Raikkonen won't change ways at Ferrari

Well that is a fear i have had, but i'm confident it isn't the case.

More am I worried that since he and Shumi has two different styles on track and off track, and Schumi strarts to act as his "personal trainer" Kimi will get lost between two different styles. I'll vote for him to push his own style and achieve victory so.

 

I did a little counting on the 2006 results. Kimi's car failed twice. PDR/Montoya's failed 4 times. If anything, from that one can conclude that Kimi was the one that spared the car mechanically. He was however involved in 4 accidents, I don't remember how many were his fault though, so don't know whether thats up to his (aggressive?) driving style or due to someone else.

 

Kimi has to be his own man. He is right, he is not Michael and he is not suppose to be a clone of Michael. As he gets more settled in at Ferrari, I am sure his work ethetics will change at least some as he becomes more matures and starting to understand the ways of Ferrari, I have enough faith in the team and Todt for that. IMO, Ferrari is also down playing the importance of Michael's role within the team. I think he has more input and influence than we think when it comes to the team and the drivers. Ferrari has been on track since the arrival of the Todt, Brawn, Barn and Schumacher, I do not think they will be willing to jepordize the structure or the system within the team if Kimi or any other driver gets out of line. Plus, I think that Kimi is older now and is more appreciative of his opportunity at Ferrari. I think he realizes that his time is now and he has to take advantage of it. Let's face it, there is a strong association between maturity and age.

The Winter GP has not even started yet, let us wait and see if Kimi will fulfill his true potential as a F1 driver at Ferrari.

PS: I think he is harder on equipment than other drivers, but I think it is partially because of his desire to win and the lack of understanding of how to preserve his equipment during a race. Please remember he came from Sauber, where he had to go all out just to be competitive. By the time he went to McLaren, Mika was no longer there to really tutor him on the finer points of F1 racing. Ron is an owner and a manager of McLaren, he is not a F1 race car driver. As for DC, well, IMO he is just an average driver. Therefore, I am optimistic on Kimi at Ferrari. BTW, I don't think anyone is harder on equipment than Gilles Villenuve. IIRC, according to legend, didn't Enzo request his staff to make the cars stronger because of Gilles?

 

Gilles Villeneuve used to do the same thing and Enzo would commend him for that. Through Gilles' destructive abuse, Ferrari saw where the car needed to be improved.

 

I remember at Spa, when a honda engine failed, putting out a smoke screen across the track, and the TV announcers all commented how "brave" it was that Kimi never even lifted going through the smoke. But there's a thin line between "brave" and "foolish".

Then when he ran straight over a collision in front of him, this past year (Hungary?), we had to ask, "what was he thinking?".

 

Michael Schumacher was a master at several disciplines - driving, racing, leadership, motivation, analytical abilities, fitness. He was the complete package. No one else in the grid comes close in all these aspects - Kimi and Alonso included.

All Kimi can do is do what he does very well - drive very, very fast. He cannot become a Michael Schumacher even if he tries.

Kimi is like Jim Clark in that he gets speed effortlessly without really thinking about it. Therefore he needs someone like a Colin Chapman to manage the rest of the business to allow him to concentrate on driving. I am sure Jean Todt who is possibly the biggest Kimi fan at Ferrari will do his best to ensure his new hire is looked after well.

If Ferrari has a good car from the beginning then both Massa and Kimi would be fighting for wins and the championship. Kimi should ace Massa in my estimation.

If Ferrari has a bad car then it will be interesting to see how Kimi will handle it. In 2005 Michael was awesome to watch - he drove the car 10/10ths and even 11/10ths trying to scavenge measly 1-2 points at a race where the Bstones were garbage. He never complained publicly. He was inspirational to watch. Kimi might sulk away in this situation.

 

Too bad it didn't work out for Michael to stay one more year at Ferrari. I think he would have been a shoe in to win another Championship with Alonso - his main competitor - moving to McLaren. I just don't see Kimi in red but I guess it's always that way initially. Just takes some getting used to. I also have a feeling Massa might outshine Kimi a few times (or more). Should be an interesting season!

 

Who knows, if Massa under performs in the first two races and was easily out paced by Kimi and other young drivers, maybe Ferrari will sack him and bring back Schumacher Most of us are so concentrated on Kimi at Ferrari, I think we are forgetting that Massa is in a similar situation that he no longer has any other excuses to under achieve, if the 07's cars are up to par against the others that is.

 

Dont worry about Kimi. He'll do just fine and bring back the title. He is one of the top three guys at F1 and compared to the other two has no handicap to deal with.

 

I don't think the expectations are high for Massa at Ferrari. He is a #2 and that's it.

No one expected Rubens to pace Michael, no one expects Massa to pace Kimi. Massa is there to protect Kimi and to collect points towards the constructors title.

Massa will last at Ferrari for another season at most. He will be gone after his contract runs out. Drivers like him are a dime a dozen, Ferrari will find another second rate driver for their second seat. He is as expendable as Rubens and Irvine.

Massa has the perfect excuse for underperforming: he is a mediocre driver driving to the best of his abilities.

 

i think ur being a bit too harsh on him. there's no statement saying that he has to be there to ' protect ' Kimi to get the valuable points for the WCC.

i would really like to see how kimi settles in the team, not just for driving the wheels out of the car, but driving passionately. i think Massa is a very passionate driver.

 

You need a statement? What do you think Massa's role is within the team? Why would you see his role to be any different from Rubens' or Irvine's?

Remember how expendable Massa seemed to be when the team was courting Rossi. There is no reason to assume that Massa is any less expendable than any of Ferrari's previous #2 drivers...and make no mistake, that is all Massa is: a #2 driver.

Do you want him to drive the car or f@#ck it?

 

I think Luca Montezemolo and Jean Todt have mentioned it several times that the stopwatch and laptime dictates who is going to be #1 at Ferrari. Massa is on an upward performance curve. Raikkonen is on a learning curve at Ferrari. It might be closer between the two of them than I imagined some months back.

 

i'm saying this based on the fact that it's a fresh start for the whole team. don;t compare rubens and Irv. even, for that matter, if mika did come to the scuderia, he'll be surely a number 2 to MS.

but the fact here is, there's no MS here. JT himself mentioned a few days ago that both Ferrari drivers this season are free to race one another, pending that their rivalry will benefit the team.

i understand ur facts about massa, but lets not forget massa is more established in the team now, compared to Kimi. Kimi will win races, and he'll be fast, but he needs the time to blend in.

 

It was a fresh start for the team in 1996 too but no one was under any illusion that Irvine was anything but #2 to MS.

What do you expect him to say? Do you expect him to publicly embarrass Massa by saying he will be subordinate to Kimi right from the start. What Todt says in public and what he does behind closed doors is demonstrably two different things.

Ferrari is not paying Kimi upwards of $50 million a season to be #2.

The bottom line is, established in the team or not, Massa is simply not the talent that Kimi is, period, end of story.

If Massa were key to Ferrari's plans, they would not have entertained the idea of replacing him with Rossi, a guy who had never raced on 4 wheels. Massa is nothing more than a seat-warmer.