- 13 Jul 10, 18:26#207097
Finnish driver and 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen sensationally left F1 at the end of 2009, making the move to the World Rally Championship when Ferrari replaced him with Fernando Alonso.
The circumstances of Raikkonen’s departure were unusual, to say the least. While official details have not been confirmed, either by the driver or by Ferrari, it was widely reported that the Finnish driver stood to make more money by sitting out the 2010 season than he would by moving from Ferrari to another team.
In what was widely believed to be a ‘golden handshake’ agreement, Ferrari paid Raikkonen a reported €20 million not to drive for the Scuderia this year. Had the Finnish driver signed up with another Formula 1 team, the penalty paid by Ferrari for releasing Raikkonen from his contract a year ahead of schedule would have been significantly lower.
Taciturn Finn Raikkonen had already expressed an interest in rallying, and had competed in non-championship rallies in the off-season. When the Citroen Junior team offered Raikkonen a WRC seat for 2010, he leapt at the chance, although he refused to rule out a return to F1 in the future.
And with good reason – his presence in the paddock and on track is sorely missed, by fans and team principals alike.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, who was one of a number of leading paddock figures to have held talks with Raikkonen about a possible return to McLaren in 2010, is full of praise for the Finnish champion.
“Formula 1 would be richer for having Kimi back,” Whitmarsh said. “He is a very talented and intelligent driver, which is something that people underestimated. That’s because he wasn’t the most communicative of people on occasions.
“Kimi is one of the most exciting drivers in the world and, frankly, he should be in Formula 1. If I could wave a magic wand for an F1 grid it would certainly include Kimi. That’s why last year we were talking to him.”
And Whitmarsh is far from the only high profile paddock figure to sing Raikkonen’s praises. At the British Grand Prix last weekend, the paddock was abuzz with the news that the Iceman was set to return in the not too distant future, while key team figures had only good things to say.
When Raikkonen first left the F1 circus, he did not rule out a return to circuit racing, although he confirmed that as a world champion, he was only interested in a seat with a front-running team. But now that he is making progress in the World Rally Championship, the Finn has been even more reticent than usual when asked of his long-term plans.
Mercedes VP Norbert Haug recently paid a home visit to Raikkonen in Switzerland, and it is that visit that triggered the current round of Raikkonen return rumours. But Haug asserts that he visited the Finn as a long-time friend, not a potential employer.
"I have been in contact with Kimi as a friend," Haug said. "Kimi will make a decision for himself but I do hope he comes back because it would be a good thing for F1."
Thanks to the number of long-term contracts currently in place at the front-running teams, it is hard to see where Raikkonen would go if he decided to return. McLaren are locked out at least until the end of the 2012 season, as are Ferrari.
There have been rumours that Raikkonen will drive for Red Bull, given that the drinks company are major sponsors of his WRC team, but for that to happen in 2011 Mark Webber would have to break his contract and move elsewhere. As Webber is on an annual contract there is a chance that the seat will become available in 2012, which might be a more realistic timeframe for the Finn, who wants to make his mark on rallying before returning to Formula 1. If he returns.
Nico Rosberg’s contract with Mercedes expires at the end of 2010, but given that the young German has regularly out-paced Michael Schumacher this season, it seems unlikely that the team would choose to dispose of him. Rather it is Schumacher who is the focus of silly season rumours – few in the paddock expect to see the German legend driving for Mercedes for the full three years of his contract.
The next possible contender is Renault, who aren’t a top flight team yet but are well on their way. Apparently MasterCard are interested in sponsoring Renault, but only "if Raikkonen would drive as Robert Kubica's teammate".
But according to Steve Robertson, Raikkonen’s manager, Renault have not entered into any talks with the Finnish rally driver, official or unofficial. Raikkonen spokesman Riku Kuvaja says that the Finnish driver’s plans are “the same as before”, without elaborating on the nature of those plans.
It seems unlikely that Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 in 2011. He is making steady progress in the Citroen Junior team, and was running in the top four in last weekend’s Bulgaria rally before crashing out.
In interviews during WRC events, Raikkonen is far more open with the media than he was in Formula 1 and much happier to talk about the car, the weekend, the atmosphere. He has said repeatedly that he prefers the atmosphere in rallying, and it shows.
While it is entirely possible that Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 at some point in his career, he has too much left to achieve in WRC for 2010 to be a sabbatical season. These rumours are nothing more – do not expect to see Raikkonen back in an F1 car until 2012 at the earliest. Unless he’s testing tyres for Pirelli, that is.
The circumstances of Raikkonen’s departure were unusual, to say the least. While official details have not been confirmed, either by the driver or by Ferrari, it was widely reported that the Finnish driver stood to make more money by sitting out the 2010 season than he would by moving from Ferrari to another team.
In what was widely believed to be a ‘golden handshake’ agreement, Ferrari paid Raikkonen a reported €20 million not to drive for the Scuderia this year. Had the Finnish driver signed up with another Formula 1 team, the penalty paid by Ferrari for releasing Raikkonen from his contract a year ahead of schedule would have been significantly lower.
Taciturn Finn Raikkonen had already expressed an interest in rallying, and had competed in non-championship rallies in the off-season. When the Citroen Junior team offered Raikkonen a WRC seat for 2010, he leapt at the chance, although he refused to rule out a return to F1 in the future.
And with good reason – his presence in the paddock and on track is sorely missed, by fans and team principals alike.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, who was one of a number of leading paddock figures to have held talks with Raikkonen about a possible return to McLaren in 2010, is full of praise for the Finnish champion.
“Formula 1 would be richer for having Kimi back,” Whitmarsh said. “He is a very talented and intelligent driver, which is something that people underestimated. That’s because he wasn’t the most communicative of people on occasions.
“Kimi is one of the most exciting drivers in the world and, frankly, he should be in Formula 1. If I could wave a magic wand for an F1 grid it would certainly include Kimi. That’s why last year we were talking to him.”
And Whitmarsh is far from the only high profile paddock figure to sing Raikkonen’s praises. At the British Grand Prix last weekend, the paddock was abuzz with the news that the Iceman was set to return in the not too distant future, while key team figures had only good things to say.
When Raikkonen first left the F1 circus, he did not rule out a return to circuit racing, although he confirmed that as a world champion, he was only interested in a seat with a front-running team. But now that he is making progress in the World Rally Championship, the Finn has been even more reticent than usual when asked of his long-term plans.
Mercedes VP Norbert Haug recently paid a home visit to Raikkonen in Switzerland, and it is that visit that triggered the current round of Raikkonen return rumours. But Haug asserts that he visited the Finn as a long-time friend, not a potential employer.
"I have been in contact with Kimi as a friend," Haug said. "Kimi will make a decision for himself but I do hope he comes back because it would be a good thing for F1."
Thanks to the number of long-term contracts currently in place at the front-running teams, it is hard to see where Raikkonen would go if he decided to return. McLaren are locked out at least until the end of the 2012 season, as are Ferrari.
There have been rumours that Raikkonen will drive for Red Bull, given that the drinks company are major sponsors of his WRC team, but for that to happen in 2011 Mark Webber would have to break his contract and move elsewhere. As Webber is on an annual contract there is a chance that the seat will become available in 2012, which might be a more realistic timeframe for the Finn, who wants to make his mark on rallying before returning to Formula 1. If he returns.
Nico Rosberg’s contract with Mercedes expires at the end of 2010, but given that the young German has regularly out-paced Michael Schumacher this season, it seems unlikely that the team would choose to dispose of him. Rather it is Schumacher who is the focus of silly season rumours – few in the paddock expect to see the German legend driving for Mercedes for the full three years of his contract.
The next possible contender is Renault, who aren’t a top flight team yet but are well on their way. Apparently MasterCard are interested in sponsoring Renault, but only "if Raikkonen would drive as Robert Kubica's teammate".
But according to Steve Robertson, Raikkonen’s manager, Renault have not entered into any talks with the Finnish rally driver, official or unofficial. Raikkonen spokesman Riku Kuvaja says that the Finnish driver’s plans are “the same as before”, without elaborating on the nature of those plans.
It seems unlikely that Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 in 2011. He is making steady progress in the Citroen Junior team, and was running in the top four in last weekend’s Bulgaria rally before crashing out.
In interviews during WRC events, Raikkonen is far more open with the media than he was in Formula 1 and much happier to talk about the car, the weekend, the atmosphere. He has said repeatedly that he prefers the atmosphere in rallying, and it shows.
While it is entirely possible that Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 at some point in his career, he has too much left to achieve in WRC for 2010 to be a sabbatical season. These rumours are nothing more – do not expect to see Raikkonen back in an F1 car until 2012 at the earliest. Unless he’s testing tyres for Pirelli, that is.
ライブ、平和のうちに生存する。 
, may even get a podium this year.
Okay.
Which i would prefer him to win over Webber!!!
good luck! 