It is funny and a valid point. IF FA does not want a fast threatening team-mate I would think Seb fits that bill as well. No question.
Interesting. Cant blame them for not wanting to sell the team to simply keep Kimi. If they are pursuing Ferrari and the Massa potential open seat the terms will be dictated to Kimi's agent and rather bluntly at that I would imagine. They dont 'need' him per se. Ferrari are actually the one with the 'options'!!
Robertson is arguably the smartest in the F1 management business. He pulls of crazy deals. Some are saying that Robertson is simply negotiating for a higher salary at Lotus. I say impossible, lotus has no moneys!
I remember reading somewhere that David Robertson is the most shrewd manager on the paddock, that it was seriously thought that he uses his spare time learning to know the minds of team managers and hence always being one step ahead of them - but the best was how 'people who shake hands with Robertson always count their fingers afterwards' - lol As for Lotus, I doubt Kimi will stay there, at least after reading how EB said today to AS that unless Kimi meets his conditions then he becomes a pain in the arse and they are better off without him... Nice work EB, once again you thought long and hard before opening your mouth...
Not so fast: Sky is reporting that Kimi and his manager have another meeting with Red Bull at Spa this weekend
This will end up with Kimi and his managers having annoyed each and every team, made a nuisance of themselves, got a refusal from Red Bull, a refusal from Ferrari, and also one from Lotus in the end. So he'll be left with the unique opportunity of picking mushrooms in Finland's forests... Rgds
Doubt it. Without Kimi Lotus will be nowhere. Boullier and Lotus know exactly what Kimi wants so they can't get annoyed with him flirting with other teams. The only one it seems that doesn't want Kimi is LdM, his ego being hurt and all.
Yesterday, in an interview with Chi magazine Luca Di Montezemolo said, In Formula One you can never let your guard down and so we have already thought about the future, much like the possibility of a stable without Lauda, and hiring Reutemann. It was very difficult to explain to Niki the choice we made, but the interests of the Ferrari, then as they are now, always come before those of the pilots, whoever they were, or are. Alonsos body language will be interesting to watch at Spa
And do you remember Niki's answer when someone asked him: "if Reutemann is a team-mate or an opponent?". "Neither". (P.S: I was, and still am, a great fan of Carlos Reutemann...) Rgds
The difference is, unlike 2009 (where he was fresh off getting smoked by Massa), he has been driving really well.
I still disagree with you there. It wasn't like Massa was finishing top 4 constantly and Kimi flopping about in 12th. In quali Kimi mostly beat Massa, and during the race he finished either ahead, or if he did finish behind him it was close (in time, sometimes a few positions back). The car sucked ass and when he was doing well he kept having problems. When Hungary came about Kimi finished 4 races on the podium consecutively, including a win. We'll never know what Massa would've done and we can only argue. But this was not a ''smoking'' a la carte, such as what Alonso was doing to Yoong or Piquet Jnr. I'd say they both had their weekends at times, be them lucky or unlucky. Added to this was Kimi being forced out by LdM.
Another thought: Steve Robertson has said the other day ''RB negotions ended unsuccesfully''. Everyone jumped up and down that Riciardo is now going to be driving for RB, and a lot believe that a deal with Ferrari is now imminent. Alonso and Kimi at Ferrari will almost certainly guarantee WCC. This is something RB definitely has to look out for. What if Robertson simply uses the press to his advantages to get RB to keel over to give a higher package for Kimi? Robertson does know how to make his clients very, very rich...he even got Ferrari to pay Kimi 15m to simply not compete in F1 for a year! RB negotiations allegedly not over.
Not if the team continues to flounder like it has when it comes to in season car development. Then all you'll see is two pissed off drivers instead of one.
True; I shall not dwelve into too much details, but during the first half of the season, they competed in nine Grand Prix together (I exclude Hungary) and they were fairly evenly matched. Kimi was the fastest in quali for five of the nine Grand Prix, was the only Ferrari driver to put the car once on the front row (in Monaco) and scored the first podium of the year, also in Monaco. So fairly evenly matched they were indeed. Rgds
As I said above, the risk is that those wild brutal tactics burn all bridges...chase all hares, but get none in the end. Rgds
If Ferrari simply retain Massa for 2014, I'm not sure I can root for them wholeheartedly. I hate complacency and there is no time for that in Formula One.
Oh yes, I do remember...he even said later that this was racing in peloton in Nascar that made him understood how much he missed close races and fighting directly with other (as opposed racing the chrono in Rallying). Rgds
Latest from Autosport; In other words, have they got the $? Not so much for him personally but to do a decent car & develop it? He's already super wealthy, but still wants to win IMO - Again, give him a decent car and I still think he can smoke anyone out there right now, including Fred, Hammy & Kid Index....... Cheers, Ian Kimi Raikkonen's priority is to stay at Lotus for F1 2014 - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com
