Author Archive

Raikkonen: “I Haven’t Spoken With Brawn/Mercedes”

Saturday, November 21st, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda

Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen has denied talking with Brawn/Mercedes GP, saying he believes the team’s new owners, Mercedes Benz, will be taking an all-German line-up.

Earlier this week, McLaren announced that they had signed Jenson Button as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate, leaving Raikkonen without a race-seat for next year’s Championship as the Finn had previously stated that he would only race for McLaren.

However, almost immediately reports emerged that he could head to the Championship-winning Brawn GP team after Mercedes purchased a 75.1 percent stake in the outfit.

His manager Steve Robertson added fuel to the fire, saying:

“This is Formula 1. If they can offer, or convince us, that they can provide Kimi an opportunity that Kimi is happy with, and that we are happy with, and he feels he can win races and the championship then never say never. There is always a possibility.”

But despite his manager’s claims, Raikkonen says there has been no contract with Brawn GP and nor does he expect there to be. Raikkonen told F1.com,

“No, I have not held talks with Brawn. I feel they will run two German drivers next year now that Mercedes are involved,”

The Finn also made it clear that a year out of Formula One was on the cards for next season as he won’t race for a team that cannot guarantee him a shot at the World title, in other words, McLaren.

“I could not agree terms with McLaren so I have decided to take a one-year sabbatical. I felt McLaren offered the best opportunity to win races and challenge for the Drivers’ Championship and if that would not work the one-year break is the result. And to be honest, I will only return in 2011 if a competitive drive is available.”

“I do not want to race just to make up the numbers. That does not interest me. But there’s a lot of time until then, so let’s wait and see what happens in the months ahead.”

The 2007 World Champion, however, hopes he won’t be away from motor sport entirely, targeting a possible drive in rallying.

“I do not know yet, I will look at competing in rallying. Again, naturally I want to drive a competitive car. If not I will spend more time with my family and friends.”

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Brawn GP, McLaren, Mercedes GP, News | No Comments »

Schumacher: Comeback Decision Emotional

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda

Michael Schumacher & Felipe Massa

Michael Schumacher admits his decision to agree to make a Formula One comeback earlier this year with Ferrari was based on emotion rather than rationale.

Seven-times World Champion Schumacher accepted a request from Ferrari to replace the injured Felipe Massa for the remainder of the 2009 season, but a neck injury forced him to call off his return.

“It wasn’t really a rational decision, it was an emotional decision, which, at the time, I thought ‘why not, it’s part-time, it could be funny,’” the German told reporters in Beijing.

“Having the meeting with him (Luca Di Montezemolo) I looked at all the points, in particular that it was Felipe, who is like a brother to me. Part of the reason I retired was to hand over the car to him because he deserved to stay in a team with a top car.

“So taking the fact that it was him, having the accident, having to suffer, it was very easy to convince myself, so I finally said ‘yes, I will try’.”

Tags: , ,
Posted in Ferrari, News | No Comments »

Whitmarsh: Losing British GP Damaging to F1

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda

Martin Whitmarsh

McLaren Mercedes team principal Martin Whitmarsh has said that the loss of the British Grand Prix from the Formula One calendar would be “massively damaging to the sport”.

With the future of the race – a staple of the calendar since the World Championship’s inception in 1950 – appearing in doubt following Donington Park’s failure to secure necessary funding, Whitmarsh said the Formula One Teams’ Association would do all it could to offer support.

“I don’t think it’s just McLaren, I think any team in Formula One knows the importance of the British Grand Prix,”

Whitmarsh said in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Phone-In.

“The World Championship is 18, 19 or potentially even 20 races. I guess you couldn’t say that any of them are absolutely vital but I think to lose the British Grand Prix would be massively damaging to the sport.”

As things stand, Donington, which had secured a 17-year contract to stage the race starting from next year, looks set to lose out after missing a number of deadlines to prove it could fund necessary upgrades costing an estimated £135million.

The man who presented the deadlines, the sport’s commercial rights controller Bernie Ecclestone, has also entered negotiations with Silverstone but the two sides remain deadlocked over the terms of a deal.

Whitmarsh said that the passion of British fans was more than enough justification for the grand prix to keep its place. He added:

“I think the quality of the fan base you experience… for any of us who go around the world attending grands prix, one of the remarkable feelings that you have is inevitably you have to walk through, round and past campsites and the fans in Silverstone and they are such fantastic fans – that real grass roots enthusiasm.

“So I’m sure McLaren, all the teams and FOTA will do everything it can to preserve the British Grand Prix in the calendar.”

In the meantime, if you are a Twitter user, please sign up to this Twitter Petition to save the British Grand Prix: http://twitition.com/zhga8

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in McLaren, News | 1 Comment »

Loeb : Formula One Has Passed Me By

Monday, October 26th, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda

Sebastien Loeb

World Rally Champ Sebastien Loeb believes his chances of ever competing in Formula One went away when the FIA refused him a superlicence.

The 35-year-old had hoped to race for the Toro Rosso outfit in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, however, the FIA refused him a superlicence as he did not meet the necessary requirements. Unfortunately for fans of the five-time World Rally Champ, Loeb reckons that has effectively put an end to any chance of him ever competing in F1.

“I told myself that I will probably only have one opportunity like this in my life,”

The Frenchman told his official website,

“That was why I accepted. There, it is gone. I did not get the superlicence this time, I do not see how I could get it without preparation and the necessary tests in F1. All the more since the two Championships would have been finished.

“Button won his World title last weekend, and the WRC title is at stake this weekend. So, my participation would not have got in the way of either Championship. Finding an opportunity like that again seems very unlikely.

All this put together, I do not think this opportunity will present itself again.”

He added:

“I take things as they come. Anyway, there are no regrets because there was no ambition. The only regret I have is that I’d have had fun doing it. It was a fun project. But hey, that’s how it is! At least now I know. There are no more questions.”

Tags: , ,
Posted in News, Toro Rosso | No Comments »

Kimi Too Expensive for Toyota

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda

Kimi Raikkonen

Toyota Team President John Howett admits that Kimi Raikkonen is unlikely to join the team because the driver is asking for too much money.

Having admitted to approaching the Finn with what they believed to be a “serious offer in the current market”, Howett seems resigned to missing out on the former World Champion’s services unless he drops his wage demands significantly. Speaking with Motorsport Aktuell Howett said,

“He gave us back a figure that is much too high. He says he has two options, so we are going to wait.”

It is believed that Raikkonen is also in talks with McLaren, the team he spent five years with before joining Ferrari, and that the 30-year-old is requesting 25 million Euros to secure his services.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in News, Toyota | No Comments »

Schumacher Refuses to Rule Out F1 Return

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher has refused to rule out the possibility of making a return to F1, revealing that his neck injury is on the mend. Earlier this season, Ferrari fans let out a cheer as the Scuderia announced that Schumacher would replace the injured Felipe Massa in the European GP.

However, that joy soon turned to disappointment when it was revealed that the neck injury he had sustained in a motorbike accident earlier in the year meant it was not possible for him to race.

But with that injury finally healing, Schumacher says he could yet make a brief comeback.

“From now to the end of the year, my neck injury will be healed to the point where I could drive again,”

“I have nothing to prove to anyone, not even myself. I still slightly regret having retired three years ago but there’s no reason whatsoever for me to definitively announce that I will not come back.

“The life I lead makes me happy but who knows that will happen a few months or a year down the line?”

Schumacher was speaking with Der Speigel magazine.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Ferrari, News | No Comments »

Toyota Continue Their Pursuit of Raikkonen

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda

Kimi Raikkonen

Toyota are continuing in their pursuit of Kimi Raikkonen with team president John Howett revealing that they have offered the Finn a contract for next season. Raikkonen is without a 2010 race-seat after agreeing to part ways with Ferrari a year earlier than expect, earning the 2007 World Champion a hefty pay-off.

Subsequent rumours have linked him to a possible move to McLaren while Toyota have also expressed an interest. In fact, Howett says they’ve even put an offer on the table. Howett told Reuters:

“We don’t play too many games. We put on the table what we can afford and what we think is a serious offer in the current market. I think genuinely we could work well with him, give him a car that’s quick. We have had very good relationships with Scandinavian drivers in the rallying times that enjoy life and it works very well, so we could cope with it as a team.”

As for existing drivers, Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, neither driver is assured of a deal for next season. Howett did, however, admit that the team has made Trulli an offer, although they not sure if he will accept.

“With both drivers we are still maintaining a degree of discussion. We have put an offer on the table with Jarno, I think that he himself is not dissatisfied with the financial offer, the bottom line to some extent is certain issues on the contract and I don’t think they are negotiable from our side.”

“He may well be in the car next year but it’s not at all clear.”

Another option available to the team is Kamui Kobayashi, who made his debut in Brazil, replacing the injured Glock.

“I thought he defended well, he retook Jenson. He’s fearless and did a good job to get past Fisichella.”

“He was a bit off the pace overall but it was very impressive. You have to say we have to give him serious consideration but still pace-wise he was a bit slow so we have to see.”

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in News, Toyota | No Comments »

Kimi: “I Was Engulfed in Flames and Blinded”

Monday, October 19th, 2009 - Posted by Randhy Fazralimanda
Kimi Raikkonen has shed some light on his fiery trip to the pits at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver damaged his front wing during a first-lap collision and was forced to pit. The real drama, though, was yet to unfold.
Just as he started to exit the pit lane, Heikki Kovalainen moved in front of him with his fuel hose still attached to his car. Fuel sprayed out and the droplets caught fire right in front of the Finn.
Raikkonen revealed after the race that some drops of petrol ended up in his eye.
“What happened on the first lap ruined my race. First I was hit at the first corner, then when trying to pass Webber, I was hit and lost the front wing,”
He said.
“At the pit stop, I ended up with some drops of petrol in my eye, from the fuel line stuck on Kovalainen’s car and then I was engulfed in flames and blinded.
“I was going to stop, but luckily the flames soon went out. Even now, my eyes are still burning, but I’m alright.”

Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen has shed some light on his fiery trip to the pits at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver damaged his front wing during a first-lap collision and was forced to pit. The real drama, though, was yet to unfold. Just as he started to exit the pit lane, Heikki Kovalainen moved in front of him with his fuel hose still attached to his car. Fuel sprayed out and the droplets caught fire right in front of the Finn.

Raikkonen revealed after the race that some drops of petrol ended up in his eye.

“What happened on the first lap ruined my race. First I was hit at the first corner, then when trying to pass Webber, I was hit and lost the front wing,”

He said,

“At the pit stop, I ended up with some drops of petrol in my eye, from the fuel line stuck on Kovalainen’s car and then I was engulfed in flames and blinded.

“I was going to stop, but luckily the flames soon went out. Even now, my eyes are still burning, but I’m alright.”

Tags: , ,
Posted in Ferrari, News | No Comments »