Paddock Talk: Raikkonen rocket
Eurosport - Mon, 11 May 22:23:00 2009
We round-up all the rumours, gossip and tittle tattle from around the world of Formula One as Kimi Raikkonen seems set to come to metaphorical blows with Ferrari.
Britain: Tension is said to be growing between the former world champion and the Scuderia. While officially the Italian team was willing to take the blame for the serious strategy error which left the Finn 16th on the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix, rumours in the Barcelona paddock indicated that Raikkonen is demanding more control over his qualifying strategy. The Daily Star reckons that Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has told team chiefs that Raikkonen, despite his huge salary, is not expendable.
Spain: Raikkonen's team-mate Felipe Massa has written off his title chances for this year in the wake of another bitterly-frustrating race with Ferrari, where he finished sixth as he was ordered to slow down during the closing stages to conserve fuel - otherwise there was a risk that he could run out. "I don't think this year, maybe next year," he said. "We have so many problems to solve. Brawn have now won four times in five races. How can you fight that?
Germany: Brawn, seemingly at odds with Rubens Barrichello, are set to put a Mercedes star on their car - but it is not Lewis Hamilton. Given Brawn's dominance and McLaren's struggles, Mercedes-Benz is considering adding corporate branding to the championship-leading BGP 001. The new team's use of the Stuttgart marque's engines this year is simply a customer deal, and a three-pointed star was not in Mercedes' original plans for the Brawn linkup, but Mercedes competition boss Norbert Haug told RTL: "We have possibilities and options and it has been offered to us."
United States: There could be two new American teams in 2010, not one. We all know that US GPE plans to submit an entry in the sport's new budget-capped era, but Bernie Ecclestone has now revealed that there could be a second team emerging from the States. Leading IndyCar Series contenders Penske and Andretti Green Racing are the most likely candidates, according to what Ecclestone told Reuters: "There's two American teams: it's super; it will be good to see some new faces. Something like that is always good."
Spain: Some grandstands were only half-full during qualifying for the last race in Barcelona, despite the Circuit de Catalunya usually proving a sell-out. The Spanish crowd idolises its hero Fernando Alonso, but the economic crisis, perhaps coupled with the fear of swine flu, has caused many fans to stay away in 2009. Alonso admitted as much, saying that elements of his home support just aren't that bothered now that he is no longer winning races.
Spain: The Spanish GP could find itself stripped of its place on the calendar after the racism that blighted testing at the Circuit de Catalunya early last year reared its ugly head again this weekend. In February 2008 Spanish fans with blackened faces and T-shirts emblazoned with the words 'Hamilton's Familly' (sic) earned the track a severe reprimand from the FIA, with the sport's governing body threatening 'serious sanctions' - ranging as far as the loss of both of the country's grands prix, in Barcelona and Valencia - should any such unsavoury episode reoccur. And guess what? Some moron blacked himself up again this weekend, pointing towards what appeared to be a McLaren-Mercedes steering wheel in an obvious reference to F1's first black world champion; and he was being cheered and encouraged by a number of other spectators.
France: Renault's executive director of Engineering Pat Symonds says he is not a fan of a 'two-tier' formula, which he sees F1 becoming in 2010 under the budget-cap regulations. "I don't think two-tier championships have ever worked in any series, whether its saloon cars and sports cars, where they are trying to equalise diesels and spark ignition engines, whether it's Formula One with turbos and normally-aspirated engines. I think that we all have the same intentions: we all want to spend less money. Where there are some differences of opinion is perhaps the monetary scale and time scale, but it's important that the transition towards a more cost-effective formula should be as smooth as possible."
Germany: Renault boss Flavio Briatore told Welt am Sonntag that they are not yet joining the threats of a 2010 entry boycott - like Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso - but voiced their opposition to the budget cap, saying he does not like the idea of cheap teams. "Whoever has 20 or 25 million euros should not be able to operate a Formula One team: if we make that possible, the brand will be worth nothing. It would be like seeing discount stores suddenly established on an exclusive shopping street. Without big, important names - and Ferrari is one of them - Formula One is worth much less."
United States: Former Jordan, Honda and Super Aguri racer Takuma Sato is eyeing a move into IndyCar. The Japanese travelled to Indianapolis this week to visit the fabled speedway as qualifying for the Indy 500 got underway.
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Comment 19 - 38 of 38
Kimi is not producing because his car is not performing as it should be. He has the largest number of fastest laps (35) and this proves that he is still the best as long as his car is tuned to perfection. he's obviously scunnered to death because it's not!!
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if kimi doesn't have any skills, he wouldn't be racing, moreover, he wouldn't be in F1, moreover, he wouldn't be in ferrari, moreover, he wouldn't be 2007 champions.
Well Adrian I tried to let the muppets in here know what is coming acoss my desk but they told me to eff-off so I did. I have not caught the LA Times article but I have had a couple of articles in from Russia, believe it or not. As luck would have it our Russian expert, who is fluent is out today and my Russian is quite sketchy.
I am having to be quite careful because my dept. head thinks I am up to something and in a place like this being "up to something" is usually quite serious. I had to power down my laptop, I just didn't think. It stuck out a mile away that I was doing something out of the ordinary.
A Simple Man: I thought you must have been on a wind-up, but I have just been on the LA Times web link & they are running a similar story. According to their Motoring correspondent, Anthony Hamilton has been in talks with Ferrari regarding Lewis moving to The Posturing Donkey for next season.
First Brawn is not illegal. Other teams have now incorporated the diffuser, but without the expected results.
Flavio: "Whoever has 20 or 25 million euros should not be able to operate a Formula One team: if we make that possible, the brand will be worth nothing."
So if you have a 100million, then it's OK?
Putting a budget cap will not cheapen the sport but I think many of the big budget elitists within the sport are afraid of being out-engineered, being made to look like pretenders that Brawn has made of certain teams.
Having unlimited budgets so you can keep throwing ideas at a wall to see what sticks is not good engineering. Opening the regulations, but capping the expenditure will force teams to make smarter designs, and so what if a team gets it wrong one year? It is absolutely ludicrous to have 700-personnel at work to put 2 cars on the grid for 17 races (120 hours) per year.
I just can't see how allowing more design freedom and reducing expense is a bad thing.
Metzelder S.
An objective person might say Brawn and Jenson should be given a break, after all Jenson has suffered with poor cars over the years. If you had been stuck at the back of the grid for years, wouldn't you be proud of winning 4/5 races so far. As for ferrari and mclaren, neither team have drivers capable of developing a car, it will all be down to the team, ferrari aren't going to sort the car out, mclaren will. Also the brawn car illegal? The FIA don't seem to think so, they developed that car for 18 months, is it any suprise that its better then the rest? I think the red bull is a quicker car anyway, the major factor seems to be Ross Brawn and his strategic brain. Although in Spain the brawn did seem to be generally quicker, I think Red Bull have the advantage at the quicker circuits
OK, fair enough if you guys do not want to hear the news then I will stop passing on the info I have. Believe me the last thing I want to see is Hammy going to the Devil's team.
But if you do not want the information I am out of here - s0d you.
A Simple Man YOU DON'T HALF TALK SOME SH-T, YOU DUM TW-T
Israel this is not my opinion or what I want to see. I am just passing on what I have seen "on the wires", now if you don't like it do NOT blame me.
There have now been a couple of messages on Bloomberg too now.
I have dedicated my laptop to the task of monitoring this, I have put a filter on the feeds to just show stories about F1 none of the dreadfully boring company news etc.
Actually better check that the Stock Market has not collapsed.
Mr Rob sir, I have looked through all of the posts in this thread and cannot find any of the young ladies and gentlemen trying to peddle a "rags to riches" story. Rest assured I will try to find the culprits of said story sir, but just a word of warning sir please don't let me catch you inventing stuff or you are nicked mate.
A simple man dont make me laugh why would Mclaren want someone who is performing so much worse than Lewis they will not let him go. They still need points not fridges emptied of choc-ices
This rumour about Kimi is firming up. I work in the city (yes I can here you all hissing) and I have various datafeeds on my console, one of which is a Reuters line. There are now reports on Reuters that the Ferrari deal for Hamilton has gone through and that Kimi will replace him at McLaren.
I will try and keep you informed.
If McLaren can't get Vettel, let them get Kimi then - Better Kimi than Heikki. I think Heikki has lost his fins.
Driven as he is, Hamilton needs a teammate that can push him further, much the same way Alonso claims Lewis pushed him up a gear.
Vettel is the guy, be great to see them on the same team. My wad though will still be on Hamilton.
@ Arshad - Piquet is one of the worst drivers on the grid right now, Heikki is a much better driver than Piquet so dont compare them.
Donald was replying to Walking Quiet's post, if hamilton is a bad driver just because he couldnt sort his car out and make it a championship winning car as Walking Quiet points out then his 'Great driver Alonso' also couldnt sort his car out for the last full season and the five races of this season. So does that mean Alonso is also a bad driver?
Both Alonso and Lewis are awesome drivers, both have skills way superior to many other on the grid. Of the current set of drivers the way these two guys push their car no one else can, Kimi used to push but lately he has lost it.
Donald D. Regarding team mates, the only thing the Lewis - Heikki comparison shows, or proves beyond doubt, is how superior the McLaren was last year. Christ, Heikki won a race! Alonso won races last year in a car that started no different to this years McLaren. Piquet did nothing. As the season went on, the car improved. Lewis must do that. Not the engineers. And stop crapping on about Hamiltons short time in F1. Jacques Villenueve also won in his second season and due to no development skills, faded away without the best car! Let's remember Lewis has been in and around that McLaren garage for 11 years now. He's not the rags to riches, hard luck story you people are trying to sell.
Donald D, its funny how you contradict yourself. Hamilton has had 5 races in a bad car and you say his car isn't sortable so he isn't responsible for his bad results. Then you say Alonso should turn the Renault into a world-beater as it is a bad car.
Anyway if comparing team-mates is your way of seeing how good a driver is, then Alonso is miles ahead of Hamilton coz Piquet has done much worse than Kovi this year. Alonso has outqualified Piquet for 23 straight races!
Kimi will come back for sure as soon as the car is right!
Actually if you read Clispys post it doesn't make sense about Kimi.
Substitute KOVI for Kimi & it makes sense. A typo mistake I think.
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