raikonen signed up thru 2010? what a mistake (spoiler)

todays performance was abysmal. a straight fight with equal chances to hamilton. result = failure.

 

I just wanted to create exactly this thread. Kimi sucked BIG TIME today. How big has LdM's ego to be to extend Kimis contract for 2 years?!!! Fire Kimi and bring Vettel in NOW....

 

FASTEST LAP LAST 5 LAPS!

Give him that

 

Too little , too late!!! Kimi sucks big time! No motivation whatsoever!

 

They may have signed him to the end of 2010 but Im sure he wont be here. Im guessing Vettel will be in that seat along side Massa in 2010 and if Kimi does nothing in the last 4 races this year....then there is an outside slim chance that he will be gone for 2009. I thought he was coming to life on Friday but it is very obvious now that he is done like toast.

 

So, do you think he'll quit of his own accord or SpA will terminate his contract (which they've just extended) and pay him (very handsomely, I'm sure) for the breach? The more I see of SpA's decision making, the less I like of it. I think they should have kept him on pins and needles until the VERY last possible second. It's what the Old Man would have done.

Previously I said I like KR at $5MM per year, but he was a joke at $50MM. Can I amend that? I'm not sure he's even worth $1MM at the moment. '07 WDC or not.

CW

 

It was a mistake. They should have hired Vettel instead.

They did it for the same reason, they extended Massa's contract last year: To buy his support for the team mate in the remaining races. That worked well last year, but I doubt it'll have any effect this year.

 

Lest we not forget that Kimi can still retire any time he wants. I wouldn't be at all surprised if calls it quits at the end of this year or next.

 

I just don't understand why at the last few laps that he starts to drive like a bat out of hell? I had said before that he may be starting the race with a heavy load of fuel and a dry setting for the car, now I can't believe that. The car usually starts the race in better condition than at the end of the race, tires, that's a different story, I really don't believe that had anything to do with it either. He got another year added to his contract and I am sure that he is making huge amounts of money driving with Ferrari, I just don't understand why he can't even seam to buy a win now. I am sure that he was happy that Ferrari extended his contract, I just can't put 2 and 2 together with him anymore.

 

It takes a while to sober up.

 

I think it's rather obvious that the car sucked with the full wets and didn't come to life until he got some laps on the inters. The car and/or the setup they had just doesn't respond in the really wet stuff.

 

Sure, why not? He's made $100MM or so. He's set for life.

Seriously, what motivation does he have left? Carrot and the stick!

CW

 

lol...lol...maybe he should stop putting his wants before his needs or it may come back to haunt him like it is starting to do right now.

 

Massa was the fastest on the grid with full wets. It was the driver, not the car.

 

Yeah he'd be great at Time Attacks

 

Not to make an excuse for Kimi, but I seriously doubt that Massa's car had the same setup as Kimi's. Kimi's was set up for dry conditions, which is why he struggled in qualifying (unlike Hami who lost Q1 because of the tire screw up).

 

Ahhh Vettel's car was set up for dry as well. Kimi has no excuses. Each driver set up the car to his own likeing. Its very hard to set up a car with a hangover.

 

True. I wasn't making an excuse for Kimi, just argueing the fact that the two Ferraris had the same setup. I don't believe that. Not that it matters.

 

Point taken! Didn't think of that.

 

Kimi today was the Kimi in Mclaren 2006. not putting any fight, just a failure.

i can't believe his performance today. Monza was his last ever chance to be WDC this year, whatever it's left of it. pathetic, shameful performance. to think Hammi started behind him and finished 7th is like rubbing salt into the wound.


Ferrari apparently still has faith in Kimi tho, hence the renewal.

 

I don't believe Kimi really is that bad. There's something wrong with the car. Even Massa is strugling. Last year it was the wheel base. This year it seems they can't get it to work in cold/wet conditions. That said Kimi isn't really proving his number one status or paycheck. I hope he has finally given up hope to win the WDC this year and starts supporting Massa. But he has to do a better job than today to be able to help Massa!

 

i agree. but then, it wasn't just in the wet when Kimi proved to be a wrong driver choice. he's been sleeping this whole year.

 

I'm so disgusted with KR I'd even bring Montoya back to F1 and he can have KR's seat...now that is really low low low!

 

The renewal was to get his support for the remaining races.

 

Kimi was making around $28 million at McLaren, he was far from poor before he came to Ferrari, so even at the beginning money wasn't the motive. I think his #1 motivation was winning the WDC, he came so close twice at McLaren, then and finally did it with the prestige of being at Ferrari----the ultimate way to win the WDC. As if there wasn't already enough pressure on him, I guess Kimi needs the pressure of thinking he's about the lose the race to get his fire going!!! I know it's apparently a trait of Finns to be very cool headed, but he really needs to get angry or passionate or something if he wants to keep his seat at Ferrari. If he could show the speed in quali and the beginning, he'd be at P1 right now....