well it appears it's McLaren or bust for Kimi !! Carol * * * * * * autosport and others.. Kimi Raikkonen has revealed that his only real opportunity to remain in Formula 1 next year is to complete a deal with McLaren. The Finn is a free agent after this season, having agreed an early end to his contract with Ferrari, yet he has not yet firmed up his plans for 2010. He has been linked with moves to both McLaren and Toyota next year - but he revealed ahead of Abu Dhabi that there was only one real chance for him if he was going to remain in F1. "Toyota has not even been discussed," Raikkonen told Finnish television station MTV3. "If I want to drive [F1] cars, then McLaren in the only option. I should know the situation in the next few days." Raikkonen said in the official FIA press conference in Abu Dhabi that there were other options for him outside of F1 including rallying or even a sabbatical. "Basically I have a few different options and we will see what is the best one overall and then make my decision," he said. When asked specifically about rallying, Raikkonen said: "It is definitely one of them, but I mean it is not just Formula 1 and rallying. There are other things I could do and we will see what happens." Speaking about the possibility of taking a sabbatical, Raikkonen said: "I can if I want. I can do whatever I want, but like I said before, I haven't made my decision what I want to do yet." Raikkonen's decision not to pursue an offer from Toyota leaves the Japanese manufacturer facing increasing difficulties to try and find a top-line driver for 2010 with Robert Kubica also having rejected its overtures to sign a deal with Renault. The team is understood to have offered both Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock deals for next year, but it is looking likely that both will leave Trulli potentially for Lotus with Glock closing in on a deal with Renault. McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen could be one option for Toyota, with Force India's Adrian Sutil also being linked in connection with the team. Japanese Kamui Kobayashi will also put himself firmly in the frame if he impresses again this weekend, following an encouraging debut in Brazil.
Seems to me it's all about the money. Mclaren offers Ex amount Kimi has a choice. What isn't known is how much that is, and whether it will be more than Lewis is getting paid, that is the million dollar question.
Next year will suck, for me, if Kimi does not get a ride. Usually my new favorite driver arrives and overlaps my previous favorite, but right now I have no one to replace him with. I also think he fits in better with Mclarens way of doing things. Mclaren engineers apparently do not require passion from their drivers for them to do their job.
this is what any of us would give our left testicle for...FREEDOM to choose. it's nice to be able to say, 'hey, if you can't pay me x amount, i can sit on my arse and i'd be just fine with it'. agree or not with his position, whether we think it's greed or not, it is what it is. looks like he has other things he wants to do in life, and it comes down to what one is 'worth' over the other to him... must be nice.
+100! Congrats to him. Kimi's got a dream life and is in complete control of which direction he wants it to go and every option is awesome...I can see why some would resent that.
they say money can't buy happiness, well, it sure as heck can buy a shedloada freedom. of course, in this world there will always be resentment. all i can say is that if i had that kind of freedom...y'all can resent me all you want i'll be out eating ice cream, or getting hammered in a bar somewhere...
I like Kimi but I fear that this just highlights his blasé attitude he's developed. A real driver ought to be out there forcing his way into a winning seat, not sitting back saying "I can do anything, I don't care, I will figure it out later", and "pay me and I'll consider driving... otherwise forget it". He needs to realize he got beaten by MASSA last year - Massa is a mid-pack driver at best. And he was getting beaten by Massa the first half of this year too. As much as I enjoyed Kimi at McLaren and his first year at Ferrari, he just isn't WDC caliber material anymore, and should hang up his boots and make room for someone who has the drive and desire to win WDC's. He also should think about the realities of why he was fired from Ferrari this year. It wasn't because he was performing so well that they didn't know what to do.
Sounds like Kimi will have lots of time to lay back with his laid back attitude. The fire has all but burnt out. I just don't think he really likes all the F1 hoopla. Good luck to him.
i think you are right Mike. i think he's always had the 'i'm having a ****' attitude, but it seems to have gotten more apparent. having said that, it's hard to be 100% sure what motivates this guy. that's why i will never ever presume to know and make 'definitive' statements about another competitor (i've been around track and field most of my life, at every level, and i've met lots of guys and gals that have extremely contrasting personalities..show their 'motivation' in very different ways). he's doing what he wants, when he wants. as for making room for younger, "hungrier" talent..well, the solution for the teams is simple: DON'T hire the guy!!! teams may be better off, and he'll be just fine.
+1 Yes, because i think they're not confirmed for next year. No one wants to sign a deal and suddenly find out they're pulling the plug the last minute.
I can see McLaren making a contract that is performance-loaded, say within x amount of Hamilton's points for a barometer. I don't see him being offered a retainer in the neighborhood that he's used to without a performance clause to back that up. IIRC, Piquet Sr. cruised and collected with Lotus and at the end of the contract they parted ways. The only top team to take him on was Benetton and that was only a performance based contract rumoured at $100,000 a point with no retainer. He was highly motivated that year and scored over 40 pts (over $4 million)... his pt totals with Lotus were less than half that... Maybe this is a lesson that McLaren will apply to the situation at hand. They will pay Kimi commensurate with what he is used to provided he is able to get the maximum out of the car with a good benchmark in Hamilton. I think this is the ideal situation for all. Kimi SHOULD be able to match Hamilton for sheer speed and performance and if he is fully confident in his abilities then I look for Kimi to tackle that challenge head on. Frank
+1! Speaking of Nail on Head! The truth about Kimi and his lack of performance is listed above. Nice post and it puts the issue with Kimi and his lack of performance in perspective. I was a Kimi fan more than I ever was a Massa fan until last year. Massa, as mid pack as he may be, is far more inspiring, and INSPIRED to drive and win. Massa was 22 points to Kimi's 10 the day of Felipe's accident. The trend was up for Massa and down for Kimi. He wont be missed as the memory in Formula1 is very very short.
