:04 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen, Renault, 2011

Kimi Raikkonen says he intends to drive an F1 car next month before official testing for the 2012 season begins.

Raikkonen told Renault’s website he expects to drive an older car, most likely a 2010-spec R30.

He said: “We don’t test the new car until February so it’s a long wait. However, I should be able to jump into a two-year-old F1 car in January.

“Of course, there will be the usual training, but I will also be working on getting to know the team better and making sure I fully understand all the changes since I have been away.”

Asked if he thought he would take a while to become competitive again following his two years out of the sport he said: “I hope not!

“I am more motivated than ever and I don’t think I’ve lost any speed. Getting on top of the tyres will be the hardest thing, of course, but I’m not really worried.

“Although the technical regulations don’t seem to change much, they apply to a lot of areas and quite a few elements will have to be re-designed. As a result, the cars will be significantly different next year. The order could be shaken up, which will make things very interesting.”

Raikkonen added he has made two visits to the factory of his new team, which will become Lotus in 2012: “The first one, at the team’s Christmas party, made me realise how much support I have there.

“The second one, last week, allowed me to understand that this team has not been world champion by coincidence. I also saw all the investments they have made recently: new simulator building, CFD upgrade, 60% wind tunnel… It gives me a lot of confidence for the season ahead.”

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Image © Renault/LAT

Kimi Raikkonen to return to F1 with Renault in 2012 | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:01:49 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen, Renault, 2011

Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 in 2012 with Renault.

The team, which is set to become Lotus, announced on Tuesday the 2007 world champion would join them for next season.

Raikkonen, who last raced in Formula 1 with Ferrari in 2009, signed a two-year deal with the team.

Raikkonen said: “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity.

“My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming.

“It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.”

Gerard Lopez, chairman of teams owners Genii, said: “All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we’ve been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level.

“Kimi’s decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I’d like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1.”

Raikkonen’s return means a record six world champions will compete alongside each other. He joins Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.

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Whitmarsh and Domenicali tell Williams: “sign Raikkonen” | 2011 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:09:24 +0000

Raikkonen scored his last win for Ferrari at Spa in 2009

Principals from two teams who Kimi Raikkonen won races for advised Frank Williams to sign the former world champion.

McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh and Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali gave the advice to Williams in today’s press conference.

Whitmarsh said: “Try and sign him. Kimi, we all know he is quick.

“I think people underestimate how intelligent he can be. I hope that he is hungry. I am sure he hasn’t lost the capability to thrill us in Formula 1 so I think it would be fantastic for Formula 1.

“I wouldn’t ordinarily presume to advise Sir Frank who he should sign but I think it would be exciting if he did.”

Domenicali added: “Of course, I would not give any advice to Frank. He has long experience. A lot longer than me.

“For sure, I know Kimi very well. He is very talented, very strong, and if he wants to come back he has something that wants to show to everyone about him, about the fact that he was the last driver to win the world championship with us and he will want to show he is still one of the strongest.”

Frank Williams would not be drawn on speculation he could hire the 2007 world champion, saying: “I cannot make any comment about supposition.”

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Should Raikkonen return to F1 with Williams? | Debates and polls

Keith Collantine — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:07:44 +0000

Raikkonen's commitment to rallying has waned

Rumours continue to grow that Kimi Raikkonen is poised to make an F1 return with Williams in 2012.

The former world champion has lacked commitment to his rallying campaign this year.

Can he rediscover his form and return to his best with a comeback to Formula 1?

For

It’s not hard to see the attraction of an F1 return for Raikkonen. The 32-year-old has won 18 races and a world championship already.

As Michael Schumacher has shown, he could have a decade or more of racing ahead of him.

The prospect of having six world champions on the grid – something which has never been seen before – would be a marvellous boost for the sport.

And it could help rejuvenate Williams, one of F1′s most successful teams, who have endured their worst season ever this year. With a new engine deal in place and several key changes in their technical staff, the arrival of a former champion could mark the beginning of a turnaround for the team.

Against

Raikkonen's last F1 start for Ferrari at Abu Dhabi in 2009

Given the manner in which Raikkonen left F1 at the end of 2009, and his patchy career since then, you have you question whether his heart is still in it.

In the space of two years Raikkonen went from winning the world championship to being dropped by Ferrari with a year left on his contract.

Having failed to get a full-time seat in the World Rally Championship for his second season, Raikkonen has pulled out of rallies at the slightest provocation.

He did not appear at the Australian event, not wanting to make the long journey, earning himself exclusion from the championship standings. That does not bode well as the 2012 F1 calendar is larger and has more far-flung venues than the WRC’s.

It is unlikely a comeback would be met with instant success. Williams have had a dreadful season this year with many retirements.

I say

F1 should have the best drivers and therefore of course I would like to see Raikkonen back.

Both driver and team are faded former champions and many of their fans would like to see them competing at the front again.

But Raikkonen must be realistic about what an F1 comeback with Williams is likely to involve. If he can’t face getting on a plane to Australia, grinding through a few hundred interviews and then retiring from the race on the first lap because his KERS has packed up, then he should sit tight.

You say

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Kimi Räikkönen’s NASCAR Trucks debut up close | Guest articles

Jamey Price — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:00:09 +0000

Kimi Räikkönen, NASCAR truck, Charlotte Superspeedway, 2011

Lewis Hamilton had his first taste of NASCAR at Watkins Glen last week.

But his former rival Kimi Räikkönen has taken things a step further, starting a couple of races in NASCAR’s junior categories.

Jamey Price was at Charlotte Superspeedway last month to watch Räikkönen’s first race in a NASCAR Truck.

I have long been a Kimi Räikkönen fan. It’s no secret that the Iceman is notoriously self absorbed, quiet and rarely cracks a smile in anyone’s direction.

Much to my surprise, that Kimi Raikkonen that we all know from his Formula One years seems to have been pushed aside and in his place seems a genuinely humble, smiling and even an engaging character.

I was contracted to cover Räikkönen’s first attempt at NASCAR Truck racing at Charlotte Motorspeedway on May 20th as a photographer.

It was a first for me as well in that despite being born and raised in Charlotte North Carolina, I had never covered a NASCAR race at any level. I’ve been to a few, but never been paid to cover one with credentials.

My job was to cover Räikkönen’s every waking move from morning until night which made my job easier in that my eyes needed to be focused on only one man instead of covering the race as a whole.

Perky Jerky

Kimi Räikkönen, NASCAR truck, Charlotte Superspeedway, 2011

After setting up in the media room and getting all the camera gear dialled-in and lenses all cleaned up, I walked toward the garage area where his crew were feverishly cleaning his car before the first practice session.

Räikkönen arrived in the garage after attending the rookie driver meeting and set about preparing himself to get in the car. They cranked up the engine and off he went to run his first laps of practice. It was immediately clear that he was off the pace and reports from the garage were that the car was ‘loose’ – oversteering.

I was standing on pit road shooting looking toward the start/finish line and lap after lap I noticed that cars he had been running with the previous time around were pulling away from him.

He came back to the garage spoke with the crew chief and made some changes to the car and went back out. You could tell he was frustrated with how the car was handling. He finished the first session 30th of 38 drivers with a time of 31.265s.

Second practice was not much better for the world champion. I had relocated to shoot from the outside wall at the exit of turn four where the cars come straight at you at around 300kph (almost 190mph).

Having never photographed NASCAR before, I can tell you it was quite exhilarating sitting inches away from the wall as the trucks roared past. I made some nice images of Kimi pushing the car around the turn and onto the front straight but there was little he could do to make an impression in the time sheets. He finished 30th again with a best time of 31.471s.

30th again

Kimi Räikkönen, NASCAR truck, Charlotte Superspeedway, 2011

As the drivers readied for qualifying later in the day, I took advantage of the Sprint Cup practice to find some new vantage points to shoot Räikkönen’s qualifying run. I liked the angle from the bottom of turn four shooting up the track.

Not having a radio scanner or any way of knowing where Räikkönen would be in the randomly drawn qualifying order, I was more or less forced to shoot every truck as they qualified waiting to see the black and orange #15 Perky Jerky car that Räikkönen was driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

When he finally appeared, I snapped as many as I could and tried to capture as many different angles and styles as one can shoot with two laps and one lens. Räikkönen’s magic number for the day seemed to be 30th, since again he landed towards the back of the field posting the slowest lap time of his day.

I took advantage of the down-time between qualifying and the race to send some of the images off while waiting for the pre-race activities to begin. Raikkonen and the other truck drivers were introduced in front of the crowd about an hour before the race began

While wandering around looking for interesting things to shoot, I happened to glance up and see Räikkönen having a light hearted pre-race chat with former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jnr.

The two seemed to be engaged and genuinely happy to see each other. Who knows what they were talking about but it was a short-lived conversation because it was time to introduce the world champion to the crowd.

Raikkonen’s name was called and he walked onto the stage with shades and Red Bull cap on his head, gave a quick wave and walked back toward the car which was sitting on pit road with his crew.

“Who’s that?” “Some Formula 1 champion…”

Kimi Räikkönen, NASCAR truck, Charlotte Superspeedway, 2011

I am quite certain that NASCAR Truck racing has never had so much media attention. I remember very distinctly standing in the scrum with all the other media trying to get some interesting photos of Räikkönen before the race when I heard another truck driver walk by with a woman beside him.

She asked “what the heck is going on here?” The driver replied “It’s some Formula 1 world champion who’s trying NASCAR out for fun.”

I’m sure Räikkönen is used to the media, but many of the truck drivers live in relative obscurity and apart from their small contingent of fans, would never have a gaggle of photographers, TV crews and journalists all pushing and shoving to capture them before a race. This was a new experience for all involved.

Since I had a spot picked out on the start finish stretch about 300 yards down from the finish line, I had to leave the pit activities early and head toward my spot before they closed the track down and made it harder to get around.

Shooting wide open at f2.8 on a 300mm lens on a Nikon D3s, I shot the start of the race. Räikkönen got shuffled to the back early on. He was clearly uncomfortable with running in such a tight pack but as anyone who saw the race can attest, he quickly picked up his game.

I think I can speak for Räikkönen when I say we will both remember the race not for the racing itself, but for the number of cautions. It was absurd. There seemed to be a new incident every five minutes. It made for very frustrating work and very dull racing.

After shooting the first 50 laps, I walked back toward the pit lane to try and get one of the pit stops. After missing his first stop due to a miscommunication, I wasn’t sure how many chances I would get but I did manage to get one of his stops.

The rest of the race, I photographed his push through the field from the pit wall near his crew. He had definitely picked up the groove and was able to push a bit harder and actually look a bit like a racing driver again. I saw him pull some daring manoeuvres and was genuinely pleased that he finished the race a solid 15th.

Though his practice pace had been slow, he had been able to make the most of his racing ability and had certainly made an impression on the NASCAR community. It appears he will be running in the NASCAR Nationwide race this coming Friday and recently tested a Sprint Cup car in Virginia. Perhaps Räikkönen really is thinking of a permanent move to stock car racing. In any event, I was pleased his race ended well and that he appeared to enjoy the experience. I know I did.

Thanks to Sutton Images, Charlotte Motorspeedway and the photographers on site who made it a very enjoyable day in welcoming myself and Räikkönen to the NASCAR community with open arms.

This is a guest article by Jamey Price. Jamey is a sports photojournalist whose work has been published in a range of sporting publications worldwide. More of his photos can be found at www.jameypricephoto.com.

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Kimi Räikkönen vs Jackie Stewart | Champion of champions

Keith Collantine — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:44:21 +0000

Kimi Räikkönen and Jackie Stewart’s F1 careers each lasted less than a decade. That’s not particularly long by the standards of today – consider that Rubens Barrichello is heading into his record-breaking 19th season.

But they both did a lot of winning in their nine-year stints in the top flight as the statistics below make clear.

An in addition to their championships both also finished as runner-up in two seasons. Stewart was second to Graham Hill in 1968 and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972, his performance in the latter season dogged by a stomach ulcer.

Räikkönen was second to Michael Schumacher in 2003 and Fernando Alonso in 2005. In the latter year he was dogged by engine problems in his McLaren.

Arguably, both retired earlier than they might have done. Stewart decided early in 1973 it would be his last season, and he spurned big-money offers to come back.

Räikkönen was dropped by Ferrari at the end of 2009 and has not shown an interest in returning, happy instead to concentrate on rallying.

Which of these drivers should go through to the next round of the Champion of Champions? Vote for which you think was best below and explain who you voted for and why in the comments.

	Kimi Räikkönen	Jackie Stewart

Titles	2007	1969, 1971, 1973
Second in title year/s	Lewis Hamilton	Jacky Ickx, Ronnie Peterson, Emerson Fittipaldi
Teams	Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari	BRM, Matra, Tyrrell
Notable team mates	David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Felipe Massa	Graham Hill, Johnny Servoz-Gavin, Francois Cevert
Starts	156	99
Wins	18 (11.54%)	27 (27.27%)
Poles	16 (10.26%)	17 (17.17%)
Modern points per start¹	9.60	11.20
% car failures²	19.23	32.32
Modern points per finish³	11.89	16.55
Notes	Signed by McLaren after a single season with Sauber	Finished his first six races in the points and won his eighth start
	Championship runner-up in third season and again in 2005	Runner-up to Graham Hill in 1968 before winning three titles in five years
	Won title in first season for Ferrari after stunning late-season turn-around	Retired on the eve of what would have been his 100th start after team mate Cevert was killed
Bio	Kimi Räikkönen	Jackie Stewart

¹ How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of races they started
² The percentage of races in which they were not classified due to a mechanical failure
³ How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of starts in which they did not suffer a race-ending mechanical failure

Round one

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Kimi Räikkönen vs Sebastian Vettel | Champion of Champions

Keith Collantine — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:28:47 +0000

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel won their world championships in dramatic fashion, coming from behind in the closing stages of the season.

Vettel made his debut the same year Räikkönen won his title. But the Finnish driver left F1 the year before Vettel clinched the world championship.

Räikkönen’s first F1 team was Sauber, who he drove for in 2001. He quickly dispelled concerns over his lack of racing experience (he was only given a super licence on a provisional basis at the start of the season) and was snapped up by McLaren at the end of the year.

He quickly got on terms with team mate David Coulthard and scored his first F1 win at Sepang in 2003. Although it was his only win that year he was in the running for the championship until the final race.

The following season was a disappointment with the largely uncompetitive and unreliable MP4-19. Its successor was a tremendous improvement – easily the quickest car, but prone to failures. Räikkönen won seven times but ended the year runner-up in the championship again, this time to Fernando Alonso.

Räikkönen jumped ship to Ferrari in 2007 and results came quickly. He won his first race and first championship with the team, overcoming a 17-point deficit in the final two races to snatch the title from the McLaren drivers.

He started his title defence strongly with two wins in the first four races. But team mate Felipe Massa forged ahead and a four-race point-less streak, including crashes in Belgium and Singapore, killed off Räikkönen’s championship hopes.

Vettel made a one-off appearance for BMW in Indianapolis in 2007, picking up a point on his debut as he stood in for the injured Robert Kubica.

A mid-season switch to Toro Rosso led to a full year with the team in 2008. Vettel marked himself out as a man of the future with pole position and victory in a streaming wet race at Monza.

He graduated to Red Bull in 2009 and won four times to finish runner-up in the championship to Jenson Button. Räikkönen, however, won once, at Spa, but was dropped by Ferrari at the end of the year and moved to the World Rally Championship.

Like Räikkönen at McLaren, Vettel came to learn the strengths and weaknesses of cars designed by Adrian Newey: great performance but questionable reliability. His RB6 failed him while leading on several occasions in 2010. But he also lost points with costly mistakes.

However a late-season charge brought him three wins from four starts. Having been fourth in the championship with two races to go he snatched the title from Alonso in the final race.

Which of these drivers should go through to the next round of the Champion of Champions? Vote for which you think was best below and explain who you voted for and why in the comments.

	Kimi Räikkönen	Sebastian Vettel

Titles	2007	2010
Second in title year/s	Lewis Hamilton	Fernando Alonso
Teams	Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari	BMW, Toro Rosso, Red Bull
Notable team mates	David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Felipe Massa	Vitantonio Liuzzi, Sebastien Bourdais, Mark Webber
Starts	156	62
Wins	18 (11.54%)	10 (16.13%)
Poles	16 (10.26%)	15 (24.19%)
Modern points per start¹	9.60	9.21
% car failures²	19.23	12.90
Modern points per finish³	11.89	10.57
Notes	Signed by McLaren after a single season with Sauber	Won in first full season for Toro Rosso
	Championship runner-up in third season and again in 2005	Championship runner-up in second full season
	Won title in first season for Ferrari after stunning late-season turn-around	The youngest ever world champion
Bio	Kimi Räikkönen	Sebastian Vettel

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