Why I oppose a Kimi Raikkonen comeback
Why I oppose a Kimi Raikkonen comeback
by Gerard Hetman
As the 2010 F1 season enters it’s final stages, chatter about the driver market for 2011 has inevitably started to heat up.
A look at the top three teams in this season’s championship (McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari) reveals that all six of their current drivers are under contract for next season, so few of the top seats are available. While much speculation has surrounded Michael Schumacher and the possibility of him cutting his comeback short with Mercedes GP, another name has caused far more speculation and intrigue as of late.
Kimi Raikkonen.
In case you’ve missed it, the 2007 World Champion has been occupying his time by competing in the World Rally Championship, driving for the junior team of French marquis Citroen. While he has not recorded any top finishes to date, he has turned in respectable results for a rookie in the series, according to the rallying sources I have read.
But the real question is what Kimi will be up to next year, as he has been strongly rumored to be in talks with Renault bosses about a comeback for the 2011 season as teammate to Robert Kubica.
Why?
Why, after Kimi clearly had suffered a major slump in form after his championship campaign, would a team on the rise want to bring in a guy who showed so little over the last two years? Okay, he won at Spa last year, and collected some podiums, but he was clearly not the same Kimi that won the title in 2007, and certainly not the same dude who pulled off so many memorable performances in the first half of the 2000s that my friends keep telling me about.
From everything I have learned about F1, I believe the most coveted seats in the sport are the two red Ferraris. If Kimi had one of those seats and let it slip out of his grasp, why do people think that he’ll magically find the “on” switch if he gets back into the sport after a year away? When I first started following F1, it appeared to me that Schumacher had been forced out of Ferrari in order to get Raikkonen into the car for 2007. Fine, but the same thing seemed to be happen when Alonso joined Ferrari for 2010. This time, it was Raikkonen getting the boot from Ferrari.
Forgive me for making assumptions, but don’t you think that if Kimi had any motivation, Ferrari would have kept him onboard? Sure, many pundits rate Alonso as the best driver in the sport, and perhaps Ferrari did not want to have two guys they view as top drivers (sadly, they don’t think Felipe Massa has this status) in the same team. But if Kimi was still motivated, hungry, and producing the results he is/was capable of, he would still be a Ferrari driver now, and it would be Massa who packed his bags, even after his accident and subsequent comeback.
Kimi was known to be drawing an eight-figure salary from Ferrari, and it’s no secret that Renault won’t be offering him anything close to that level of pay for his services. With a championship to his name, as well as a slew of race wins, poles, and fast laps to his name, what exactly would he be seeking in a return? Fame? Popularity? A legion of adoring fans? Dosen’t he have all of those things?
At least with the case of Michael Schumacher, we knew that a legendary work ethic would see that he wasn’t wasting time in the car. Can you honestly say that with Kimi?
Didn’t think so.
But if you try telling that to his legion of fans, you’ll get bombarded with nasty comments faster than you can read. I have followed several pro sports teams and leagues for much of my life, and have seen some crazy fans for many teams, but nothing comes close to Kimi’s legions. Apparently, they haven’t been watching his most recent results in Formula 1….
Go ahead and make fun of me, but I would rather see a young, hungry driver occupying the second Renault than Raikkonen at this state in his career. I think Vitaly Petrov has turned in respectable results in the series in his debut series, and Renault wouldn’t be losing anything by keeping him. Sure it would be one less World Champion on the grid( some fans and writers seem to be obsessed with this statistic and want Kimi back to see the number boosted) but at least we wouldn’t be seeing a once-proud driver dragging it around on the track.
For me, a Kimi comeback would bring little to nothing of value to the sport. If he has any sense, he’ll stay in the World Rally Championship and continue to enjoy the much-relaxed life that the series brings. And who says that Petrov isn't the next star of the future, who will start pushing Kubica for real next year?
Stay in rallying Kimi. You'll have more fun, and both sports will be better off for it.
by Gerard Hetman
As the 2010 F1 season enters it’s final stages, chatter about the driver market for 2011 has inevitably started to heat up.
A look at the top three teams in this season’s championship (McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari) reveals that all six of their current drivers are under contract for next season, so few of the top seats are available. While much speculation has surrounded Michael Schumacher and the possibility of him cutting his comeback short with Mercedes GP, another name has caused far more speculation and intrigue as of late.
Kimi Raikkonen.
In case you’ve missed it, the 2007 World Champion has been occupying his time by competing in the World Rally Championship, driving for the junior team of French marquis Citroen. While he has not recorded any top finishes to date, he has turned in respectable results for a rookie in the series, according to the rallying sources I have read.
But the real question is what Kimi will be up to next year, as he has been strongly rumored to be in talks with Renault bosses about a comeback for the 2011 season as teammate to Robert Kubica.
Why?
Why, after Kimi clearly had suffered a major slump in form after his championship campaign, would a team on the rise want to bring in a guy who showed so little over the last two years? Okay, he won at Spa last year, and collected some podiums, but he was clearly not the same Kimi that won the title in 2007, and certainly not the same dude who pulled off so many memorable performances in the first half of the 2000s that my friends keep telling me about.
From everything I have learned about F1, I believe the most coveted seats in the sport are the two red Ferraris. If Kimi had one of those seats and let it slip out of his grasp, why do people think that he’ll magically find the “on” switch if he gets back into the sport after a year away? When I first started following F1, it appeared to me that Schumacher had been forced out of Ferrari in order to get Raikkonen into the car for 2007. Fine, but the same thing seemed to be happen when Alonso joined Ferrari for 2010. This time, it was Raikkonen getting the boot from Ferrari.
Forgive me for making assumptions, but don’t you think that if Kimi had any motivation, Ferrari would have kept him onboard? Sure, many pundits rate Alonso as the best driver in the sport, and perhaps Ferrari did not want to have two guys they view as top drivers (sadly, they don’t think Felipe Massa has this status) in the same team. But if Kimi was still motivated, hungry, and producing the results he is/was capable of, he would still be a Ferrari driver now, and it would be Massa who packed his bags, even after his accident and subsequent comeback.
Kimi was known to be drawing an eight-figure salary from Ferrari, and it’s no secret that Renault won’t be offering him anything close to that level of pay for his services. With a championship to his name, as well as a slew of race wins, poles, and fast laps to his name, what exactly would he be seeking in a return? Fame? Popularity? A legion of adoring fans? Dosen’t he have all of those things?
At least with the case of Michael Schumacher, we knew that a legendary work ethic would see that he wasn’t wasting time in the car. Can you honestly say that with Kimi?
Didn’t think so.
But if you try telling that to his legion of fans, you’ll get bombarded with nasty comments faster than you can read. I have followed several pro sports teams and leagues for much of my life, and have seen some crazy fans for many teams, but nothing comes close to Kimi’s legions. Apparently, they haven’t been watching his most recent results in Formula 1….
Go ahead and make fun of me, but I would rather see a young, hungry driver occupying the second Renault than Raikkonen at this state in his career. I think Vitaly Petrov has turned in respectable results in the series in his debut series, and Renault wouldn’t be losing anything by keeping him. Sure it would be one less World Champion on the grid( some fans and writers seem to be obsessed with this statistic and want Kimi back to see the number boosted) but at least we wouldn’t be seeing a once-proud driver dragging it around on the track.
For me, a Kimi comeback would bring little to nothing of value to the sport. If he has any sense, he’ll stay in the World Rally Championship and continue to enjoy the much-relaxed life that the series brings. And who says that Petrov isn't the next star of the future, who will start pushing Kubica for real next year?
Stay in rallying Kimi. You'll have more fun, and both sports will be better off for it.
Fonte: The Times Leader/Agradecimento: Fanny
Mais um "entendido" de Kimi Räikkönen para dizer o que ele deve ou não deve fazer apareceu. Posso ser ignorante, mas nunca tinha ouvido falar neste tal de Gerard Hetman.
Aos fãs de Kimi que leram este "texto" tão elucidativo sobre o Iceman, vocês viram? Nós somos fanáticos e mal-educados. Ah, e somos cegos também... Já que segundo o senhor Hetman, Kimi não fez nada na F1 em 2008 e 2009.
Sim, o autor do texto tem todo o direito de achar que Kimi não merece voltar para a F1, que o finlandês não fez nada em seus últimos anos da categoria, que ele não trará nada de muito importante e que Vitaly Petrov pode ser o grande nome do futuro da F1...quem sou eu para dizer que ele não pode?
Uau...eu sou uma fã fanática, mal-educada e cega! Sim! É verdade! Tinha me esquecido destas qualidades que tenho! Bom, só estou postando este "texto" aqui porque queria dizer uma coisa... Está claro porque eu não quero ver Kimi nunca mais vestindo um macacão de uma equipe de F1?
E tenho certeza que se ele não voltar, a F1 ficará livre da gente, os fãs irritantes de Kimi Räikkönen, que anos após anos têm sido bombardeados com críticas duras, maldades, e que viram o piloto para o qual torcem, sair da F1 pela porta dos fundos.
Mas é claro que vão dizer...ele está rico, cheio de dinheiro. Quer mais o quê?! Eu sei o que ele gostaria, respeito, assim como eu gostaria de ser respeitada no meu direito de torcer para quem eu bem entender sem ser grosseiramente qualificada como este senhor Gerard Hetman fez com os fãs de Kimi Räikkönen e o próprio piloto. Realmente, Kimi não tem nada para trazer de valioso para a F1. O que ele teria, a F1 já não exige mais... talento! Ali, raros são os pilotos que ainda apresentam esta qualidade! Mas olha, não me levem à sério, eu sou uma fã mal-educada e fanática...e principalmente cega...
Desculpem, já falei demais! Fanny, obrigada pela dica de leitura, foi bom para me lembrar que tipo de especialista sobre F1 eu não devo ler!
Beijinhos, Ice-Ludy
Aos fãs de Kimi que leram este "texto" tão elucidativo sobre o Iceman, vocês viram? Nós somos fanáticos e mal-educados. Ah, e somos cegos também... Já que segundo o senhor Hetman, Kimi não fez nada na F1 em 2008 e 2009.
Sim, o autor do texto tem todo o direito de achar que Kimi não merece voltar para a F1, que o finlandês não fez nada em seus últimos anos da categoria, que ele não trará nada de muito importante e que Vitaly Petrov pode ser o grande nome do futuro da F1...quem sou eu para dizer que ele não pode?
Uau...eu sou uma fã fanática, mal-educada e cega! Sim! É verdade! Tinha me esquecido destas qualidades que tenho! Bom, só estou postando este "texto" aqui porque queria dizer uma coisa... Está claro porque eu não quero ver Kimi nunca mais vestindo um macacão de uma equipe de F1?
E tenho certeza que se ele não voltar, a F1 ficará livre da gente, os fãs irritantes de Kimi Räikkönen, que anos após anos têm sido bombardeados com críticas duras, maldades, e que viram o piloto para o qual torcem, sair da F1 pela porta dos fundos.
Mas é claro que vão dizer...ele está rico, cheio de dinheiro. Quer mais o quê?! Eu sei o que ele gostaria, respeito, assim como eu gostaria de ser respeitada no meu direito de torcer para quem eu bem entender sem ser grosseiramente qualificada como este senhor Gerard Hetman fez com os fãs de Kimi Räikkönen e o próprio piloto. Realmente, Kimi não tem nada para trazer de valioso para a F1. O que ele teria, a F1 já não exige mais... talento! Ali, raros são os pilotos que ainda apresentam esta qualidade! Mas olha, não me levem à sério, eu sou uma fã mal-educada e fanática...e principalmente cega...
Desculpem, já falei demais! Fanny, obrigada pela dica de leitura, foi bom para me lembrar que tipo de especialista sobre F1 eu não devo ler!
Beijinhos, Ice-Ludy
Comentários
". então o cara tá julgando alguem sobre os que os amigos deles falaram ! interessante e muito profissional né !
Um beijo Ludy !
Fanny
São características nossa. Com orgulho eu diria. E de qq forma, o povo fala, o povo gosta de falar. Mas poucos são e serão coesos quanto a esse assunto.
Tenho a leve e boa sensação que não há necessidade de esquentar com essas borboletas que vão começar a escrever seus pomposos textos sobre a volta de Kimi. Ele fará a melhor escolha, que é a sua e a minha. Tenho fé. ^^
=*