- 25 Oct 09, 09:41#165549
I find it very funny that Kimi thinks he's worth 25mil still if he'd been fighting Lewis instead of Massa in 2008 then perhaps but he had a very bad season in 2008 and even though he's improved massively in 2009 who's to say he's not going to up slip again in 2010.
If he's not careful he's going end up without a drive for 2010.
McLaren won't sign a driver just for their name'
Sunday 25th October 2009
In a thinly veiled warning to Kimi Raikkonen, Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug says McLaren are not willing to sign a driver for big bucks just because of who he is.
In recent weeks, several drivers have been linked to a possible race-seat at McLaren, replacing the under-performing Heikki Kovalainen.
Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button and Raikkonen are the top names that have been bandied about in the press with McLaren and engine partner Mercedes both admitting an interest in signing the latter.
However, the Woking team are not the only ones chasing the Finn's signature.
Toyota are also keen and have even offered the former World Champion contract, although team president John Howett recently revealed that Raikkonen was asking too high a price for his services.
McLaren are believed to be having a similar problem in signing the Ferrari driver, who despite getting a hefty pay-out from Ferrari for ending his contract a year early, reportedly still wants 25 million Euros.
McLaren, though, have warned him that if he wants to race for them he needs to be willing to take the salary they offer because they won't just pay for the name.
"Kimi is an option, but there are lots of options around," Haug told Autosport. "One thing is for sure though - guys who are out for money are not the right ones for us - whoever it may be.
"I won't name anyone, but we want to have full commitment from someone who is success-oriented, not someone saying 'I am a big name, pay me a lot of money and I will drive for you.'
"The team has to be convinced that a driver is hungry, motivated, focused, and that his first thought is not to get more money."
Haug added that a driver should want to race for McLaren purely because of what the team can offer them on the track, citing McLaren's second half performance this year as proof that they are still capable of winning.
"We have shown our level of competitiveness - Lewis has scored race wins and podiums, and beaten the guys that have been going for the title this year," he added.
"It shows that we are going in the right direction. We have stabilised this year, and we have a seat to offer in a race-winning car. There are probably three, four, five teams maximum that can offer that."
I find it very funny that Kimi thinks he's worth 25mil still if he'd been fighting Lewis instead of Massa in 2008 then perhaps but he had a very bad season in 2008 and even though he's improved massively in 2009 who's to say he's not going to up slip again in 2010.
If he's not careful he's going end up without a drive for 2010.
