http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5090310,00.html Why would you say something like this a week before the season starts? Don't you want confidence in a driver?
Different people respond to different things. Hopefully Domenicali knows what motivates Kimi and has made this statement to do just that.
i would say this season is make or break for Kimi. One more season like 2008, and he'll be sacked, IMO.
Considering Kimi's salary (rumoured to be $20m) I'm not surprised. His performances last year didn't justify being paid that much (relative to Massa).
Kimi's salry is a bit more than that I thought it was around 45M but not sure if it was Euros or USD http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimi_R%C3%A4ikk%C3%B6nen
Domenicali is just trying to divert attention from the fact that he is no Jean Todt. In fact, Domenicali is a mediocre putz who failed to deliver a winning car last season despite Ferrari's astronomical F1 budget and resources. I doubt that Domenicali is going to survive another losing season. Either way, Kimi is the one who will be laughing all the way to the bank.
So they got HALF way there. Domenicali is still a putz. Only saved by the fact that Kovalainen was a bigger putz than him.
Why was Massa crying on the podium then? Or, if you asked F1 fans "who won in 2009?" why would 99.99% of them reply "Hamilton"??? WCC is irrelevant. WDC is all that matters.
I could not maintain interest in the F1 season from that perspective. None whatsoever. I bet most fans -a vast majority, actually- are like me in this regard...
I´m with Domenicalli in this one. Raikkonen´s last season was unacceptable. Hope this time he gets it right. BTW, the same could be said about Domenicalli, I hope there won´t be more stupid errors in the pit lane.
WCC is merely an afterthought. Just look at the history of F1: WDC was first and the only title to get for several years.
LOL Remember Enzo's reaction after the 82 practice session in Hockenheim (in which Pironi broke his legs)? "Ciao Mondiale" At that point it was clear Ferrari had the best chance of winning the WCC thanks to their dominance up to that point and their superior car. Yet he couldn't care less. The driver's title was gone in that very instant and that was all that mattered to him.
Did the Ferrari team go nutty and freak out in the pits when they learned they had clinched the WCC? Answer: Nope. Why? Answer: Because the only people who care about the WCC are team owners who get $$ for it, and people on internet forums who claim it's more important and "their" team really won the only important championship. Like I said, ask F1 fans who won in 2008 and you'll hear two words, Hamilton and McLaren. Because the WDC is the only one anyone cares about.