F1Rejects.com

by **homerbhoy** » 17 Nov 2009, 10:32

If Button has signed for McLaren then do you think kimi will take year off or go to Mercedes or Renault?

by **lostpin** » 17 Nov 2009, 10:35

A sabbatical is likely now, he isn't interested in driving for a team that has no chances at wining the championship... yet the Button to Mclaren thing is still not certain yet, so who knows...

by **homerbhoy** » 17 Nov 2009, 10:37

True, I hope he doesnt as year out could lead to last finn who done that.

Out of sight out of mind eh?

Kimi for Mercedes i say

by **Captain Hammer** » 17 Nov 2009, 10:37

Get out and stay out. Formula One doesn't need him.

by **homerbhoy** » 17 Nov 2009, 10:39

needs all champions can get. fastest driver I think although worst attitude

by **DonTirri** » 17 Nov 2009, 14:35

Captain Hammer wrote:Get out and stay out. Formula One doesn't need him.

The hell you got against Kimi?
All I've seen you do all year is bash him whenever you got the chance.

And on topic: I'd be sad to see Kimi go, because despite of his flaws, he is still one of (if not THE) fastest driver in F1 by raw pace, and when he is giving a damn, nobody can stop him.

That and also I'd hate to have only a Half-finn to root for...

*pulls out a Rosberg-rules-t-shirt!"

by **Captain Hammer** » 17 Nov 2009, 15:40

DonTirri wrote:The hell you got against Kimi?
All I've seen you do all year is bash him whenever you got the chance.

It's only something I've developed of late given the reports of his negotiations for a new contract: he's been underperforming, but demanding the same level of pay, reduced PR hours, a championship-worthy car and his management are apparently behaving as if he was never given the lump-sum payout from Ferrari. Meanwhile, other, faster drivers - Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Massa, Button - are all doing so much more for so much less. It just reeks of sheer arrogance on Kimi's part. He's like a celebrity who shows up at a charity fundraiser but never pledges anything because he feels his presence should be enough. He's holding out a hand and asking for the world on a silver platter, but not once has he done anything this season to show he's worthy of it. The only reason he won in Belgium was because of KERS; without it, he wouldn't have seen Fisichella until the podium celebrations. A lot of people lambasted Kimi for not doing enough in 2008 and 2009 when the flavour of the month was Alonso going to Ferrari. If he wasn't worthy of Ferrari, why is he suddenly deserving of a better deal with McLaren?

And to cap it all off, he says he's not bothered if he doesn't line up on the 2010 grid because he's got no options. The desire is plainly gone. He doesn't want to keep racing the way the others do, and if that's the way he feels, maybe he hould be cut loose in favour of someone who is fighting to be in the sport, like Kamui Kobayashi.

by **Phoenix** » 18 Nov 2009, 01:00

Perhaps he signs with Renault. They won't prevent him eating as many stracciatella ice-creams as he wants...

by **howardmb** » 18 Nov 2009, 02:00

With the news of Jenson Button to McLaren what of Kimi Raikkonen? What seats are really left worth filling? Renault? I know he will still draw a hefty paycheck for leaving the red team early but it seems as if he is now frozen out of a decent drive. In a curious sort of way, he seems in the running for Reject of the Year. Think of it...Booted out of his team, even though it costs the team plenty to satisfy their contract, unable to find a drive for the following year (at least in F1). By description alone, he would qualify for ROY.

My advice would be to pull a "wild card" move and go to a new team like USF1 or Lotus. He could write his own ticket, which would mean time off to pursue other interests.

He could bring a wealth of knowledge with him and his driving skills aren't in question. He still has options, but would he take them?

What would you folks do? Thumb your nose and walk away? Grovel for a seat Mercedes?

by **Stramala** » 18 Nov 2009, 02:21

Captain Hammer wrote:Not once has he done anything this season to show he's worthy of it. The only reason he won in Belgium was because of KERS; without it, he wouldn't have seen Fisichella until the podium celebrations.

Excuse me, have you been living under a rock since June? He scored more points than Button in the second half of the season despite having a dog of a car, when the Brawn was still clearly capable for fighting for victories.
His only problem is, he's not motivated very easily...maybe if Daimler was to buy Walls he would move to Mercedes?

by **Stramala** » 18 Nov 2009, 02:30

Mercedes or bust.

by **lostpin** » 18 Nov 2009, 02:32

World Rally Championship...

by **Stramala** » 18 Nov 2009, 02:35

Or maybe even Trophee Andros!
I hear Dacia are entering the Sanderno next year, maybe HWNSNBM will be racing against Kimi there too?

by **howardmb** » 18 Nov 2009, 02:55

Opps! I should have rolled this thread into the other one that asked the question already...Sorry...

by **rffp** » 18 Nov 2009, 03:41

I think he will be watching 2010 on TV with his Magnum and Coke.

by **shinji** » 18 Nov 2009, 03:56

Does he really care what's next?

Well, to answer my question, he's stated himself that he pretty much doesn't.

by **Collieafc** » 18 Nov 2009, 04:37

BTCC...

by **Collieafc** » 18 Nov 2009, 04:40

He is really like James Hunt. Now he has won, he just cant be bothered really.

Such a waste of talent, in my view

by **Captain Hammer** » 18 Nov 2009, 05:38

kostas22 wrote:Excuse me, have you been living under a rock since June? He scored more points than Button in the second half of the season despite having a dog of a car, when the Brawn was still clearly capable for fighting for victories.

And if only the second half of the season counted towards championship positions, that would actually be relevent. Oh, look: if the one and only race of the season had been in Belgium, Raikkonen would be the World Champion!

But that's not the case.It sure as hell doesn't justify giving Kimi a contract that satisfies his demands for tens of millions of dollars, reduced PR commitments and a championship-winning car. Raikkonen's results have been all over the place, and it took Felipe Massa getting KO'ed in Hungary to inspire him to knuckle down.

by **Yannick** » 18 Nov 2009, 05:39

It would be the teams' mistake if nobody hired Kimi.

by **DonTirri** » 18 Nov 2009, 05:42

Captain Hammer wrote:
But that's not the case.It sure as hell doesn't justify giving Kimi a contract that satisfies his demands for tens of millions of dollars, reduced PR commitments and a championship-winning car. Raikkonen's results have been all over the place, and it took Felipe Massa getting KO'ed in Hungary to inspire him to knuckle down.

Got proof of these "Demands" or are they just rumors?
Because for someone who adamantly stood against the alonso to ferrari rumor (yeah, i did too but i had patriotic reasons), you seem to be adamantly hating a guy based on things that can't be more than just hearsay

by **CarlosFerreira** » 18 Nov 2009, 06:27

Captain Hammer wrote:
But that's not the case.It sure as hell doesn't justify giving Kimi a contract that satisfies his demands for tens of millions of dollars, reduced PR commitments and a championship-winning car. Raikkonen's results have been all over the place, and it took Felipe Massa getting KO'ed in Hungary to inspire him to knuckle down.

Might be. Kimi isn't the absolute best value for money out there right now, but he's still quick. Quicker than most, actually. Fisichella showed how good the F-60 was (genuine dog's breakfast), and still Kimi regularly scored and got, as has been pointed out, more points than the eventual WDC in the second part of the Championship. I maintain F1 is better off with than without him. And, unlike Massa and Alonso, you never hear him whining, which is a bless.

As for the cash, champ-winning car and reduced PR, I believe it's true. That's what Raikkonen has been all about ever since he came into F1. Fair enough, there's too much PR and press releases in F1 these days anyway.

by **Stramala** » 18 Nov 2009, 08:37

What I can say, its that he'll be demanding at least a £7 Million salary from any prospective employer. I would say, as long as its under £10m, that a is reasonable price.

by **mario** » 18 Nov 2009, 08:38

CarlosFerreira wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
But that's not the case.It sure as hell doesn't justify giving Kimi a contract that satisfies his demands for tens of millions of dollars, reduced PR commitments and a championship-winning car. Raikkonen's results have been all over the place, and it took Felipe Massa getting KO'ed in Hungary to inspire him to knuckle down.

Might be. Kimi isn't the absolute best value for money out there right now, but he's still quick. Quicker than most, actually. Fisichella showed how good the F-60 was (genuine dog's breakfast), and still Kimi regularly scored and got, as has been pointed out, more points than the eventual WDC in the second part of the Championship. I maintain F1 is better off with than without him. And, unlike Massa and Alonso, you never hear him whining, which is a bless.

As for the cash, champ-winning car and reduced PR, I believe it's true. That's what Raikkonen has been all about ever since he came into F1. Fair enough, there's too much PR and press releases in F1 these days anyway.

Surely a reduction in publiciocrap is welcome, otherwise one of these days the publiciocrap meter will explode in a shower of advertising slogans and soundbites.
As to Kimi himself, it does seem that despite the fact that he hasn't been regularly atop the podium, he has had a reasonable season. After all, 6th place in the drivers championship is pretty respectable, and given that development on the F60-B was pretty limited after Hungary, he did well to remain fairly competitive in the races afterwards. On the other hand, although Badoer and Fisi struggled with the car, the fact that Massa was still able to extract good results out of the car until his accident suggests that although the car wasn't a title contender, there was quite a bit of potential in the F60-B.

Now, a question which may hit a few nerves. Does Kimi have a hint of the "James Hunt" syndrome? After all, like Hunt was after his title, although he is still quick, there have been persistant questions over whether he has lost the focus that he had before - certainly, in 2008, after struggling with the car for a while, he admitted to Finnish TV that he did lose interest after being unable to challenge for wins.

It is understandable that Kimi wants a car which will give him a shot of race wins - the problem is, with quite a few drivers on the market looking for top tier teams, but with most of the places already taken, or probably going to go very soon, he could quite easily find himself with no seat at the end of the day. Personally, I would find it a shame, because I respect Kimi - but, ultimately, unless he wants to compromise, the main thing stopping Kimi getting a seat is Kimi. I only hope that he decides that if he wants to leave, he takes up a new challenge like the WRC.

by **CarlosFerreira** » 18 Nov 2009, 09:01

mario wrote:Now, a question which may hit a few nerves. Does Kimi have a hint of the "James Hunt" syndrome? After all, like Hunt was after his title, although he is still quick, there have been persistant questions over whether he has lost the focus that he had before - certainly, in 2008, after struggling with the car for a while, he admitted to Finnish TV that he did lose interest after being unable to challenge for wins.

You may be onto something there. I'm not old enough to remember Hunt, but there is a hint of that behaviour you describe in Raikkonen. Maybe he is indeed not having fun anymore, and that why he's mostly quick in Spa: he likes the place.

by **watka** » 18 Nov 2009, 09:28

Phoenix wrote:Perhaps he signs with Renault. They won't prevent him eating as many stracciatella ice-creams as he wants...

I read that as Schiattarella ice-creams. What's a stracciatella ice cream anyway?

by **FullMetalJack** » 18 Nov 2009, 09:49

watka wrote:I read that as Schiattarella ice-creams.

So did I

by **hclw** » 18 Nov 2009, 10:21

by **homerbhoy** » 18 Nov 2009, 10:23

Defo means Button in at McLaren now, doubt Kimi will be back now

by **Captain Hammer** » 18 Nov 2009, 10:37

homerbhoy wrote:Defo means Button in at McLaren now, doubt Kimi will be back now

Not is Ross Brawn has anything to say about it:

"Your future is with us."

It seems reports of Button having signed were premature.

by **tristan1117** » 18 Nov 2009, 10:42

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80187

Shades of Hakkinen in 2001? Who's next, Kovaleinen? Currently, his job prospects must not be looking too good.

by **jonnowoody** » 18 Nov 2009, 10:46

All due credit to John Howett, when the whole world doubted him............Kimi went with Toyota after all.

by **Jordan** » 18 Nov 2009, 10:55

http://www.f1times.co.uk/manager-raikko ... -1204.html

Sabbatical it is, allegedly

by **Henrique** » 18 Nov 2009, 12:52

I'm seriously stunned

Does he really believe he'll be hired by a team that's "fighting for wins and the world championship" in 2011 just like that? He might as well just say he's retiring.

by **fjackdaw** » 18 Nov 2009, 23:05

I wonder if this will be the first year I've been watching with no Finns on the grid?

by **lostpin** » 18 Nov 2009, 23:19

fjackdaw wrote:I wonder if this will be the first year I've been watching with no Finns on the grid?

There's always a half-Finn out there...

by **mario** » 19 Nov 2009, 02:48

lostpin wrote:
fjackdaw wrote:I wonder if this will be the first year I've been watching with no Finns on the grid?

There's always a half-Finn out there...

True, but it'll not quite be the same. However, although we now know that Heikki is on his way from Mclaren, there is probably a good chance that someone else will pick him up. After all, he may go back to Renault, since he would know how the team works, and would probably get on well with Kubica; if Renault pull out, he'd still probably stick a good chance with one of the new teams.

Still, it seems that Kimi has decided to go and have some fun elsewhere - according to the BBC, he is already concentrating on getting a drive in rallying instead.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 365967.stm

by **Stramala** » 19 Nov 2009, 03:29

So, Kimi's racing options? I can take this one...

Tommi Makinen Racing
He already has a working relationship with TMR, having driven for them at Finland this year. However Fiat's possible withdrawl from the sport wouldn't help matters.

Stobart Ford
Matt Wilson is a shoe in here thanks to the fact he is the boss' dad, and I believe Henning Solberg just renewed a deal for another two years. This leaves one seat, though changes of him signing here are slim due to its semi-works status and his high pay demands where everyone except Wilson has had to pay for their drives.

Peugeot Sport
Peugeot seem to have an abundance of money in their IRC program lately, and signing a high profile name like Raikkonen might be benificial to them. But with Kris Meeke and Freddy Loix already on their books, will Kimi risk his reputation against a man currently at his peak and a past master of the sport?

Otherwise, he might just do sporadic events in his TMR prepared Abarth Punto S2000 as a privateer.

Here's another rumour, from way left of the field...
Prodive-Mini World Rally Team
Prodrive are apparently working on a new Mini S2000 project, and they are tipped to have a super-team of drivers: Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg and Kimi in a non-points scoring car. Its a long term thing though and if he wants an F1 comeback, don't expect him to be driving here.

by **shinji** » 19 Nov 2009, 03:31

Maybe he could take up the post that has hopefully been vacated at 'Kobayashi's Sushi Bar'.

by **rffp** » 19 Nov 2009, 05:21

There is a rumour here this Wednesday in Brazil that Kimi will indeed go to Mercedes GP. It might be just the silly season, but the journalist is one of the top ones here.

F1Rejects.com

Who is online