About Us
Launched in 2005, this website started out as a dedicated F1 forum (hence FORUM…ula1.com) offering debate and banter on all aspects of Formula One and other motorsport categories.
Read moreDiscuss the sport you love with other motorsport fans
Found this on the net:
For the first time in 40 years of watching F1 I am beginning actively to dislike a Ferrari driver. I understand that to be competitive in F1 you have to be self-confident, self-reliant, self-motivating. However, I can't help but notice that Kimi Raikonnen is getting beat by his team mate; is not especially competitive on the track; and stormed away from Barcelona in a huff because he had a technical failure leading to a DNF.
By contrast, his team mate is beating him good and proper; fair and square; hands down. Felipe Massa, who many supposed was a placeman intended by Monsieur Todt and the Ferrari hierarchy to cover Kimi's six o'clock and pick up the odd win if/when Raikonnen faltered, has 3 poles and 2 wins to Raikonnen's 1 pole and 1 win. Why?
I think that Raikonnen has got himself into a state of mind that will not let him make the most of his situation. For example, this weekend in Spain, Michael Schumacher was with the Ferrari camp; he was keeping an extraordinarily low-profile - not stealing the drivers' limelight - but he was there and available, as a team resource. He is being paid to be a consultant to the Ferrari racing team - and Kimi Raikonnen is part of that team. Supposedly a big part of it. Massa accepted the advice - took a pole from nowhere and led the race from flag to flag and never looked like faltering. On the ITV commentary it was, I think, James Allen who said that Massa was looking "Schumacheresque" - controlling the race from the front; responding to Hamilton and Alonso as they picked up the pace.
Raikonnen left the circuit like a sulky teenager, manager and minder in tow. And the commentators mentioned that Michael would always participate in a " forensic investigation" into a failure - and lets face it they were more rare than rocking horse pooh. Not so Kimi, shower, change and into the courtesy vehicle. How does that motivate the engineers; the man who makes his wiring loom; the man whose mistake may have caused the failure? James Allen also mentioned that sometime over the weekend Michael had remained in the garage long after Raikonnen had left - rather as he used to stay late when he was driving. That is leadership.
On Friday as Michael was talking with Felipe Massa and his engineers, where was Kimi? Sat in his car with a dark visor down, studiously ignoring Schumacher. When asked about that he said that he did not need Schumacher's advice, he was happy to work with his engineer alone. Setting aside the folly of wilfully refusing to make use of a team resource as significant as Michael undoubtedly is, there is something unpleasant about Raikonnen's attitude towards his predecessor. You will recall how at one of the presentations to the retiring Schumacher, Kimi Raikonnen was absent. Asked about his absence he said that he was "..taking a s***." So very witty, so very unprofessional.
And there are the seeds of my growing dislike for Kimi Raikonnen. He is deliberately making a big mistake in refusing to work with Michael Schumacher. In doing so he is hurting a team which I have followed through good years; bad years; tragic years and, most recently, mind blowingly successful years. He is doing it wilfully because he wants people to think he is as big as Michael; as good as Michael. He is not. He is quick; he can race; but until he has won his first championship he is in no position to say he can do it without the assistance of the person the team has retained to coach and advise its drivers.
At Singapore and Bahrein Kimi settled for third place behind Hamilton. In both races 12 or so laps from the end he had settled for being beaten by a rookie. No matter how talented that rookie is - Kimi settled for being beaten by him. I cannot imagine Lauda; Prost; Senna; Michael or even "our Nige" settling for that. That is not Championship thinking in my book.
On Sunday in the UK commentary Martin Brundle observed that he finds it unthinkable that Michael will not come back to driving. And I found myself thinking "Yes please - sack Raikonnen - pay him off - and get Michael back in the car."
Roberto Ugalde - Los Angeles, California
Found this on the net:
For the first time in 40 years of watching F1 I am beginning actively to dislike a Ferrari driver. I understand that to be competitive in F1 you have to be self-confident, self-reliant, self-motivating. However, I can't help but notice that Kimi Raikonnen is getting beat by his team mate; is not especially competitive on the track; and stormed away from Barcelona in a huff because he had a technical failure leading to a DNF.
By contrast, his team mate is beating him good and proper; fair and square; hands down. Felipe Massa, who many supposed was a placeman intended by Monsieur Todt and the Ferrari hierarchy to cover Kimi's six o'clock and pick up the odd win if/when Raikonnen faltered, has 3 poles and 2 wins to Raikonnen's 1 pole and 1 win. Why?
I think that Raikonnen has got himself into a state of mind that will not let him make the most of his situation. For example, this weekend in Spain, Michael Schumacher was with the Ferrari camp; he was keeping an extraordinarily low-profile - not stealing the drivers' limelight - but he was there and available, as a team resource. He is being paid to be a consultant to the Ferrari racing team - and Kimi Raikonnen is part of that team. Supposedly a big part of it. Massa accepted the advice - took a pole from nowhere and led the race from flag to flag and never looked like faltering. On the ITV commentary it was, I think, James Allen who said that Massa was looking "Schumacheresque" - controlling the race from the front; responding to Hamilton and Alonso as they picked up the pace.
Raikonnen left the circuit like a sulky teenager, manager and minder in tow. And the commentators mentioned that Michael would always participate in a " forensic investigation" into a failure - and lets face it they were more rare than rocking horse pooh. Not so Kimi, shower, change and into the courtesy vehicle. How does that motivate the engineers; the man who makes his wiring loom; the man whose mistake may have caused the failure? James Allen also mentioned that sometime over the weekend Michael had remained in the garage long after Raikonnen had left - rather as he used to stay late when he was driving. That is leadership.
On Friday as Michael was talking with Felipe Massa and his engineers, where was Kimi? Sat in his car with a dark visor down, studiously ignoring Schumacher. When asked about that he said that he did not need Schumacher's advice, he was happy to work with his engineer alone. Setting aside the folly of wilfully refusing to make use of a team resource as significant as Michael undoubtedly is, there is something unpleasant about Raikonnen's attitude towards his predecessor. You will recall how at one of the presentations to the retiring Schumacher, Kimi Raikonnen was absent. Asked about his absence he said that he was "..taking a s***." So very witty, so very unprofessional.
And there are the seeds of my growing dislike for Kimi Raikonnen. He is deliberately making a big mistake in refusing to work with Michael Schumacher. In doing so he is hurting a team which I have followed through good years; bad years; tragic years and, most recently, mind blowingly successful years. He is doing it wilfully because he wants people to think he is as big as Michael; as good as Michael. He is not. He is quick; he can race; but until he has won his first championship he is in no position to say he can do it without the assistance of the person the team has retained to coach and advise its drivers.
At Singapore and Bahrein Kimi settled for third place behind Hamilton. In both races 12 or so laps from the end he had settled for being beaten by a rookie. No matter how talented that rookie is - Kimi settled for being beaten by him. I cannot imagine Lauda; Prost; Senna; Michael or even "our Nige" settling for that. That is not Championship thinking in my book.
On Sunday in the UK commentary Martin Brundle observed that he finds it unthinkable that Michael will not come back to driving. And I found myself thinking "Yes please - sack Raikonnen - pay him off - and get Michael back in the car."
Roberto Ugalde - Los Angeles, California
See our F1 related articles too!