Raikkonen's win at Spa and Kimi to Mclaren?

Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen has done what he said he would do all season - win a race. One has the feeling that, in his mind, his targets have been achieved for the season.

The win was a massive relief for Ferrari. To have not won a race all season would have been unacceptable.

But as Murray Walker points out elsewhere on this website, Raikkonen's win has made it six different winners from the last six races: Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Rubens Barrichello, Raikkonen.

The last time that happened in F1 was 1985.

As for Luca Badoer, it was the Ferrari team radio broadcast during Friday practice that summed up his F1 return.

Engineer Rob Smedley had taken to telling Badoer where he was driving well and where he was not.

You'd have thought a professional racing driver would know where he was doing well or losing time. But with the help of telemetry, Rob was able to give real-time driver coaching:

"The driving is good, the driving is good, apart from corner 10 (Pouhon). You need to carry more speed through corner 10".

Smedley famously helps Massa with the driving, too, but it tends to happen in the debrief between sessions, not when he's out on the track.

In fairness, after the race, both Stefano Domenicali and Chris Dyer paid tribute to how tough the job was and how well Luca Badoer had done on such short notice. It sounded like a farewell.


Kimi to Mclaren

The prospect of Kimi Raikkonen returning to McLaren seems to be one of the more plausible outcomes of the driver market.

Many people at McLaren still love Raikkonen; in many ways he's the perfect McLaren driver.
For a team that grounds their engineering in pure mathematics and physics, to have an unemotional, repetitive - almost robotic - driver in the car is much easier than having a man who is inconsistent and variable.

You'll never be able to prove anything with an inconsistent driver, because you'll never know if what you're changing on the car is working.

McLaren engineers still talk with wonder about Raikkonen's consistent lap times. He was so good, they say, because he would come back to the pits, say what was wrong, they would fix it and he would go out and go faster. Simple.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh, who values his engineers' opinions highly, wouldn't rule out employing Raikkonen again when asked on Saturday afternoon.

He also said the team wanted to employ the two best drivers they could, despite the problems they had with Hamilton and Alonso two years ago.

Raikkonen only left McLaren because his relationship with then-team boss Ron Dennis deteriorated when he signed Fernando Alonso. Is history repeating itself at Ferrari?

How Lewis Hamilton would feel about having Raikkonen in the other McLaren is another matter.

As a matter of interest, in the McLaren post-race press release, every quote - with the exception of Hamilton's - praises Kimi for his win.

Given that most McLaren people would rather undergo root canal surgery than publicly praise Ferrari, one can't help thinking there's a bit of 'preparing the ground' going on here.




If your intrested there is more in the article about Reb Bull and Brawn.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/f1mole/2009/09/ted-kravitz-view-from-the-belg.html

 

KR is a bit of a crap shoot as a driver. It certainly appears that under intense pressure(the threat of being turfed from Ferrari) the guy can find it within himself to put it all together and win. Personally if I was laying millions on the line with a guy like this it wouldn't be acceptable. I'd want a guy who gives it 110% all the time. I think that's part of why they want to can him. I'm sure with FA the driver won't be the issue and F will get their money's worth.

 

...but that's impossible, by definition, 100% is the maximum any person can give.

I'd be happy with The Iceman driving for me - providing my team wasn't Ferrari. It sounds strange to say but, even though there was great excitement about Kimi initially joining Ferrari, it never look like he really fit in with the team. He was far more impressive in his old McLaren days and it might be better not only for Kimi to go back there, it might provide a better spectacle in F1 as a whole.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I think McLaren is a much more natural environment for Kimi, he should go! Ferrari is not quite his thing honestly. Considering how McLaren returned to greatness after many years of misery while he was there , Kimi probably still would have been WDC had he stayed at McLaren, but I'm sure he was proud to have done it at Ferrari first.

I don't think Massa would like being a clear (although not official) #2 to Alonso, and I sure as hell don't think Alonso would like the idea of Massa possibly snatching the WDC while he was there. So we'll see.......

 

You don't think the two can get along?....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gql16hizyY

 

McLaren has stated there's been talks with Nico, they would like a German on a German team so that leaves Kimi out of this senario. Looking more like Renault for him, otherwise it seems he's out of F1, however, Kubica has been mentioned for Renault also.

Carol

 

Thanks Carol , although Mclaren as far as I'am aware are a British team.

 

Indeed, as far as i'am aware Mercedes only provide the engine. And with Mclarens new road cars they could probably tear up that contract too..... not that they would though.

 

Silly me, I knew that .....sorry Steve - side tracked - I was looking at some photos of cars of one of his dad's teams and thinking he should also be driving for his dad's German car team in the German car! (Nico did win the championship in his first season in Formula BMW ADAC driving for his father's team) I think more of Mercedes than I do of McLaren (and on tv you always see more of Norbert Haug than anyone else, except for that jumping raving lunatic woman), when the two names are given together and when Rosberg is mentioned.

Carol

 

Outside of the German and Saudi ownership, 100% British

 

They're based in England. Woking in fact. I know that means that technically Force India, Renault and indeed most other teams except Ferrari would also be Britsh but thats good enough for me!

 

I know F1 is primarily a UK based sport. My post was just a little poke at Steve

 

That's an interesting thought. The new road car is the first car they have made with their own engine in it. I wonder if they would look to make their own F1 engines which they could then sell to other teams to create income? That would make McLaren a real team like Ferrari, rather than a 'garagista' team.

 

Lol, please........... poke away.

 

Ahh well I'll let you off you pat me on the back once in a blue moon..

But I'm getting bored Max is to quiet and your head of the FOFA so..be nice..

 

Some times I forget to respect the dignity that comes with office

To paraphrase our ex-President "Helluvah job Steve".

 

Ferrari with Massa & Alonso will either be a dream or a repeat of Mclaren with senna & Prost, and we all know how that ended, even McLaren with the HAM and who was it again didnt end well ................... Personally I would go with Ferrari with Massa & Vettel
The ideal
Ferrari - Massa & Vettel
McLaren - Hamilton & Rosberg
Renault - Raikkenen & Kubica
Red Bull - Webber & Alonso
Brawn - Button & Barichello

It will never happen, but if it did, f.ck me it would be awesome

As for McLaren, isnt it a New Zealand team ?????? Ha Ha

T

 

are you just kidding? comparing the battle of champions? wow the Massa fans are really
great

Alonso at ferrari and Massa is back to barrichello mode !

 

Ooh, I agree - that would be an ideal driver line-up!

All the best,
Andrew.