He won't come back

Yeah, I doubt he will, either - the longer he stays out of the sport, he harder it's going to be to get back in.

And he's apparently having too much fun rallying.

+1
He is done with Formula 1.

I knew someone would show up and make a point of pointing out the bleeding obvious... Nothing's changed for Räikkönen: he's still retired and Petter's WRC team will still need money. Ho hum.

Gun's and Roses held a concert on Saturday, Axl Rose is Kimi's personal friend and Kimi was partying with the band on Friday.

During the song 'You could be Mine' the piano player had Kimi's F1-helmet on and they showed clips from his McLaren- and Ferrari-years on the screen.

Talk about a gesture

If Ferrari can give Kimi up, it's not impossible for the same to happen to Vettel, or that Vettel decides to leave on his own opening a spot for Kimi. (I suspect there is going to be a space opening up in a Mercedes car next year after Schumi goes back into retirement). Two young German stars of tomorrow on a German manufacturer's team? Not such a crazy idea, and one that some people might pay big big money to make happen. Isn't Red Bull always on the lookout for a better engine?

About the concert, here's the Kimi-part, compliments to Lynx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvs9x0pdlE0

haha. that was pretty cool. I don't know that they picked the best sequences (they seem to be pretty into crashes), but overall I could dig it. Nice filiming

it's more about a F1 video, as you can see a lot of drivers&cars in the video.

Haha. Great stuff!

But Axl can expect a lawsuit from Bernie now I suppose.

Well geez you must be doing cartwheels. Right again Captain.

Said it in the other thread...Kimi or not....Red Bull pulled the trigger on this too early IMO. Unless he really is there as a number 2 to Vettel and this was made clear to him during the past week.

Raikkonen must have no intention to ever return. If so...I applaud him for following a different dream without a backward look.

We'll see how this goes and what Webber has over them, but with drivers like Raikkonen and Kubica not doing anything next year yet this all seems a bit early. I'd love to know what Raikkonen was doing at Moncao all the same. He certainly wasn't getting much sunbathing done with that Finnish skin of his.

Every year he has people buying tickets for hospitality on his yacht and the money goes to a charity in Finland.
The tickets began selling even before his announcement of joining WRC.

It is sad to see that probably Kimi never returns to F1. He is a F1 World Champion already, so he's achieved what he wanted. He seems happy in WRC and his new life. This is a new challenge for him. So good luck, Kimi. I will be watching you in anywhere where you race!

Or no one has any intention of signing him?

I'm sure he is very "sad"...getting the Ferrari salary + being a RedBull driver in WRC while doing something he likes that presents a new challenge.
Well, I feel sorry for him

Well..i guess its over for f1 for kimi,cheers for the exciting 9 seasons in f1.gud luck in whatever u do...
Nick

Could well be, but F1's a pretty exclusive club - only twentysomething of the best racing drivers in the world. Maybe Kimi's only, say, #53 but that's still nothing to sneer at. I imagine most of us on this BB probably couldn't do even that.

In any case, these last few years haven't been much fun so I'm glad that it's finally over. We were already on a break, now we're broken up. Yay!

I think a comeback is highly unlikely, shame imo, would have liked him to have returned

as an official review of Sunday Kimi vs Taddy :
http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT...021242858242601

ahh` hmm... k nvm. I sort of knew that kimi coming back to f1 wasn't gonna really happen, but oh well now its pretty clear.

It´s a shame that we couldn´t see him in F1 under the current regulations.
I think these no-reueling rules would have suited him equally as good
as the 2005 rules.

It should be mentioned that Kimi Räikkönen has not shut the door to F1 publicly.

He IS keeping the door to F1 open as far as we can tell from his interviews.


So, the people who say he will never come back to F1, are jumping the gun as so to speak. As long as Kimi himself is keeping a door to F1 open, he has a door open to F1. We cannot close that door for him, he has to do it by himself.

There must be some sanity still around and who are you going to believe if not Kimi himself? You don't believe anyone? Well, that's your choice for a philosophy of life... you can have it, but don't pretend everyone else is like you.


Anyone who suggests no F1 team would hire him are lunatics and can be ignored. The same about the so-called "top" teams. Why did the McLaren Team Principal so openly kiss Kimi's behind for several weeks last year if he did not want to hire him at all? Yeah, lunatics... or trolls. However you wish to call them. And the Toyota Team Principal was obviously desperately trying to hire him... maybe we learned afterwards why he sounded desperate as Toyota quit F1 - had they succeeded in hiring Kimi perhaps they would not have quit just yet - that must have been Howett's reasoning I am quite sure of that.

I tend to agree with u anssi,but what options are left for 2011?,renault?,merc?

2012, RBR after Webber retires I guess? Or 2013?
Still I doubt it though

I guess first he will have to make a decision. As far as I can tell from his recent interviews he has not decided yet.

If he decides he wants to come back to F1 for 2011 then his managers would probably go around the F1 paddock saying to the teams "Kimi wants to come back to F1, are you interested?" and then they would wait for reactions from the teams.

Kimi said he will make the decision about whether to return or not in the turn of the months June and July. I trust this information and will wait for him to say what he intends to do next year. Anyone else could be right about it but only Kimi can say for sure what he wants to do. If there's a 50 % chance then anyone can get it right with a totally uneducated guess so what's the point in believing anyone else than the man in question.

Chances for a competitive ride for next season in F1 might seem low at the moment but in my opinion for total outsiders the only way to find out what will happen is to actually wait and see what will happen!

I interpret Red Bull signing Webber as pretty much certain indication Kimi is not interested in F1 anymore (i.e. will not be coming back). I figure if Kimi was interested in driving F1 again then Red Bull would be the best team to drive for since Ferrari has been going downhill since ~2005, McL has their British boys, MGB is slow and has their Germans, and the rest aren't nearly competitive enough to be interesting. Similarly, if Kimi was interested in driving F1, then Red Bull would want to hire him since he would certainly be the best driver available if not the best of all on grid.

To me their signing Webber, a guy who hadn't even won race until he was in easily best car on grid (at age where many drivers already retired), means they were not able to get Kimi. To me this means Kimi is not interested in driving F1. Of course, we basically already knew that anyway. It's what everyone's been saying for like the last 3 years even though I think much if it's been badly exaggerated. Nonetheless he obviously vastly prefers having a life and doing things like rally.

Raikkonen takes his first rally victory


Woo-hoo!

Can't wait to hear kismet's trademark down-to-earth transformation of that article, and how it illustrates the PR machine is the only thing keeping our Kimi in the WRC.

Well, the WRC (or North One Sport, to be more precise) is clearly doing PR with that headline. Good for them.

But, why on earth have they chosen a 2009 photo from Kimi using a Ferrari’s helmet??!!!

I’m sure Red Bull will not be too happy about that

I would love to see Mateschitz's face when he sees that article

Please... nice to see how they love having him in the rally bussiness

I sure Kimi would ... his pants in laughter, if he cared to read the article

I tell you what, as much as i like Kimi, and want him to stay in the WRC - that article is drivel!! Something NOS are masters at. It wasn't a Rally - it was basically a PR stunt, and against an Enduro star, on a bike. So he should win!!
Saying that, the Erzberg event is something I'd love to watch - a really great extreme event!!

Nothing surprising there..Horner's comments over the past few weeks made it clear there was no chance of kimi ending up there next year.

---or maybe RedBull didn't have so many alternatives left after their massive PR catastrophy in Turkey

How old was Webber when he won last year....*goes and checks wiki*...32. Drivers who "retire" at 32 for the most part haven't actually retired by choice

I think Kimi is a very talented driver and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours, but some of the 'sportsmanship' I see on this thread really doesn't reflect well on the man himself, who I admired for never trash talking his competitors, or his many fans who are likewise.

Anyway, I don't really think we'll see Raikkonen in F1 again and I never did since he left. He seems much happier in WRC and IMO can be pleased with what he achieved in F1 as well.

as one of his fans, I completely agree with you. I myself don't agree with many other fans, but hey...what can you do? Afterall everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.


P.S. Kimi also gets a lot of s*** in many threads, but I ignore and stay with the facts. You, as a Webber fan, could use this advice ;) When someone is in a top car this kind of "hate" happens a lot

And yet, tellingly and unsurprisingly, the current top rally story on NewsNow is... Ta-da! Yes, you guessed it. Those fluffy PR pieces are cringeworthy and I'm so embarrassed on the writers' behalf that I can barely (and rarely) even read them anymore but, sad as it may be, the PR machine really does seem to know what it's doing.

With all due respect, let's not pretend that that kind of 'sportsmanship' is only exercised by Kimi fans. I know, we should all just rise above it and not care about all the petty taunting, baiting and namecalling but that's quite a tall order sometimes. So, yes, some of us are bad losers, just like some of 'you' (general you, not anyone in particular) are not particularly gracious winners. You (general you again) win, congratulations! I imagine that must feel quite good so enjoy it!

Kismet, defending Kimi (or his fans), sure you're alright, no fever or other problems? I'm not sure I like this soft, uncarasteristic, side of you.

I present you with Exhibit A, my last post on this very topic ;) :


It seems to be a foregone conclusion by many that Vettel isn't going anywhere and that Webber's new contract is Red Bull's attempt to downplay their recent PR blunder by saying team unity is intact. But what if Webber's contract is instead an indication that Vettel is indeed expendable, at least for the right money and/or conditions, such as some spanking new Merc engines for Red Bull as part of a deal to send Seb over to be with his fellow countrymen?

OR..., as someone else mentioned, what if Vettel really isn't as good as has been assumed up until these past few races? If he's getting beaten by a journeyman who did almost nothing for nearly 8 years in F1, wrecked them both trying to pass him, and had a tantrum as a result, perhaps this is becoming evident. If that is the case, it would make sense to trade him away while his reputation and stock is still high, recoup some of the money they have invested in him over the years, and get in a proven winner who never has tantrums that divide the team to partner with Webber who may have a Mansellesque career emerging. Who could that be? Kimi?

All silly season speculation of course but it's all in good fun to fan the fires a bit.

Posts deleted. Please do not discuss each other.

1. I think Kimi is going nowhere because he’s enjoying rallying.

2. I think Vettel goes nowhere next season

3. Just for the fun of it, let’s play the silly season game, supposing Red Bull wants to sell Vettel:

• Vettel has hinted a few times already he wants to go sometime to Ferrari. Ferrari gets him.
• Massa goes to Renault with Robert Kubica.
• In McLaren, Hamilton and Button clash. Hamilton has winked Red Bull a few times already this season. Therefore, Hamilton goes to Red Bull.
• Kimi suddenly discovers that rallying is not for him and goes to McLaren.
• Schumi goes back home. Sutil to Mercedes.

He, it was fun. I’m sure that if some of the journos read this, they will get some ideas for this season’s silly season. They will need something to write about during the summer to justify their salaries.

And now, I should go and phone my phychologist.

Haha, well despite all the guessing games, I think most of us can at least agree that Raikkonen is now in a win-win situation. This is in marked contrast to when he first announced his sabbatical when many thought he was crazy. If he stays in rally, he's happy. If he goes back to F1, many of his fans and employees are happy and he gets to have another crack at becoming a multiple WDC. He's a smart guy who seems to live in the moment perhaps more than any driver so he doesn't obssess over the past or the future.

A few have said this before but it is worth repeating: he is still only 30 years old so his options are many. He's young enough to still have the balls to push any kind of car to his and its limits but old enough to have gained a lot of patience to "wait and see what happens" as he so often says.

Before the rally season started, I wrote that this move to rally may be a game changer for him. Not just because he gets to satisfy his urge to try a new, fun challenge, but because he can forge a legendary status for himself that few F1 drivers can lay claim to. He had the guts to walk away from F1 at his peak and he hasn't embarrassed himself in rally. He is not a celebrity tourist there, he is serious about learning the craft.

But there is plenty of time for that, up to a decade or more should he want to return after a few more years in F1. He has whetted his appetite for rally and by now has probably learned enough about his potential to determine whether he has a successful future in it. But F1 does not wait for anyone long, and so he has to decide soon or be gone forever. As Anssi said, it is still not too late.

There are few challenges left for him in F1, but a couple do remain. First, were it not for some bad luck he may have been a two or three time WDC by now. These days luck may be less of a factor. The cars are getting more reliable all the time, most of them are reportedly now more suited to his preferred oversteer driving style, and his consistent pace from lap to lap as noted by engineers (which is tire and fuel saving) and his ability to pull out fastest laps near the end of the race may be a real asset now that there is no refuelling. If KERS comes back he has experience with that which few others have.

Then there is the matter of his rude, very public ousting from Ferrari and the subsequent trash talking by the Scuderia and so many others following that. He was very polite and never complained publicly about it, but even the mellowest, Zen-like people can be embarrassed and may still have sufficient ego. Raikkonen may try to seek some redemption, regain some respect and perhaps reek some revenge on the rascals who wronged him. Rrrrr.

My sis just showed me the new Red Bull Raikkonen cap/hood/beanie collection they made for summer. Now that is pretty kickin. It figures RB would be the first to do the double - I might have to break down and buy one to add to my collection unless it is a zillion bucks. The LA Lakers one wiped me clean, so hopefully WRC is a little more considerate on the wallet. Great for collectors tho.

where can this collection be seen? I don't mind a bit of Red Bull gear.

another funny review of Kimi vs Taddy http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100607/FREE/100609902

A good one.

I have taken this quote from another thread, where they are discussing Webber’s new contract because in that link there’s something interesting for this thread.

At about 2:30, as Kimi is talking about his development as rally driver, the interpreter says:

„Nächtes Jahr, da bin ich mir sicher, werden wir schon stärker possitioniert sein als in diesem Jahr“

In English: next year, I’m sure we will be in a stronger position than this year.

I don’t know if that’s really what Kimi says, because I have problems to understand English if somebody is talking German at the same time, but if the interpreter got it right, then you guys have there the definitive answer to what he intends to do next season: rallying.

As a matter of fact, the whole interview (about half an hour) is very interesting. The moderator refers to Kimi as a rally driver and if they talk about the future is just to talk about rallying. Don’t forget Servus TV belongs to Mateschitz.

PS. In the 3rd part of the interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSQR5qbjFtY
the fire alarms begins to sound. Kimi didn’t even change his face expression.

Good post

I think that rallying is a good proposition and contracting for it would allow for current intent. The reason one can't ever say is because Raikkonen is qualified and gifted in F1. If a top team offers him a spot who is to say what he'd do? With injuries and fallouts or retirements possible, that remains fesible. How likely? Maybe not very...but it is true you can never say never