The Return Of Kimi Räikkönen...

JeremySmith · 23 Sep 2011, 23:57 (Ref:2960228)

It does appear that this is going to happen..

If so, we will have 6, yes that is 6 WDC competing all at the same time, this has never happened before in the history of F1...

I am very excited at the prospect, because whatever you think of the Kimster in his own way he is very charismatic, and one hell of a pilot..

**Bononi** · 24 Sep 2011, 00:12 (Ref:2960232)

I like him a lot, but can it happen in a competitive way or are we going to have him just like TGF ? There are no good cars out there for him.

JeremySmith · 24 Sep 2011, 00:21 (Ref:2960235)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bononi

I like him a lot, but can it happen in a competitive way or are we going to have him just like TGF ? There are no good cars out there for him.

This is the is the $64 Million question...

Can William's Renault give him a car...

Fantastic stuff, we should should just roll the camera...

gttouring · 24 Sep 2011, 00:27 (Ref:2960236)

Wow where is the report to this.. what a line up for aseason is it for 2012?

gregtummer · 24 Sep 2011, 00:34 (Ref:2960238)

Anyone think he might end up back at Ferrari after Massa's contract expires after 2012?

It would be interesting to see him vs. Alonso.

Or did he burn too many bridges with Ferrari by leaving a year early?

herowassenna · 24 Sep 2011, 20:35 (Ref:2960485)

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregtummer

Anyone think he might end up back at Ferrari after Massa's contract expires after 2012?

It would be interesting to see him vs. Alonso.

Or did he burn too many bridges with Ferrari by leaving a year early?

He didn't leave a year early. Ferrari paid him his 2010 wages to get rid of him and replace him with Alonso.
Raikkonen and Massa were both at Ferrari because of the Todt influence, Jean and Nicolas.
Todt was dismissed and they got rid of Kimi also.

Personally, I've never liked him, but I'd be fascinated to see which Kimi turns up if Williams remain a mid-field team...

Armco Bender · 24 Sep 2011, 21:21 (Ref:2960501)

Kimi come back sightings are starting to out number JV comebacks...

I think he's well past his sell by date.

JeremySmith · 24 Sep 2011, 00:39 (Ref:2960239)

He will go to William's Renault as part of their campaign to return to the sharp end..

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/0...with-williams/

Would I lie to you...

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/...d-williams-f1/

**Born Racer** · 24 Sep 2011, 00:58 (Ref:2960242)

Surprising it's with Williams.

Good news anyway. He is a world champion after all, and I've always liked him as a person, the way he's come across. I hope it's more successful than Schumacher's comeback's been so far though; one good race in Monza and retirement for Rosberg and people are lauding him like the Schumy of old is back.

Spritle · 24 Sep 2011, 01:20 (Ref:2960244)

I like Kimi a lot but he's crazy to come back at all, especially with Williams and if he does return with Williams it will be an abysmal failure like Schumi's.

Barring a miracle next year's WDC will be driving a Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren.

JeremySmith · 24 Sep 2011, 01:29 (Ref:2960247)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spritle

I like Kimi a lot but he's crazy to come back at all, especially with Williams and if he does return with Williams it will be an abysmal failure like Schumi's.

Barring a miracle next year's WDC will be driving a Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren.

I have to disagree with you here, none of these people are stupid or beginners, they would not be in this game if they were..

If they can give him a decent car, he will spank the daylights out of it..

Remember WRC is the hardest car to drive...

wnut · 24 Sep 2011, 01:43 (Ref:2960252)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I have to disagree with you here, none of these people are stupid or beginners, they would not be in this game if they were..

If they can give him a decent car, he will spank the daylights out of it..

Remember WRC is the hardest car to drive...

Maybe the WRC championship should be the WDC one then?!

Spritle · 24 Sep 2011, 01:45 (Ref:2960253)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I have to disagree with you here, none of these people are stupid or beginners, they would not be in this game if they were..

If they can give him a decent car, he will spank the daylights out of it..

Remember WRC is the hardest car to drive...

Lewis Hamilton can spank the daylights out of a decent car too but even he can't work miracles with inferior equipment. Kimi, even with his WRC experience will be driving a Williams. It will take a spanking, or more likely a savage beating to extract anything more than a midfield result from that car.

I personally think he deserves better.

wnut · 24 Sep 2011, 01:41 (Ref:2960251)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spritle

I like Kimi a lot but he's crazy to come back at all, especially with Williams and if he does return with Williams it will be an abysmal failure like Schumi's.

Barring a miracle next year's WDC will be driving a Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren.

I can remember David Couldthard describing Kimi as:

"The laziest driver I ever met, but one of the most gifted."

Don't expect too much of the Schumacher work ethic!

He would appear to fit perfectly with the Williams' team philosophy that the driver is just a component that you put behind the wheel.

I can only see this ending one way, but good luck to both parties.

Guaranteed he will be faster than either of their current drivers though!

**Bononi** · 24 Sep 2011, 01:39 (Ref:2960250)

So, is it confirmed or one more of those "you heard here first" kind of news ?

JeremySmith · 24 Sep 2011, 01:47 (Ref:2960254)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bononi

So, is it confirmed or one more of those "you heard here first" kind of news ?

Not confirmed Bon, yet mate...

chillibowl · 24 Sep 2011, 14:24 (Ref:2960376)

from Williams point of view this is huge. considering their current place in the pecking order for them to secure the services of a former WDC is epic and quite frankly gives them credibility.

and as Joe said, Kimi has nothing to lose...personally i feel that a more mature KR who wants back into F1 will be a different animal than we have seen before.

hope its works out as i see it as a good fit...two parties both who used to be great and now both in desperate need to get that greatness back.

Peat · 24 Sep 2011, 15:39 (Ref:2960398)

Another Kimi thread? Wonderful.

**chunterer** · 24 Sep 2011, 16:16 (Ref:2960410)

If it does happen it will be potentially brilliant for Williams PR and marketing value but in terms of on track value, no more effective than Eddie Irvine's well paid but lackustre stint with Jaguar. Now all we need is STR or Genii to make Montoya a silly offer to come back!!

Raikkonen was mega up to about 2005 and then he seemed to get bogged down with the matching ones performance to how the car goes sort of situation.

Agreed that having 6 WDC's on the grid would be big news though!

Mr V · 25 Sep 2011, 00:13 (Ref:2960535)

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunterer

but in terms of on track value, no more effective than Eddie Irvine's well paid but lackustre stint with Jaguar.

Eddie and Jaguar did manage a podium, i honestly can't see a Williams car, with, or without Kimi in it doing that!

**Aysedasi** · 27 Sep 2011, 19:16 (Ref:2961794)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peat

Another Kimi thread? Wonderful.

I can sense your unbridled enthusiasm oozing from the internet..... Sounds like your just about as enthused as I am......

Steve Fox · 25 Sep 2011, 00:31 (Ref:2960539)

I was under the impression that Williams were on the look out for a pay drive, either Kimi is putting up some dosh (unlikely), the other sponsors will need to reach further into their wallets because of the "big name" driver or Williams will be short on cash (which would mean a cut somewhere, most likely R&d) I can see it all ending in tears.......

johntt · 25 Sep 2011, 08:45 (Ref:2960580)

If Williams are able to account for his sheer laziness off track to allow him to maximise his incredibile talent on track then I can see it working.

herowassenna · 25 Sep 2011, 10:02 (Ref:2960595)

Quote:

Originally Posted by johntt

If Williams are able to account for his sheer laziness off track to allow him to maximise his incredibile talent on track then I can see it working.

The frustrating thing about Kimi was that, that laziness also appeared on track on occasion.
It was obvious before he signed for Ferrari that he was that kind of driver, Ferrari have always needed a strong leader at the team simply because of the pressure of being part of Ferrari, hence why Alonso was a necessity.

Hakkinen was very similar in his approach, if everything was going right, he was unbeatable, but otherwise he'd lose interest very quickly.
I always remember an interview with Ron Dennis at the end of 2006 where he was "happy" for Ferrari and Kimi. There seemed to be an understandng of what kind of driver Kimi was, and that it wouldn't work out at Ferrari.
Personally I think Kimi would have been happiest at Williams during the Newey era, where the team didn't support the driver and just gave him the car to get on with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flat Out Farr

Webber springs to mind, but who, sensibly, would leap from Red Bull to Williams??

But he was there before and made no difference... In fact it was one of the things that frustrated him. I have a soft spot for Williams, 2nd only to Ferrari because Frank and Patrick's direction was similar to Enzo's. Only the racing team mattered. In case anyone doesn't realise, Enzo only built road cars to fund the racing, it was never about ego as per Ron Dennis with the Mclaren road cars.
When they sold the private jet to fund the race team, it highlighted 2 things. 1) their focus being the race team, but sadly 2) they didn't have the funds to race at the top level.
They were right not to part sell out to BMW, look at Sauber, but they have been on the downhill slope ever since. In many ways there are similarities to Tyrrell and also Lotus. A sad end to one of the great names. I pray I'm wrong, every year I study their design and watch it in pre-season hoping they have un-locked speed but so far nothing

Flat Out Farr · 25 Sep 2011, 09:57 (Ref:2960594)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Fox

I was under the impression that Williams were on the look out for a pay drive, either Kimi is putting up some dosh (unlikely), the other sponsors will need to reach further into their wallets because of the "big name" driver or Williams will be short on cash (which would mean a cut somewhere, most likely R&d) I can see it all ending in tears.......

I have been an ardent Williams fan for years, having followed the team from their inception to their greater years, however, Frank's attitude to drivers is a worry. The list of good drivers who have got their P45's after a great season is known.
Signing Rubens was a good move, as I am sure he has been able to educate Maldonado in many areas of F1 and get him up to speed quickly. A more non-political person in F1, you could never find.

Signing Kimi will be, sadly, IMHO, a disaster because of what others have already highlighted. If I remember correctly, he was no Jenson, when it came to doing PR stuff, and seemed to have a Mr Sulky reputation.

The Williams problem appears to revolve around the last 2 years cars not being quite there. Rubens has proved, in previous teams, that he can hustle a decent car into a good finish position. I would suggest he is another Mark Webber. Williams need an experienced driver who can develop a car as well as nurse one to a point finish. Ruben's frustrations are apparent, and who can blame him?

Kimi is not that person; yes, he can be very fast, but....
I agree with others that ths is a cynical move and he is going to use Williams as a stepping stone to a good team in 2012. Ferrari are more likely to install one of their up-and-coming youngsters in the second seat. Look at the recent testing times recorded by one of the junior drivers !

Williams seems to have hit a glass ceiling, technically, where the final critical ideas cannot be accessed, for whatever reason. I suspect Sam Michael realised this and did what many of our current politicans should have done, and fell on his sword !

Would I be correct in guessing Patrick has had enough? Only he can answer that question.

Williams need to do something drastic and it appears, to be fair to them, that they are shuffling up the design team, however, it takes time for new people to gel and get results. [ we all thought Brawn and Schumacher would be an instant success again, but....]

They need someone like Kubica who will push the engineers and can motivate the team. They need an out-spoken driver who can ask the technical director "what the **** is going on?" when things are not going right.
Webber springs to mind, but who, sensibly, would leap from Red Bull to Williams??

I hope, for their sakes, that they do not go the way of Tyrell.

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