Q&A with Kimi Raikkonen
Discussion
Does anyone know, what it's like to be at the top-flight of motorsport having won a WDC?
I certaintly do not. So how could I possibly comment?
I'm surprised others are, as to me it makes more sense to take on board what the driver is saying as everyone as an individual, will value things very differently. I say fairplay to Kimi for clearly standing what he believes in. If the Ferrari is how it was this season, I'd say he's made the right decision.
I certaintly do not. So how could I possibly comment?
I'm surprised others are, as to me it makes more sense to take on board what the driver is saying as everyone as an individual, will value things very differently. I say fairplay to Kimi for clearly standing what he believes in. If the Ferrari is how it was this season, I'd say he's made the right decision.
I used to find Raikkonen a bit like the colour grey. Fairly non-descript. But I have to admit, considering he's pretty mono-tone in his interviews, he's actually one of the characters of F1 and has grown on me.
He seems to do things Kimi's way and doesn't seem to follow the corporate manuscript. I think he's actually one of the truest racers out there and very true to himself. If he didn't give a monkeys about racing i'd doubt you'd see him competing in Rallying in the middle of an F1 season.
He's got his WDC and to me it seems the corporate bull has got up his nose and he's not gonna continue doing all the PR etc etc if he's not able to fight for another WDC. I remember someone in F1 saying he's a painfully shy bloke so perhaps all this public nonsense in F1 is quite hard for him (regardless of how much he gets paid to do it)
Anyway, good luck to the bloke. It'll be a shame not seeing him and his Ice creams in 2010.
He seems to do things Kimi's way and doesn't seem to follow the corporate manuscript. I think he's actually one of the truest racers out there and very true to himself. If he didn't give a monkeys about racing i'd doubt you'd see him competing in Rallying in the middle of an F1 season.
He's got his WDC and to me it seems the corporate bull has got up his nose and he's not gonna continue doing all the PR etc etc if he's not able to fight for another WDC. I remember someone in F1 saying he's a painfully shy bloke so perhaps all this public nonsense in F1 is quite hard for him (regardless of how much he gets paid to do it)
Anyway, good luck to the bloke. It'll be a shame not seeing him and his Ice creams in 2010.
I'd like to think that in a similar scenario I'd do the same, Kimi's talent was evident towards the end of the season when he was comfortably faster than his team mate in every single session at every single race (referring to Fissi 
)
He simply joins the long list of former F1 winners, who have left when they couldn’t get in the car they need to win. Anybody who thinks that a true racer wouldn’t leave, is sadly delusional and obviously doesn’t for example remember Nigel Mansell leaving at the end of his championship winning year (Mansell was many things, a racer is most certainly one of them) or Hill or Hakkinen to name just three WDC’s who left F1 whilst arguably still at the top of their game
)He simply joins the long list of former F1 winners, who have left when they couldn’t get in the car they need to win. Anybody who thinks that a true racer wouldn’t leave, is sadly delusional and obviously doesn’t for example remember Nigel Mansell leaving at the end of his championship winning year (Mansell was many things, a racer is most certainly one of them) or Hill or Hakkinen to name just three WDC’s who left F1 whilst arguably still at the top of their game
Wanta996Gotta said:
topcarrera said:
Forbes82 said:
I just don't think the guy is a true racer, sure hes a fast driver, but in this situation most guys would be saying 'I'll do le mans/rallying/whatever' rather than appearing to not really care. Can't say i will miss him, i want to see hungry drivers at the top, not some guy who couldn't care less unless he is paid way too much and in the best car.
I think this is a rather unfair assessment.It is no secret that Kimi finds the (seemingly irrelevant to him) non-driving PR/Political demands of a being a 21st century F1 driver hugely unappealing - who can blame him! He wasn't prepared to tolerate this whilst driving an uncompetitve car and without securing top money. I could understand the criticism more easily if Kimi's previous record was very different. During his time at Mclaren he drove brilliantly and committedly for several years despite the fact that MB's engines were letting go literally every other race for a large part of this time.
Kimi is a true racer and I think its as much a reflection of the sorry state of F1 itself that one of the world's greatest driving talents isn't motivated to take part in it any longer. How many other of the F1 drivers love driving so much that they would go and rally a Fiat Punto!
The record books wont mention how well he drove at Mclaren nor will they point out that the 2007 WDC fell into his lap. A wasted talent or an overrated "Coulda,Woulda,Shoulda".
His "laid back doesnt give a toss attitude" doesnt wash with me and neither did it with Ferrari and obvioulsy just recently - Mclaren.
If he was as good as what some think he is then Mclaren would have signed him up ignoring his..................... strange personality.
No TRUE RACER walks out on the pinnacle of Motorsport
Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 20th November 15:12
The fact that Kimi isn't motivated by F1 says more about the dire state of F1 than Kimi's racer credentials
topcarrera said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
topcarrera said:
Forbes82 said:
I just don't think the guy is a true racer, sure hes a fast driver, but in this situation most guys would be saying 'I'll do le mans/rallying/whatever' rather than appearing to not really care. Can't say i will miss him, i want to see hungry drivers at the top, not some guy who couldn't care less unless he is paid way too much and in the best car.
I think this is a rather unfair assessment.It is no secret that Kimi finds the (seemingly irrelevant to him) non-driving PR/Political demands of a being a 21st century F1 driver hugely unappealing - who can blame him! He wasn't prepared to tolerate this whilst driving an uncompetitve car and without securing top money. I could understand the criticism more easily if Kimi's previous record was very different. During his time at Mclaren he drove brilliantly and committedly for several years despite the fact that MB's engines were letting go literally every other race for a large part of this time.
Kimi is a true racer and I think its as much a reflection of the sorry state of F1 itself that one of the world's greatest driving talents isn't motivated to take part in it any longer. How many other of the F1 drivers love driving so much that they would go and rally a Fiat Punto!
The record books wont mention how well he drove at Mclaren nor will they point out that the 2007 WDC fell into his lap. A wasted talent or an overrated "Coulda,Woulda,Shoulda".
His "laid back doesnt give a toss attitude" doesnt wash with me and neither did it with Ferrari and obvioulsy just recently - Mclaren.
If he was as good as what some think he is then Mclaren would have signed him up ignoring his..................... strange personality.
No TRUE RACER walks out on the pinnacle of Motorsport
Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 20th November 15:12
The fact that Kimi isn't motivated by F1 says more about the dire state of F1 than Kimi's racer credentials
He is a fast driver no doubt, and i don't see it as a negative that he hates press and PR stuff, my only problem with him is that he doesn't appear to love and thrive on racing. I simply prefere drivers that live for racing, rather than those who do it because they are talented enough to succeed and earn good money, but dont really care too much about the actual racing.
I like him. He obviously doesn't give a f
k what anyone thinks of him, and I find that an appealing characteristic in a sports star.
Ferrari wouldn't have given him a seat and $20m if he wasn't a sublime talent. If he can't get a good seat, he fks off and does something else.
Fair play to him. I hope he gives Seb Loeb a run for his money.
k what anyone thinks of him, and I find that an appealing characteristic in a sports star.Ferrari wouldn't have given him a seat and $20m if he wasn't a sublime talent. If he can't get a good seat, he f
ks off and does something else.Fair play to him. I hope he gives Seb Loeb a run for his money.
BarnatosGhost said:
I like him. He obviously doesn't give a fk what anyone thinks of him, and I find that an appealing characteristic in a sports star.
Ferrari wouldn't have given him a seat and $20m if he wasn't a sublime talent. If he can't get a good seat, he fks off and does something else.
Fair play to him. I hope he gives Seb Loeb a run for his money.
Precisely. He's driven for two of the three most successful teams in the history of F1. Given his age, Williams can be discarded.k what anyone thinks of him, and I find that an appealing characteristic in a sports star.Ferrari wouldn't have given him a seat and $20m if he wasn't a sublime talent. If he can't get a good seat, he f
ks off and does something else.Fair play to him. I hope he gives Seb Loeb a run for his money.
End of story.
Gaz. said:
coetzeeh said:
wanta996gotta said:
No TRUE RACER walks out on the pinnacle of Motorsport
I'm not sure what you mean by the bold words - I gather you meant "no true racer walks out of motorsport at the pinnacle of his career"?Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 20th November 15:12
If so - Mick Doohan was not too shabby a racer? or would you disagree?
How about Mika and Mansell, who went off to race in the US CART series the season after winning WDC is he not a 'True racer' having walked away from F1?
Edited by E30M3SE on Sunday 22 November 12:46
E30M3SE said:
Gaz. said:
coetzeeh said:
wanta996gotta said:
No TRUE RACER walks out on the pinnacle of Motorsport
I'm not sure what you mean by the bold words - I gather you meant "no true racer walks out of motorsport at the pinnacle of his career"?Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 20th November 15:12
If so - Mick Doohan was not too shabby a racer? or would you disagree?
How about Mika and Mansell, who went off to race in the US CART series the season after winning WDC is he not a 'True racer' having walked away from F1?
Edited by E30M3SE on Sunday 22 November 12:46
Mick did not walk away, have you seen the state of his legs even today.
Ta
Gaz. said:
You watch too much TV. The bloke hadn't planned on retiring going into that race weekend, it was only the third round of the season. He did continue to work for HRC for a further five years just not from the saddle.
Hang on, you've got this slightly twisted, if I am reading this correctly, I am not refering to your post, but Mr.996's classic line about 'true racers'....and I am quite sure Mick Doohan did not plan on retiring in that manner.
Edited by E30M3SE on Sunday 22 November 18:26
Jamesf288 said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
No TRUE RACER walks out on the pinnacle of Motorsport
That aside: Perhaps some drivers don't consider it "the pinnacle" as we do. Sure it's where the glamour and the money is, but perhaps they would have more FUN rallying, or maybe 2 wheels, or Indycar, or NASCAR, or...Unless Kimi's been very silly, I doubt he's going to be homeless without a drive next year.
Gaz. said:
E30M3SE said:
Gaz. said:
You watch too much TV. The bloke hadn't planned on retiring going into that race weekend, it was only the third round of the season. He did continue to work for HRC for a further five years just not from the saddle.
Hang on, you've got this slightly twisted, if I am reading this correctly, I am not refering to your post, but Mr.996's classic line about 'true racers'....and I am quite sure Mick Doohan did not plan on retiring in that manner.
Edited by E30M3SE on Sunday 22 November 18:26
Gaz. said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
Gaz. said:
E30M3SE said:
Gaz. said:
You watch too much TV. The bloke hadn't planned on retiring going into that race weekend, it was only the third round of the season. He did continue to work for HRC for a further five years just not from the saddle.
Hang on, you've got this slightly twisted, if I am reading this correctly, I am not refering to your post, but Mr.996's classic line about 'true racers'....and I am quite sure Mick Doohan did not plan on retiring in that manner.
Edited by E30M3SE on Sunday 22 November 18:26
Gaz. said:
That was in reference to your guarantee that anyone in motorsport wants to be in F1, it's a claim you could not possibly back up.
Yes, and we cant back up any claim made about any sport or sportsperson as its down to opinion. I however have an opinion that claims Schumacher is the best F1 driver,Rossi the best at Superbikes and Loeb the best in Rallying(Both itching to get an F1 seat may i add)If you would like to take a stab at what you would think is the pinnacle of motorsport then i would like to know? Superbikes? Rallying? Karting? PowerBoats? SportsCars?, Touring Cars?
Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Monday 23 November 16:24
elster said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
If you would like to take a stab at what you would think is the pinnacle of motorsport then i would like to know? Superbikes? Rallying? Karting? PowerBoats? SportsCars?, Touring Cars?
What is the pinnacle of olympics sports?Or are they all very different?
Wanta996Gotta said:
If you would like to take a stab at what you would think is the pinnacle of motorsport then i would like to know? Superbikes? Rallying? Karting? PowerBoats? SportsCars?, Touring Cars?
The pinnacle is different things to different people.Some kids dream of tearing through the tunnel in Monaco in a Ferrari
Some dream of Rally Finland in a WRC car
Some dream of Daytona in a NASCAR.
Some dream of Donington on a MotoGP bike
To say that F1 is the pinnacle is subjective.
Granted, a lot of drivers from other disciplines would like to have a go, but a lot seem to want to have a go in a WRC car at the moment aswell (Kubica, Vettel, Raikkonen)
Gaz. said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
Gaz. said:
E30M3SE said:
Gaz. said:
You watch too much TV. The bloke hadn't planned on retiring going into that race weekend, it was only the third round of the season. He did continue to work for HRC for a further five years just not from the saddle.
Hang on, you've got this slightly twisted, if I am reading this correctly, I am not refering to your post, but Mr.996's classic line about 'true racers'....and I am quite sure Mick Doohan did not plan on retiring in that manner.
Edited by E30M3SE on Sunday 22 November 18:26
F1 is 'only' the pinnacle of single seater racing outside of the USA....NOT the pinnacle of all motorsport.
Wanta996Gotta said:
elster said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
If you would like to take a stab at what you would think is the pinnacle of motorsport then i would like to know? Superbikes? Rallying? Karting? PowerBoats? SportsCars?, Touring Cars?
What is the pinnacle of olympics sports?Or are they all very different?
They are all very different sports.
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