iceman making return to F1?

bone

"bangle for president"
Joined
Jan 14, 2004
Messages
16,814
Location
belgium!!
Car(s)
Volvo V40 & Yamaha Banshee
this popped up on my twitter today

Renault have confirmed that 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, the enigmatic Finn who left Ferrari to drive for Citroen in the World Rally Championship this season, has been in contact about their second seat for 2011.

Back in the frame? Kimi Raikkonen has expressed an interest in taking over the second driving seat for Renault next season Photo: EPA

Robert Kubica currently has one of Renault?s two places wrapped up, but with the team uncertain as to whether Vitaly Petrov will make the grade - or pull in enough sponsorship revenue to warrant his place - there has been much speculation as to who will get to drive alongside the Pole next year.

Raikkonen was a cult figure during his time in F1. Although he tended to mumble through press conferences and could be a PR?s nightmare, his many supporters loved his refusal to toe the corporate line while his driving was beyond question.

A natural, Raikkonen entered F1 with Sauber having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories but very soon won a move to McLaren before joining Ferrari where he pipped a rookie Lewis Hamilton to the driver?s title on the final day of the 2007 season.

It looked as if Raikkonen might return to McLaren and partner Hamilton this season, but the team opted for Jenson Button instead and Raikkonen moved to WRC, saying he would only race for a team capable of winning the championship. Renault?s form this season has suggested they are not too far away from doing just that.

Raikkonen has impressed speed-wise in his debut season in WRC, without remotely challenging the frontrunners, and although he claims to love the less corporate aspect to rallying he clearly still has unfinished business in F1.

?It is true that the summer has passed and we have had more and more requests - and the guy you mentioned [Raikkonen] is on the radar now," Renault team principal Eric Boullier told Autosport.

"He is on the radar because he contacted us."

Boullier suggested that the choice did not boil down to Raikkonen?s wages, which would likely be astronomical, but to the team?s sponsorship strategy. Petrov opens up commercial possibilities in Russia and Renault would have to change its route if it took on the Iceman.

"It would be a different strategy for the team," Boullier said. "And that is not a question of personality or having a world championship title - it will cost me more if he is world champion than if he is not. It is not a question of this - it is a different strategy.

"You work differently if you have a rookie - and in supporting him - than if you have two experienced drivers. So it is different.

"We need to think about it. But the priority is Vitaly, and to see how he will develop. If we are convinced then we will keep him definitely. This is the first option. But there are several other options, and one of them is Kimi."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mo...king-for-Formula-One-return-with-Renault.html
 
I'm not sure if Renault would be prepared to satisfy his financial requirements. After all, he was paid 17 million $ not to drive in F1 this year after Ferrari broke his contract. Renault's F1 team is still on a slightly uncertain financial footing, so I think they would prefer to either pay another similarly competent driver with less financial demands, or have someone who brings significant sponsorship.
 
I'd love to see him back in F1
 
I can picture the minor clause in the contract :

Team must at all times have a fully stocked Coke and Wall's Ice Cream chiller. Failure to do so will result in unhappiness.

1019.jpg
 
Same here...would love to see him back with Ferrari...Alonso&Kimi... :D And Massa can go to Renault then...heard something similar about him not so long ago.
 
I'm not sure if Renault would be prepared to satisfy his financial requirements. After all, he was paid 17 million $ not to drive in F1 this year after Ferrari broke his contract. Renault's F1 team is still on a slightly uncertain financial footing, so I think they would prefer to either pay another similarly competent driver with less financial demands, or have someone who brings significant sponsorship.

Not exactly. All financial problems of the team came after the crashgate, when Renault (the company, not the team) cut financing of the team and sold a majority stake. Couple weeks ago I read that Renault is thinking about buying shares from Genii Capital, because team is making good progress and it looks they rebuild good name very quickly. That means they can have a big budget and be able to pay Kimi and don't worry about loosing Lada sponsorship.
 
Eh. Kimi is massively talented, but his effort output is so low. He acts like he just doesn't care about making the most of his ability. How many times did he potter around in mid-field then set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap as some kind of statement? The only statement he makes is that he doesn't apply himself. I like that he doesn't give a shit about the sponsorship or PR side of things. But he needs to bring the results to match his fee. He's never been as convincing over the course of a whole championship as his fee would demand.
 
i hope he does, renault have a good car IMO, id love to see kubica and kimi, it would be the dullest most monotone team in the press conferences but would be awesome on track.

if its serious i hope kimi, kimi's management just sees a little sense and aims a bit lower with the salary demands.
 
Not too sure how well he would do now thought. That said i would sooo love to see him race in F1 again.. just for the future quotes that he doesn't seem to be throwing around in WRC. :(

Kimi, what?s the 5th grid place like? - It?s the 5th grid place.
What kind of a relationship do you have with Peter Sauber? - He is my boss.
Do you think that the speed is good at this point? - It doesn?t matter how much behind the others we are at this point. The car will anyway be rebuilt before Australia. Now we just drive around.
Gossip Media asks how are you prepared for the season? - I usually get to read from your magazines what I have done.
Raikk?nen isn't affected by Alonso's mental games - I couldn?t care less what that man thinks.
An Italian interviewer tries to get Kimi to say something in Italian. - You can talk Italian if you want to.
http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/11721/510/
:lol::lol:
 
Last edited:
Some of those comments are almost like coming from the Stig :p...if he could speak ;)

Anyway, I really hope Kimi comes back. F1 needs him, and his PR is waaaay better than the other drivers'.
 
iceman.jpg


Wait, so he went from Top Gun to F1?
 
his PR is waaaay better than the other drivers'.

Gotta hold your horses right there.

He is known to be really hard to appear for sponsor events, so with his "PR being way better", hell no to that.
He has a charm, but one that the sponsors do not appreciate as he does not deliver what they want sometimes.
 
Kimi's manager Steve Robertson admitted that he's talking with Renault.
 
Gotta hold your horses right there.

He is known to be really hard to appear for sponsor events, so with his "PR being way better", hell no to that.
He has a charm, but one that the sponsors do not appreciate as he does not deliver what they want sometimes.

Fair enough, but I think Public Relations should be exactly that, and not just sponsor relations. Let's put it this way then...he is a lot more popular with the F1 crowd than some of the current F1 drivers, and it's not just down to his driving.
 
Gotta hold your horses right there.

He is known to be really hard to appear for sponsor events, so with his "PR being way better", hell no to that.
He has a charm, but one that the sponsors do not appreciate as he does not deliver what they want sometimes.

One more quote.

What makes TAG Heuer special? - It?s ok.
:D
 
i hope he does, renault have a good car IMO, id love to see kubica and kimi, it would be the dullest most monotone team in the press conferences but would be awesome on track.

:lol::lol::lol:

I would really like to see Kimi come back to F1 too, but really at this point it's hard to guess where he wants to go, especially since he said only a few weeks back "You never know, but I will probably never return to Formula One."

I guess time will tell...
 
Top