FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[McLaren Fan]

From F1 Live:

World Rally team boss Malcolm Wilson has offered reigning Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen a test in one of the squad's Ford Focus WRC cars.

Raikkonen, the Ferrari driver whose contract expires at the end of next year, said recently he would be interested in trying rallying once his F1 career is over.

"I'd offer him a test," Wilson is quoted as saying by Eurosport. "It'd be a great opportunity for us."

Reigning World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb is also open to the idea of Raikkonen, embroiled in speculation about his future beyond 2009, switching codes.

"I would welcome (him) because it's good to have big names coming into rallying," he said.

Frenchman Loeb predicts it would be difficult for the Finn to turn his hand to rallying, given its fundamental differences to circuit racing.

"But with the talent he has and with some practice he will adapt and find the feeling," the 34-year-old explained.

Reports indicate that Ferrari parent company Fiat's rallying effort, the Abarth team, intends to move from the Intercontinental Rally Challenge to World Rally in 2010.

They would reportedly be thrilled at the prospect of having Raikkonen on board.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

[Martin]

Perhaps thats why he has taken the Ferrari off onto the grass a few times lately!!

[7UpJordan]

For sureu if Kimi went to WRC it would be a much better career choice than the one Montoya took to go to NASCAR.

[racechick]

For sureu if Kimi went to WRC it would be a much better career choice than the one Montoya took to go to NASCAR.

Well that depends on your viewpoint!!

[8-ball]

Rally driving requires more skill that NASCAR and I would even say F1. The constant changes of terrain is a real test and I think of all motorsports rallying is the one that requires the most skill

[AKR]

I am a rally fan and would love to see this happen. Besides F1 wise it makes room for someone else, say Alonso take Kimi's place.

Now going a bit off the original topic but not too much off as I am going by the following sentance in the article McLaren Fan posted.

"Reports indicate that Ferrari parent company Fiat's rallying effort, the Abarth team, intends to move from the Intercontinental Rally Challenge to World Rally in 2010."

Does mean that Lancia will return to WRC? Lancia is the marque that Fiat has always homolagted its WRC ambitions. Lancia has won 11 WRC Condtructors champions, 6 up until they pulled out from 1987 to 1992. Lancia is introducing a new Delta Integrale. Could this car in a WRC version be the one Fiat re-enters the WRC with in 2010? The Abarth team currenty races the Abrath Punto in the IRC (International Rally Challenge) and ERC (European Rally Championship) and other smaller championships at national levels.

[McLaren Fan]

For sureu if Kimi went to WRC it would be a much better career choice than the one Montoya took to go to NASCAR.

Well that depends on your viewpoint!!

Stop denying the undeniable, Anna.

[racechick]

For sureu if Kimi went to WRC it would be a much better career choice than the one Montoya took to go to NASCAR.

Well that depends on your viewpoint!!

Stop denying the undeniable, Anna.

Not denying anything. If you want to earn more money then NASCAR is the better career choice. So as i said, It depends on your viewpoint

[bud]

If NASCAR was all road courses it would be very enjoyable to watch and a choice for Kimi, i just watched the sprint cup race at Watkins glen, some good racing but its mostly ovals so something Kimi would not be into!

[TechniqueFreak]

It'd be interesting to see how well we went. He whupps it in snow mobiles.

[TechniqueFreak]

Rally driving requires more skill that NASCAR and I would even say F1. The constant changes of terrain is a real test and I think of all motorsports rallying is the one that requires the most skill

yeah I've heard that said before and there's a lot to be said for that view. the contrary view would be you have to be on the limit all of the time in F1 but that's not always the case in rallying, also the g-forces are so much higher in F1 that you're constantly at the limit of your physical abilities, which again is not the case with rallying.

having driven neither I couldn't say!

[Martin]

Rally driving requires more skill that NASCAR and I would even say F1. The constant changes of terrain is a real test and I think of all motorsports rallying is the one that requires the most skill

yeah I've heard that said before and there's a lot to be said for that view. the contrary view would be you have to be on the limit all of the time in F1 but that's not always the case in rallying, also the g-forces are so much higher in F1 that you're constantly at the limit of your physical abilities, which again is not the case with rallying.

having driven neither I couldn't say!

I think it daft to compare different sports and decide which requires more skill. To compare an F1 driver with a rally driver is no different from comparing a footballer with a swimmer. The sports require different skills and a very talented rally driver may be a good, but not exceptional, F1 driver and vice versa. This applies in many areas of life - does a plumber have more skill than an electrician? Anyone at the top of their sport will be highly skilled at it. Kimi may do very well at rallying, but it will take him a while to change codes/ skills. I would expect him to be good at the start (otherwise he wont get the job anyway) but it will take 1 or maybe 2 seasons to become exceptional - if he can get to that level at all.

[TechniqueFreak]

Rally driving requires more skill that NASCAR and I would even say F1. The constant changes of terrain is a real test and I think of all motorsports rallying is the one that requires the most skill

yeah I've heard that said before and there's a lot to be said for that view. the contrary view would be you have to be on the limit all of the time in F1 but that's not always the case in rallying, also the g-forces are so much higher in F1 that you're constantly at the limit of your physical abilities, which again is not the case with rallying.

having driven neither I couldn't say!

I think it daft to compare different sports and decide which requires more skill. To compare an F1 driver with a rally driver is no different from comparing a footballer with a swimmer. The sports require different skills and a very talented rally driver may be a good, but not exceptional, F1 driver and vice versa. This applies in many areas of life - does a plumber have more skill than an electrician? Anyone at the top of their sport will be highly skilled at it. Kimi may do very well at rallying, but it will take him a while to change codes/ skills. I would expect him to be good at the start (otherwise he wont get the job anyway) but it will take 1 or maybe 2 seasons to become exceptional - if he can get to that level at all.

Hi Martin

I think comparing an F1 driver to a rally driver is rather different to comparing a swimmer and a footballer. The former are both motorsports, both involve going fast in a 4 wheel vehicle controlling with steering wheel, accelerator and brakes. It's more like comparing a butterfly swimmer to a freestyle swimmer.

Which you may still think is "daft", but you go on to discuss Kimi's chances yourself. Anyway, they are certainly questions we can never know the answer to for sure (as I said). But if we never discussed those kinds of questions we wouldn't have much to talk about in this world!

[7UpJordan]

If NASCAR was all road courses it would be very enjoyable to watch and a choice for Kimi, i just watched the sprint cup race at Watkins glen, some good racing but its mostly ovals so something Kimi would not be into!

And Kimi would probably fall asleep on ovals. Also he would probably be subject to being picked on by his rivals for the way he drones and "for sure"'s.

[8-ball]

Rally driving requires more skill that NASCAR and I would even say F1. The constant changes of terrain is a real test and I think of all motorsports rallying is the one that requires the most skill

yeah I've heard that said before and there's a lot to be said for that view. the contrary view would be you have to be on the limit all of the time in F1 but that's not always the case in rallying, also the g-forces are so much higher in F1 that you're constantly at the limit of your physical abilities, which again is not the case with rallying.

having driven neither I couldn't say!

I think it daft to compare different sports and decide which requires more skill. To compare an F1 driver with a rally driver is no different from comparing a footballer with a swimmer. The sports require different skills and a very talented rally driver may be a good, but not exceptional, F1 driver and vice versa. This applies in many areas of life - does a plumber have more skill than an electrician? Anyone at the top of their sport will be highly skilled at it. Kimi may do very well at rallying, but it will take him a while to change codes/ skills. I would expect him to be good at the start (otherwise he wont get the job anyway) but it will take 1 or maybe 2 seasons to become exceptional - if he can get to that level at all.

Hi Martin

I think comparing an F1 driver to a rally driver is rather different to comparing a swimmer and a footballer. The former are both motorsports, both involve going fast in a 4 wheel vehicle controlling with steering wheel, accelerator and brakes. It's more like comparing a butterfly swimmer to a freestyle swimmer.

Which you may still think is "daft", but you go on to discuss Kimi's chances yourself. Anyway, they are certainly questions we can never know the answer to for sure (as I said). But if we never discussed those kinds of questions we wouldn't have much to talk about in this world!

Martin you made some valid points and you are right that rallying and F1 require different skills I guess it is just down to how you see things. But I admire both rally and f1 drivers they are the forms of motor sport that I consider the pinnacle.
Anyway I'd love to see Kimi in a rally car I think he is bored of F1 and the surrounding commitments and a new challenge would do him lots of good