Kimi the loner (will never win a WDC)

[bontebempo]

Well it was obvious for all to see that Kimi looks after No.1

You dont leave the circuit if you retire. You support your team. Win and lose together. With that attitude why would any of the engineers really care? I small part of them do a better job on Massa's car i think. As long as one of their drivers win hey? Kimi will never win a WDC at Ferrari. See if im wrong.

[slinkster]

I think a few drivers do this... not just Kimi. Not all, true, but it's not unheard of!

[F1boat]

If Kimi reaches his 2005 form, he might just win it, but for now, he seems slower than his teammate. Then again, so seems Alonso and nobody will write him off, would he?

[Garry Walker]

Kimi will never win a title - Mark my words.

[bontebempo]

i have already marked your words.

I get the feeling that he's just enjoying getting the cash at Ferrari. Suppose to him he has already 'won' his world championship. Getting megga bucks at Ferrari. The rest is a bonus.

[F1boat]

Not to be harsh or impolite, but I think that party-life also have its negative effects on him :(

[Eki]

Yes, Mika Häkkinen was probably right. He should never have left McLaren. Newcomer Alonso and rookie Hamilton are doing great at McLaren. Kimi may have done better, since he had already been with the team for years.

[Jag_Warrior]

Not to be harsh or impolite, but I think that party-life also have its negative effects on him :(

I agree with you. I wonder about that too.

[Gannex]

I think you're reading a bit too much into this, guys. So he left the track. Big deal. Everyone knows Kimi is not a grafter like Michael was. That's not something you get with Kimi. But what you do get with him, and it will stand the team in good stead as the season goes on, is an incredible driving talent. The Ferraris look fastest at the moment, and combining that fantastic car with Kimi's undoubted skill will yield numerous wins for Kimi this year, and a possible WDC. The fact that he left the track after going out of this Grand Prix will make no difference when viewed from the perspective of the end of the season.

[F1boat]

Well, I think that if Kimi really wants this championship, he might have to win in the Principality.

[Shalafi]

I think you're reading a bit too much into this, guys. So he left the track. Big deal. Everyone knows Kimi is not a grafter like Michael was. That's not something you get with Kimi. But what you do get with him, and it will stand the team in good stead as the season goes on, is an incredible driving talent. The Ferraris look fastest at the moment, and combining that fantastic car with Kimi's undoubted skill will yield numerous wins for Kimi this year, and a possible WDC. The fact that he left the track after going out of this Grand Prix will make no difference when viewed from the perspective of the end of the season.

Words of wisdom here.

[LeonBrooke]

Give Kimi time to settle in. I know he won the first GP this year, but let's not expect him to be a world-beater yet.

Felipe is clearly the best driver at the moment, but we know that Kimi, Fernando and all the rest are capable of being quick. Let's not write anyone out yet (or write them in, for that matter).

[jens]

I have occasionally been a critic of Räikkönen, but I believe that he can win WDC - he once lost it only by 2 points, so why not? And he has two more Ferrari-years to go.

Yeah, that attitude-stuff makes me a bit worried. I'm not that much worried about this season (and Räikkönen definetely can't be written off in the WDC hunt yet), but about the future. How can the new non-Team MS carry on with car development and whether they can continue fighting for the title in the next years.

[CarlMetro]

So he left the circuit, with 160,000 spectators around it, early. Given the chance, especially if I was driving rather than flying out by helicopter, I'd have left the bloody circuit early too. I fail to see how a bit of common sense makes him a loner, nor do I see how it effects his ability to win a world championship.

[Shalafi]

I have occasionally been a critic of Räikkönen, but I believe that he can win WDC - he once lost it only by 2 points, so why not? And he has two more Ferrari-years to go.

Yeah, that attitude-stuff makes me a bit worried. I'm not that much worried about this season (and Räikkönen definetely can't be written off in the WDC hunt yet), but about the future. How can the new non-Team MS carry on with car development and whether they can continue fighting for the title in the next years.

They can..they have a resources and solid organization. Of course Kimi is disappointed after race like this, it might cost him WDC in the end. But he is underappreciated as a car-developer. This will be a fantastic year, Massa has shown that he is lighting fast, Hamilton might be the best rookie ever, but dont count out Alonso and Kimi, both of them are exceptional talents. We might see best year ever in F1 in terms of tight competition.

[Scuderia ferrari]

But that's his character. He will never really have the sort of pesonality Hamilton or Massa have for example, but when the car is hooked up and he is focused, he can really do well. The first race proved that, so i don't think that you can say he won't win a championship for his personality. I think he's still a contender and it's a long season, so don't count him out yet.

[Valve Bounce]

Well it was obvious for all to see that Kimi looks after No.1

You dont leave the circuit if you retire. You support your team. Win and lose together. With that attitude why would any of the engineers really care? I small part of them do a better job on Massa's car i think. As long as one of their drivers win hey? Kimi will never win a WDC at Ferrari. See if im wrong.


There is an interesting story about Jean Alesi. After his car broke down, he got into his Ferrari, and raced at high speed back to Monaco. When he got there, he looked at the licence plate and then realised he took somebody else's Ferrari from the team.

If I remember, from time to time, other drivers have been known to depart rather than voice their disappointment to reporters or other team members.

[Mifune]

Räikkönen　needs to be spending all the time he can with the team, there’s plenty of quick drivers out there but if you want to be more than that you have to work at it 24/7 extracting every last piece of information, making your presence felt within the team, a la Senna or Schumacher, though i know nothing about the reality of his situation, the impression i get is that KR isn’t doing that.
course MS turning up didn’t help but that’s life. My opinion of Räikkönen is steadily decreasing

[pino]

Well it was obvious for all to see that Kimi looks after No.1

You dont leave the circuit if you retire. You support your team. Win and lose together. With that attitude why would any of the engineers really care? I small part of them do a better job on Massa's car i think.

The engineers will do what Montezemolo and Todt tells them, and they both have great ammiration and respect for Kimi, so forget about a different treatment for him. He just had bad luck yesterday, Ferrari won't let him down regardless of his attitude...

[wmcot]

I think we're discussing different personalities here rather than attitudes. I think Kimi is a loner as bontebempo says and it is probably really impossible for him to change that. Kimi's best asset is that if you put him in a good car, he'll be blindingly fast. I believe that's why Ferrari hired him. I think they knew that he would not be as personable within the team as MS was and they accepted that fact. Kimi seems to be a shy, fidgety guy at post race press conferences. He's uncomfortable with people. But that has always been Kimi whether he was at Sauber, McLaren, or Ferrari.

Whether he will win the WDC or not depends on him being able to get into a reliable car that's adapted to his style of driving. If that happens, he'll be fast and win regularly.

The point is that Kimi doesn't have the sort of personality that, when things go wrong, he wants to hang around and answer endless questions. It's kind of nice to see somebody who seems to feel a bit the way I do when in uncomfortable circumstances.

[Valve Bounce]

I think that it is vital for drivers to work closely with their test drivers. Ferrari, I think, have the best and a driver must learn from the test drivers feedback to help him set up the car to its best. Massa is a warm personality, and I think he will gain more from the team as the season progresses. In fct, I think I was too hasty in judging this guy before, and i won't be surprised if he wins the championship this year with that excellent red car.

[Ian McC]

I get the feeling that he's just enjoying getting the cash at Ferrari. Suppose to him he has already 'won' his world championship. Getting megga bucks at Ferrari. The rest is a bonus.

I think he wants to win the WDC, probably more than anything in the world, his switch to Ferrari was about having the better car, I can't see how you can say he is just 'there for the ride'.

[Ian McC]

I think Kimi is a loner as bontebempo says and it is probably really impossible for him to change that.

I did wonder how he felt with MS around, I am sure the rest of the team including Massa treated him like returning royalty, Kimi seamed to have little interest, wonder if he felt left out. Really difficult to tell when he gives so little away.

[Ranger]

He left the circuit. In 1988 Senna did the same without returning to the pitlane and without telling anybody. How does that affect a championship aspiration?

Of course if I was Kimi I would talk to my engineer for a while about what could be changed for next time if I wasn't happy, but other than that, what is there?

Of course, we are assuming that Kimi didn't talk to any of his engineers after the race, but as Carl said... 160 000 people around - why the hell would you stay when you have nothing else to do in the day.

[raikk]

why did you have to leave Mclaren Kimi!? Mclaren so far look more bullet proof then Ferrari this season.. (who would of thought eh?)

However his leaving did open the door for Hamilton to come into F1... which turned out to be one of the best things to happen to the sport this year..
Hopefully Kimi will have more reliability for his sake..

[janneppi]

Well, it seems kimi had better things to do than watch a Massa parade, according a Finnish news site, he rushed home to watch the ice hockey final between Finland and Canada. The right call IMO. I doubt Massa had would have have stayed on the track if Brazil was about play for footy finals :)

[Ranger]

I doubt Massa had would have have stayed on the track if Brazil was about play for footy finals :)

Especially if the race was processionally dull like yesterday, and the race result was a foregone conclusion. :\

[LeonBrooke]

I don't think Kimi needs to be team-spirited to win the WDC, but I think he should be team-spirited, if only for the mechanics and not Felipe. However, he wouldn't be feeling too happy or positive towards the team after a mechanical failure, so it's quite understandable that he'd leave the circuit.

[F1boat]

We should remember that he is a human being after all. He came to Ferrari for the reliabilty and now Maccas are reliable, his teammate is faster and his car broke.
Maybe he needed to be alone.

[raphael123]

He left the circuit. In 1988 Senna did the same without returning to the pitlane and without telling anybody. How does that affect a championship aspiration?

Of course if I was Kimi I would talk to my engineer for a while about what could be changed for next time if I wasn't happy, but other than that, what is there?

Of course, we are assuming that Kimi didn't talk to any of his engineers after the race, but as Carl said... 160 000 people around - why the hell would you stay when you have nothing else to do in the day.

I'm sure he will talk to his engineer for a while about what could be changed for next time sooner rather than later.

As for Schumacher's presence, I definately think it wasn't a positive thing from Kimi's point of view, it's just reinforcing it's 'Michaels' team, and them living the past a bit. I'd be interested to hear what exactly he 'advises' on!?!

Apparently when Schumacher went into the garage to say hello to his former mechanics and engineers - they stopped working on Raikkonen's car and rushed over to welcome Michael back the minute he put his head round the door. Which, if true, might just be another little irritant for the Finn - couldn't they save the catch-ups for a more suitable time.

[CarlMetro]

Apparently when Schumacher went into the garage to say hello to his former mechanics and engineers - they stopped working on Raikkonen's car and rushed over to welcome Michael back the minute he put his head round the door. Which, if true, might just be another little irritant for the Finn - couldn't they save the catch-ups for a more suitable time.

LINK PLEASE

[Flat.tyres]

whats the big problem here. He finished his race and decided to get the hell out of there. The rest of the team were concentrating on Massa as they should and his mechanics would pack up the car and start thinking about the next GP.

Do you people think that the whole team should immediatly stop what theyre doing to have some sort of post mortem mid race? is that the most constructive time when everyones pumped, the adrenelin is running and a race is going on or would it be better to leave it till the next day.

Quite oftenm a driver will leave the circuit early. happens all the time.

[F1boat]

Michael Shumacher is valued at Ferrari - I think hardly a surprise after 5 world championships. Massa obviouly benefits from his presence and advices.
If Kimi is irritated, it's his problem.

[leopard]

I think they knew that he would not be as personable within the team as MS was and they accepted that fact. Kimi seems to be a shy, fidgety guy at post race press conferences. He's uncomfortable with people. But that has always been Kimi whether he was at Sauber, McLaren, or Ferrari.


I have to agree with this, It isn't easy to make ourselves a warm person as somebody else if we, by the nature, are the loner. Being a loner sometimes could be handicap working together with people in a team.

Kimi is a skillful driver, but this thing disadvantage him in making a comfort environment when he is driving.

[raphael123]

LINK PLEASE

It was reporter David Croft, who write's article on the BBC website. How accurate it is I'm not sure. Not sure why someone would lie about something like that, and I can't imagine Schumacher walking in, and the mechanics he worked with for 10yrs, and won so much with, just ignoring him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A22642418


F1Boat, it's not just Kimi's problem, it's Ferrari too if it means they have got a driver not performing as well as he could be, due to a hugely influential former driver coming in, handing out 'advice' on things no one seems to be able to tell us.

[ojciec dyrektor]

One thing we already know for sure. If MS won't retire he will kick KR ass much harder than FM is doing it now.

I remember some comments before the season than MS retired because he was affraid KR as a second driver. It's kind of funny now, when FM who could only smell MS exhaust gases is faster than KR. :p

[CarlMetro]

It was reporter David Croft, who write's article on the BBC website. How accurate it is I'm not sure. Not sure why someone would lie about something like that

Because it makes for a good story perhaps? He is, after all , a journalist. The is no substance to his claim either, just.....

'Once the seven-time champion had finished chatting to the media he went into the garage to say hello to his former mechanics and engineers. I'm told they stopped working on Raikkonen's car and rushed over to welcome Michael back the minute he put his head round the door.'

.....he didn't actually witness this horrific event himself, just something he heard from someone else who happened to be talking to someone else who told him all about it :rolleyes:

[Dave B]

I completely understand the practical reasons why Kimi may have wanted to make an early escape. It's also likely he didn't want to stick around when Schuey was hanging out in the Ferrari garage!

However, his attitude will be making few friends within the team - or the sport in general. In many other situations we've seen the retired driver on the pit wall rooting for the remaining racer, showing true team spirit.

Kimi's in real danger of letting Massa become the golden boy at Ferrari, and we all know how they like to throw their weight behind one driver at the expense of the other.

It was also telling how virtually every retiree found time to give a quick interview to ITV, and yet we heard nothing from Kimi. He has massive support in the UK and surely owes his fans 20 seconds of his time?

He's a bloody rapid racing driver, and one of the purest talents on the grid. To risk unpopularity with the media and the fans is one thing, but to alienate yourself from your team is potentially a massive mistake.

[Flat.tyres]

i had heard that MS actually put his backing behind kimi moving to ferrari as he considered him the fastest availible driver out there. kimi would be second in the championship now but for reliability but massa has also had some bad luck but not as bad as kimi. These things usually equal themselfs out.

it does seem that massa has benefitted from having MS there where i think Kimi hasnt. I doubt it has had any effect on his performance over the weekend though.

[raphael123]

Because it makes for a good story perhaps? He is, after all , a journalist. The is no substance to his claim either, just.....

'Once the seven-time champion had finished chatting to the media he went into the garage to say hello to his former mechanics and engineers. I'm told they stopped working on Raikkonen's car and rushed over to welcome Michael back the minute he put his head round the door.'

.....he didn't actually witness this horrific event himself, just something he heard from someone else who happened to be talking to someone else who told him all about it :rolleyes:

Do you think they ignored him then when he walked into the garage? :)

Do you think that Michael's presence this weekend had a positive or a negative affect on Kimi?

[ioan]

Whether he will win the WDC or not depends on him being able to get into a reliable car that's adapted to his style of driving.

He'll have to work hard to achieve that, and that means spending time with your team and learning to communicate with them.

I think that J Todt will try to help him and the whole team will do all they can to help him to create a more opened atmosphere, but he will have to do his part.

[CarlMetro]

Do you think they ignored him then when he walked into the garage? :)

Do you think that Michael's presence this weekend had a positive or a negative affect on Kimi?

Do you believe that he walked into the garage whilst they were all working? Was it the first time any of them had had a chance to talk to/greet him?

Personally I think it had little or no effect on Kimi.

[ioan]

I did wonder how he felt with MS around, I am sure the rest of the team including Massa treated him like returning royalty, Kimi seamed to have little interest, wonder if he felt left out.

That might be the case, and what I learned myself is that it's better to try to enjoy the atmosphere when this happens and you will be surprised when everything becomes more enjoyable. But than we are all different.

[ioan]

Do you think they ignored him then when he walked into the garage? :)

Do you think that Michael's presence this weekend had a positive or a negative affect on Kimi?

I would say that it was the same for Felipe's mechanics too!

The difference is that Felipe enjoys MS' presence, while Kimi is reported, so it's not a proven fact, not to be very enthusiastic.