[Driver] Angry Raikkonen talks about his F1 return with Renault F1

[MarcosAmbroseFan]

http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=390017&FS=F1

Kimi Raikkonen has broken his silence to scold Renault and reveal he will not be joining the Enstone based Formula One team in 2011.
Team chiefs Gerard Lopez and Eric Boullier have said numerous times in recent days that the 2007 world champion, who switched to world rallying at the end of last year, is a candidate to race alongside Robert Kubica next season.
Boullier told F1's official website this week that despite being unsure if the Finn is sufficiently motivated to return to the sport, his interest is flattering.
"Yes it is because it shows that the work we've done this season is noticed and that we are considered a challenger for the championship in the future," said the Frenchman.
But Raikkonen, 30, has angrily revealed he will not be driving for Renault in 2011.
"I am very disappointed with the way they have used my name for their marketing," the former McLaren and Ferrari driver is quoted in Finnish by Turun Sanomat newspaper.
"I have never seriously considered driving for Renault, and I can assure you 100 per cent that I will not be driving for them next year," Raikkonen added bluntly.
He said his management contacted Renault once "weeks ago and that is all".

[Chappelli]

But they still contacted Renault didn't they....

[Jamesy-18]

Oh well. Life goes on.

[E.B]

Exactly.... and lets not be thinking the story / rumour had (m)any of the F1 paddock (or F1 fans) mumbling about a serious prospect of Kimi returning to F1 in 2011..... certainly not driving for Renault alongside Kubica in a team in which Renault have indicated Kubica is the #1 focus for the next couple of years, a period for which he has just signed and confirmed.

[Born Racer]

As much as I like Kimi, I'm not sure the F1 world is as bothered about his return as he would like them to be, i.e. they won't pay his astronomic salary demands. I have no idea what he was expecting from Renault, but if one of the reasons he didn't go to McLaren in 2010 was because of salary demands, then just where are his priorities?

He would have had a title-contending car but he chose not to go that route and went into rallying (where he is paid a lot less). This suggests rallying is more of an interest now and he would only do F1 if he got a big wage.

[Spritle]

Who is angry?

[E.B]

It seems that many people stll misunderstand the situation with Kimi and his payout..... many commented on his perceived greed and his apparently above market rate reward demands he was looking for.

Simply put, Raikkonen as we know received a large chunk of his contracted wage even though he did not drive. So he should have.... after all Ferrari had not long prior given Kimi a 2 year extention on his original contract.

Although he received a very healthy payount of somewhere close to 20 million euros, that was still dont forget, a huge reduction on the 34 million euro figure that Ferrari would have paid him as a driver. However, it was not Kimis wish to break his contract with Ferrari, (and indeed he did not)..... Ferrari just broke their 34 million Euros per year contract with Raikkonen, a situation that should have rightfully cost them the full 34 mill they signed up for.

The crunch was that if Raikkonen was to take up employment with any other F1 team during 2010 then his compensation from Ferrari would become much less than the lets call it 20 million his 'severance' payout was. If he drove for another F1 team he would only receive 'only' 10 million (plus the wage from the new team he joined.) McLaren offered him c6 million euros p.a. (the amount that Button finally got). So lets call it an all inclusive 16 million euros with his severance and McLaren wage.

In other words to sit on the sofa at home or go rallying, he would receive the full severance of nearly 20 million euros from Ferrari..... plus whatever wage he received from Red Bull for his WRC drive. (His WRC contract was with Red Bull, as opposed to Citroen.)

So Kimi this year received his Ferrari full severance plus his alleged 2-3 million for the WRC drive.... well over 20 million euros all up.

However had he joined McLaren at a 6 million wage and by driving for another F1 team, his Ferrari severance would be reduced to 10 million, a total of some 16 million. Nice money still, but to drive in F1 for McLaren, with all the F1 aspects and politics and PC correctness he dislikes would have left him probably doing twice the work (the WRC calendar, at 13 events is much shorter than the F1 calendar) yet receiving all up less than if he just chose to do nothing at all.

In effect to stay in F1 and put up with the demands F1 imposes he would be earning less money than to take a year off to sit at home watching TV and going fishing.

All Raikkonen was after from my understanding was for McLaren to match what he would receive all up with the reduced severance pay to what he would earn doing nothing. Basically he did not want to lose half of his Ferrari severance pay, and even with the McLaren income of 6m be in nett terms earning less to drive in F1 than to sit at home. He did not want to become in effect a pay driver.

The fact was that with the WRC deal he came out with his full severance from Ferrari, a fairly lucrative WRC RB contract..... and of course a major factor, get to drive in WRC as part of the Citroen Championship winning team. And he got to try WRC, a long standing dream of his, something that driving for McLaren in F1 was totally forbidden. They would not allow Kimi to do a few rallies on some non F1 weekends. A big negative to Kimi.

Of course I daresay he would have liked to have stayed in F1 for Ferrari and been paid the full 34 million euros of his Ferrari contract, and be allowed to do a couple of rallies as in 2009

In reality his demands on McLaren were not astronomic and certainly nothing like he was earning at Ferrari, and indeed substantially less than other World Champions (ie Lewis and Alonso were getting. He just wanted to not have to earn less to drive in F1 than he would make at home, and a lot less than he would earn all up in WRC with his full severance from Ferrari. And to take part in a couple of non clashing rallies.

Would you go out and take on a hugely time consuming job with all the sponsor committments and days travelling if it meant you would earn less money than if you stayed at home not working at all, and passed your hours at the Golf Course?

[/rant]

[Born Racer]

Thanks for the information, E.B. That's very informative

However,

However had he joined McLaren at a 6 million wage and by driving for another F1 team, his Ferrari severance would be reduced to 10 million, a total of some 16 million. Nice money still, but to drive in F1 for McLaren, with all the F1 aspects and politics and PC correctness he dislikes would have left him probably doing twice the work (the WRC calendar, at 13 events is much shorter than the F1 calendar) yet receiving all up less than if he just chose to do nothing at all.

In effect to stay in F1 and put up with the demands F1 imposes he would be earning less money than to take a year off to sit at home watching TV and going fishing.

All Raikkonen was after from my understanding was for McLaren to match what he would receive all up with the reduced severance pay to what he would earn doing nothing. Basically he did not want to lose half of his Ferrari severance pay, and even with the McLaren income of 6m be in nett terms earning less to drive in F1 than to sit at home. He did not want to become in effect a pay driver.

Raikkonen therefore did not value a competitive F1 seat as much as money. That's fine (I suppose). I'm not slating him here, but he's got his priorities wrong if he's interested in F1. Dress it up how you like, but many would love to do all that McLaren work and get that seat. Kimi didn't.

Would you go out and take on a hugely time consuming job with all the sponsor committments and days travelling if it meant you would earn less money than if you stayed at home not working at all, and passed your hours at the Golf Course?

If it meant I got a Formula 1 drive in a competitive team, HELL YEAH!

[chillibowl]

this is a game managers play all the time...get your clients name in the paper and their value goes up. Renult did a good job taking advantage of that type of vanity and I get the sense that Boullier has a great future ahead of him as he really knows how to play this game

[Matador]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Thanks for the information, E.B. That's very informative

However, Raikkonen therefore did not value a competitive F1 seat as much as money. That's fine (I suppose). I'm not slating him here, but he's got his priorities wrong if he's interested in F1. Dress it up how you like, but many would love to do all that McLaren work and get that seat. Kimi didn't.

If it meant I got a Formula 1 drive in a competitive team, HELL YEAH!

No guarantee they they would have produced a fast car this year.

[strider]

Originally Posted by Spritle

Who is angry?

Good question. Read this for a more objective report.

Boullier and Kimi had different agendas, that's all.

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

No guarantee they they would have produced a fast car this year.

No, but there's no guarantee anyone will, and if you can count on anyone having a good chance of doing so, it's the likes of McLaren.

If he actually was annoyed about Renault mentioning this for their own publicity, would he and his management be surprised? If they just contacted Renault for their own reasons everything to do with Raikkonen's 'market value' and little to do with getting him a drive there, they shouldn't be surprised when the other party decides to get something out of this.

[stripedcat]

Oh well - Kimi can carry on with his rallying career. I think it however is a bit of a loss to F1 - as Kimi was a great F1 driver.

I agree that mangers always try and big up their drivers. Kimi has won one championship already, so he sort of expects big money nowadays. You can't blame him for that. I also expect he wouldn't settle for anything less than a championship contending car nowadays as well.

[ralf fan]

Webber to Renault. Its on!

[Purist]

I think you guys are missing some of the biggest issues here, by a LONG shot.

Ferrari WANTED Alonso, and I don't think that team environment was as friendly anymore to those not in that favored position, as we've now seen with Massa. It's fairly apparent that McLaren WANTED British drivers in BOTH their seats. Mercedes has intentionally gone with German drivers in BOTH of its seats. And the drivers at Red Bull have been pretty well set for some time now. That pretty well takes care of ALL the cars you could have reasonably expected to be truly competitive going in to this year.

Sauber and Williams still have a lot of work to do to be really up at the sharp end in points. And because of financial reasons, and Bernie's desire for a race in Russia, I can see Petrov sticking around at Renault for a bit longer at least. And actually, the Russian at Renault does have some talent to go along with the (suspected) cash.

So, if you're NOT of a nationality that's "in demand", and/or if you're not carrying a suitcase full of cash, you're options become rather limited rather quickly.

I guess we need a new Finnish team to come in and take that, theoretical, 13th slot to give Kimi and Heikki rides.

[rich07]

Originally Posted by ralf fan

Webber to Renault. Its on!

haha I was waiting for someone to post that

[Splatz the Cow]

A Finnish team? Nokia could sponsor it, and Keke could run it.

[BMW_F1]

Originally Posted by Chappelli

But they still contacted Renault didn't they....

exactly.. denying any interest makes them look like fools.. - although I have to admit that it was very unprofessional from Renault to doubt Kimi's motivation in public..

[bjohnsonsmith]

So, Raikkonen not to Renault then.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by E.B

Would you go out and take on a hugely time consuming job with all the sponsor committments and days travelling if it meant you would earn less money than if you stayed at home not working at all, and passed your hours at the Golf Course?

I think David Cameron should offer him an advisory role with the UK government..... Has he got kids? Man, I hope the poor deprived lamb doesn't lose his Child Benefit...... or whatever they have in Finland.

[Super Hans]

No Kimi next year then? Balls, I'm going to have to start watching the WRC.

[ASCII Man]

Originally Posted by E.B

Would you go out and take on a hugely time consuming job with all the sponsor committments and days travelling if it meant you would earn less money than if you stayed at home not working at all, and passed your hours at the Golf Course?

Hmmm...

Racing F1 cars all year long... or Golf.
Golf... or racing F1 cars all year long.

Gosh, this is hard!

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

No Kimi next year then? Balls, I'm going to have to start watching the WRC.

That's a good option after all...

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

No Kimi next year then? Balls, I'm going to have to start watching the WRC.

Really? I can't say I've missed him at all...... For me, he flattered to deceive throughout much of his F1 career.

[strider]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Really? I can't say I've missed him at all...... For me, he flattered to deceive throughout much of his F1 career.

He missed out on two world championships purely due to engine (Mercedes) unreliability. Anthony Davidson referred to it again today.