the words from the man himself : Kimi, meanwhile, acknowledged reports that certain factions at Maranello are apparently worried that his skills as a driver do not extend to car development. Asked if he might consider changing his approach to motor racing, Raikkonen answered: "If Ferrari want, I will work every evening until ten o'clock. I am not afraid of some hard work!" He also said he would be 'silly' to turn down an opportunity to benefit from Schumacher's new role as an 'assistant' to Team Principal Jean Todt. "I would be happy if Michael would help me to acclimatise to Ferrari," Kimi insisted, but he did not want to comment on suggestions that the 37-year-old German elected to quit rather than face Raikkonen at the wheel. Pressed for a sneak-preview of the championship challenge next year, though, Raikkonen admitted: "My toughest opponent will not be Alonso; it will be my teammate Felipe Massa."
Are we rooting for Scudaria Toro Rosso next year too? I still can't believe that Ferrari started providing engines to other F1 teams. I think it makes Scudaria Ferrari less special. I don't understand the motivation for Ferrari to want to do this...?? It is so easy to say money...and money is usually the answer for such decisions after all F1 is a business but....it still doesn't make sense to me....?? They don't need the money! Why cheapen your name and heritage when you don't need the money?? Marketing? Ferrari doesn't need marketing - they are the most recognizable team in F1. Why? What if Scudaria Toro Rosso does better? Think of the embarassment - why take the risk?!?! This seems like an extremely poor decision..... I know that Ferrari has provided engines and chassis for private teams in other racing venues but this is F1 - this is sacred! I think this was an extremely unfortuante decision. How do you guys feel about it? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ferrari has been supplying engines to other teams for a while; Red Bull last year and Sauber for a couple of years. I don't see the problem, no drama here.
I knew that they provided engines already to the first Red Bull team... Original Team Red Bull is Sauber right? It was their older engines and not the same engines as SF though.... Now I guess this Scuderia Toro Rosso is going to get the state-of-the-art Ferrari F1 engines.... I still don't like the idea but maybe you are right that it is no big deal I just don't understand what the motivation is...
Well, they´ve been selling entire cars to private teams since the first day, so don´t worry.
Ferri supplied engines to Minardi back in the early nineties I think it was, before Paul Stoddart. As I recall it turned out to be Minardi's best season ever. I'm sure the motivation is more revenue for the team, which will add to the money they can spend on R&D for the rest of the car. I would guess tht's what the Renault and Toyota will be putting their extra revenue towards, and why not now there's a freeze on engine development as well. For me Ferrari gain alot more respect revenue raising this way, rather than on some of the crappy merchandise they license. The person who approved the Ferrari BArbie doll should be strung up.
I agree that he will try his best. The thing that is motivating Raikkonen now is that he knows that he is as fast and good as Alonso but has no championships to show for it. Ferrari has a definite car that can win championships and Kimi has to extract the most out of it and himself while he still has the blinding speed. With Schumacher as "trusted advisor", I think Kimi will be a strong fave for the 2007 title.
There was more than money to the equation for Ferrari's engine deal. Don't forget all the hand-wringing over the similarity between the Ferrari and Sauber chassis. You can be sure that Ferrari took advantage of the arrangement to field test some parts here and there. Plus, what good did it serve the team to have a bunch of year-old engines sitting around?
Jaguar is now the Red Bull Racing team. Red Bull used Cosworth power in 2005, their first season. Sauber used the Ferrari engines in 2005 and then BMW bought them towards the end of the season. 2006 was Red Bull Racing's first year with Ferrari power and the STR used the Cosworth from 2005.
Mighty big of Kimi to be so committed to Ferrari. How much are they (or Marlboro, whatever) paying him? But as far as Michael is concerned, they need to be careful with his presence around the team. Sometimes the spectre of greatness lingering around can be detrimental to the process of moving on. Especially if there are any underlying feelings of being squeezed out, or unwillingness to compete against the Finn. And athletes don't always make the best managers.
I think it's good on Ferrari's part to help out smaller teams that could probably not develop so good an engine with the amount of money they buy them for.
Mark my words, the 2007 WDC will be Massa. Hey, if Damon and Jaques were considered sub par compared to guys like michael and mika, but were still able to win the WDC thanks to being in a car that was the class of the field...see where i'm going with this? Massa can do the same thing, considering it's Kimi's first year at Ferrari, and Alonso is now with the unreliable and less competetive Mclaren. Renault woln't have a shot because of having a rookie and a lackluster driver next season. Also, I think Michael will be more willing to advise/coach Massa since the two already have a friendship. You'll see, Massa for 07.
Hey, he has as good or better a chance as anyone else. The other top drivers changed teams, and really the young 'uns are still an unproven commodity.
i agree with u Jack. Massa did improve from the 1st 6 races of the season, thru mid season. it's very very visible improvements. and with someone pointed out that FA is with unreliable Mac, and Kimi gettin settled with the Scuderia, it could be Massa's season. i suppose GF will fade like this year and last year. dunno bout HK tho.
I disagree. In 05 Kimi looked visibly faster than Alonso and but for reliabilty, probably his fault and Mclaren's, he should have won the WDC. That being said Alonso was fast this year and McLaren sucked all round. I think Kimi will turn up again this year. If he doesn't perform at Ferrari like hid did at McLaren in 05 and 03 I can't see him stayng at Ferrari too long.
I hope your are right ! I am thinking the same thoughts. I read on Autosport this morning that Kimi says his biggest threat is Massa. GO MASSA. Carol
Kimi has a slight advantage in raw speed I would say. Tactical ability, the ability to read and control a race, to know when to attack and when not...I would say Alonso has the edge. Technical ability....apparently Kimi relies on his engineers to get the right for him, unlike FA..(speculations) I don't think Felipe is any better than Kimi, won 2 races from the lead, looked poor in wet conditions, had difficulties to overtake, inconsistent. If Massa wins this battle, it will be because he knows the team/car/electronics, unlike Kimi.
very well said. good post!, on the other interesting point, here's what KiMi has to say in the same interview from Autosport.com : "My toughest rival won't be Fernando, but my teammate Felipe Massa," Raikkonen told Bild magazine in an interview. "From now on, I'll see McLaren-Mercedes only in my rear-view mirrors. hard words for Mac eh. it's so easy to see his frustrations. if he can get settled in the team early, i think he'll be flying!
The WDC and WCC are awards for consistency in performance by the driver and team, respectively. Saying he "should have" is taking credit away from what Renault and Alonso did together. They were consistent in their results. Kimi didn't always drive perfect (you'd see him understeer a lot of the time). There's a balancing act between reliability and performance (at least engine-wise). Mercedes pushed that scale more towards power than reliability, which is why they didn't win either the WDC or WCC. I'm sure all the teams could build a car that is incredibly quick for 5 laps and then the engine explodes. Should that driver and team get the championships for being much quicker than everyone else, even for only 5 laps? No.
