FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[bud]

Q: Would Ferrari still have signed Kimi Raikkonen had they known the full extent of Massa’s potential? For years, the team’s policy has been to have an outstanding number-one driver and a reliable number two…

JT: Our policy has always been to treat two drivers equally. Obviously, when you have the best driver at the time - as was the case with Michael Schumacher - then the way the championship evolves has always gone a certain way. When Kimi signed with Ferrari we did not know whether Michael planned to continue driving or not. Then he made his decision and we were more than happy to be able to extend our contract with a young and talented driver like Felipe. We had in fact noticed Felipe right from the days he was running in lower formulae and thus we had at our disposal a really well matched and balanced combination.

[deMuRe]

I was reading an interview with Ron Dennis recently and he said he came extremely close to signing Michael Schumacher in 1998, the only thing stopping the deal was I quote "peripheral financial issues"...

He was referring to Michael Schumacher's merchandising empire, which McLaren drivers are not allowed to do...

So, it might have been a very different McLaren had the deal gone through, a McLaren with team orders and a very clear number one...

ALL the teams say one thing to the press and do another in private, it's common knowledge...

[Boxofwonders]

I was reading an interview with Ron Dennis recently and he said he came extremely close to signing Michael Schumacher in 1998, the only thing stopping the deal was I quote "peripheral financial issues"...

He was referring to Michael Schumacher's merchandising empire, which McLaren drivers are not allowed to do...

So, it might have been a very different McLaren had the deal gone through, a McLaren with team orders and a very clear number one...

ALL the teams say one thing to the press and do another in private, it's common knowledge...

Yeah, I read that in F1 Racing. Something about ads on caps.

[bud]

you really beleive thats the only reason that stopped schumi from signing? i read in an older interview on the subject that mike wanted the preference he enjoyed at ferrari which ron said no way to, mike himself said he and ron had different views on running a f1 team.

[deMuRe]

Fair enough mate... I agree it's easy for the press to back the team bosses into a corner, their attitude changes with each of their driver pairings, if kimi wins a couple of WC's and demands to be number one I'm sure the team will oblige...

[7UpJordan]

Q: Would Ferrari still have signed Kimi Raikkonen had they known the full extent of Massa’s potential? For years, the team’s policy has been to have an outstanding number-one driver and a reliable number two…

JT: Our policy has always been to treat two drivers equally. Obviously, when you have the best driver at the time - as was the case with Michael Schumacher - then the way the championship evolves has always gone a certain way. When Kimi signed with Ferrari we did not know whether Michael planned to continue driving or not. Then he made his decision and we were more than happy to be able to extend our contract with a young and talented driver like Felipe. We had in fact noticed Felipe right from the days he was running in lower formulae and thus we had at our disposal a really well matched and balanced combination.

Absolute rubbish from Todt, why did he tell Barrichello to move over at Austria in 2002 then?

[bud]

exactly 7upJordan, exactly

[certom]

barrichello received no orders from jean todt.. from the boxes they exposed the sign "P1",for barricehllo,but barrichello's eyesight is known for being very bad, he got close to the wall, slowed down, and he read it... but he didn't realized that schumi eas coming behind him, so it's just barrichello's fault...

[Irv the Swerve]

That seems logical.

[certom]

it's logical cause it's what happened in the reality!

it has been written just in the most serious newspapers...

[Irv the Swerve]

it's logical cause it's what happened in the reality!

it has been written just in the most serious newspapers...

"The certom express"

[7UpJordan]

barrichello received no orders from jean todt.. from the boxes they exposed the sign "P1",for barricehllo,but barrichello's eyesight is known for being very bad, he got close to the wall, slowed down, and he read it... but he didn't realized that schumi eas coming behind him, so it's just barrichello's fault...

Sounds like something Nigel Mansell would have said.