Quote: WHATEVER wrote in post #45I hope they will be only good stories about him, since the season is about to begin.
And people in general have now changed their perception about Kimi: From being seen as a drunk-party-boy to an ice-cream-eater who doesn't give a... to a non-talkative-unemotional character to finally a smiley-friendly-talkative-human-being!
And a father?
This thread has been closed.
go to top
#47 | RE: Iceman 2015Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:22 pm (Last edited: Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:23 pm)
NEW BOOK: The co-operation of Räikkönen and Mclaren was a ticking time bomb. In the book called Aki Hintsa , the anatomy of winning, written by Oskari Saari, is a story about how Aki Hintsa got Mclaren to understand how treating Räikkönen in the right way pays off.
Aki Hintsa sent a letter with the headline "to whom it may concern" to the management of Mclaren in 2002. The reason was simple. The combination of Kimi Räikkönen and Mclarens working methods was a ticking time bomb. In his letter Hintsa suggested to Mclaren they should change their approach to Räikkönen. He said as his professional opinion , Räikkönen needed more personal space and freedom in order to get the most out of himself as a racing driver. Hintsa said all their efforts to control would cause a strong opposite reaction. Räikkönen had a very strong dislike against authorities. He didnt obey anyone or anything if he didnt think its right and good for him. Even his parents didnt have a say to him after he grew up. However , Hintsa had noticed he is very receptive and disciplined, and ready to work enourmously hard if he thought the guidelines are usefull. The letter didnt go to Ron Dennis hands but Kimis physio Mark Arnall had a word with the team boss. At this point it was too late. The pictures of dolphin hugging passed out Räikkönen spread thru the world. Hintsa didnt get reply to his letter but after the christmas at 6. january 2003 Ron Dennis called to him and asked "how did you know so perfectly what will happen with Kimi?" Hintsa answered simply that its his work to know.
From that moment Hintsa was Mclarens team doctor. His job was to take care of Kimi , to seek compromises between Kimi and the team, to get as much as possible own time and space to Kimi but also it was clear the team had to get something back. Hintsa had a long conversations with Dennis. His message to the boss was , there were no point trying to change Kimi or to test him too much as Hintsa believed Kimi was serious when he said "if this doesnt work out here, I might as well be a carpenter". Kimis whole world wasnt in F1, so he didnt have a slidest will to try to change himself against his natural character. "Kimi isnt any stage puppet in F1. If you want some smooth clean driver , take someone else" Hintsa told Dennis. Public talked about strip clubs and dolphins and about Kimis extreme drinking but Hintsa saw the other and real side of it. There isnt any use for an top athlete to use alcohol but you can keep the downsides small if using is reasonable. So Hintsa didnt try to force Kimi to be an absolutist because it had turned against him. The social life outside the pit was so important to Kimi the team was ready to accept the benefits on the mental side.
"Walk on, through the wind, Walk on, through the rain, Though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart, And you'll never walk alone, YOU`LL NEVER WALK ALONE!!!"
This thread has been closed.
go to top
#49 | RE: Iceman 2015Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:04 pm (Last edited: Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:06 pm)
RÄIKKÖNEN HAD HORRIBLE PAINS, THE HELP OF FINNISH DOCTOR WAS CONDEMNED
The doctor of Mclaren treated Kimi against his employer. ( the beginning of the article is general description about the book and the philosophy of Aki Hintsa, I translate the part about Kimi)
According to book Hintsa started to have doubts over his motivation to be a doctor for Mclaren after Singapore gp 2013. During the gp he had a big clash with Martin Whitmarsh. Between the practise and quali he had asked to help Kimi with his acute back pain. Hintsa didnt think for a second but marched in the Lotus premises and met Kimi who had very painfull back pain. He didnt think for a moment that here was the opportunity to give better starting point to his own team for a race and leave Kimi to suffer. It was clear Kimi couldnt have driven in quali. - I have to anesthetize but its a difficult place , its not sure it works. He said to Kimi. Lotus driver told him to do it . Soon it started to roil in Mclaren. Not everybody liked his desicion to help Kimi. He realised the critic came from Whitmars who didnt have a poker face to tell it himself. Hintsa didnt wait for Whitmarsh to contact him but seeked him into his hands and talked with him. -You cant say who I treat and who cant. I am a doctor,how could I not to help a person who has horrible pains? Whitmarsh explained about the nature of competition in F1 world. - If its a problem for you, its better you sack me at once. I am a doctor and my job is to help people.What kind of shirt he has on is irrelevant. I would treat you if you were in the same situation and in a different team. Hintsa said. On the next day the Finn drove himself to the third place. Button and Perez were left behind. After the season , in Brazil , Hintsa announced to his employer he will leave his active role in Mclaren.
This thread has been closed.
go to top
#50 | RE: Iceman 2015Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:17 pm (Last edited: Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:17 pm)
thanks Apple! seems it was good that Aki was there at McLaren. He understood Kimi and it might have turned out worse without him.. and I wouldn't have thought that Whitmarsh was against Hintsa helping Kimi.
This thread has been closed.
go to top
#53 | RE: Iceman 2015Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:19 pm (Last edited: Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:33 pm)
quoteFansOfKimiRäikkönen @FansOfKR Mika Salo [Ex Ferrari driver]: #Ferrari dare not say that #Alonso focused completely on himself. ... He made [Alonso] himself look good while giving Kimi a really bad time with his dirty tricks. ... Anyone can read between the lines that Alonso did not want to leave Ferrari; he was removed from there.
Nothing new, we thought so. But nice that Mika mentioned it official.
And something from Stefano Domenicali:
quote Gianlu D'Alessandro @Gianlu_DAle Domenicali: "I have never regretted to have brought back #Raikkonen in Maranello. It was the right choice in 2013" Stefano for 2014 ... "Kimi is always Kimi and I think this year he will give a lot of satisfaction to Ferrari fans" ... "It isn't a secret my admiration for Seb (#Vettel). He is the right man at the right place" ... "It would be nice having the opportunity to work together (with #Vettel) but you know the story the story..." ..."I'm a #Ferrari fan inside, I always be, from Australia onwards I will support Arrivabene, #Raikkonen and #Vettel"
quote"This is a Ferrari coming back. And the real novelty is me not Vettel" Raikkonen: "A great feeling to be a dad. Now the team is really united" To beat Mercedes need a miracle? If we work well, need just a good car
Kimi Raikkonen, is he new or is new Ferrari in F1 now ready to kick off the championship 2015? "Look, I'm still the same..." Laughs heartily, Iceman. Responded so on purpose, because even Kimi Raikkonen likes to play with the character, which is a bit bear, a bit witty and a bit lover of understatement. And original: his partner Minttu Virtanen has just given him a boy, but the little that is known is that at birth he weighed 3.7 kilos and was 51 cm long. Maybe he really called "3,7x51". But in any case the name is known only to a small circle of people. Moreover, Kimi is also the one who, in communication, is flying very low: it is up to nil on Twitter (only the fans feed an account, and on another, in the official theory, follows only one user and still appears in Lotus uniform) while if you click on his personal website, the message "back soon" is written. New Ferrari then... "The team has worked well in the winter on the whole car and recovered most of the gap from 2014. But only the races will say where we are". Even Raikkonen, however, is a little different: in January has become a father. "Well, in that respect, yes, there is the novelty." (note: he says it with a sincere smile, blushing even a little). Being a father is a difficult “job”? "It's early to say, is just the beginning of an experience that is still wonderful: I was looking forward to have a child. The child is lively and healthy and as well his mom is fine: I'm happy. It’s hard for me to stay away from them, but it's my job and I can’t help it."
Enzo Ferrari argued that a driver-dad inevitably becomes slower. "It will be hard to be slower than last year..." Here, however, laughter is fierce... Can you tell us what it means 'new Ferrari'? "That everything works better. You work with a feeling superior; there is a united team that does the right things and in the right direction". He is a friend of Vettel. But Jacques Villeneuve said that among the drivers can’t be friendship. "Jacques speaks often and likes to provoke. Seb and I have known each other well and we are happy to be together in Ferrari: we push each other to bring the team where it should be. "How hard was working in a losing team? "In sport only one wins and all the others, in hindsight, are losers. So, not winning is part of the game. But it's never fun, and we tried to fight. Even the defeat, however, teaches that we learned a lot." He is the last champion of Ferrari. How much was it surprising, coming back to Maranello, discover a weak Red? "More than anything, I was struck by another aspect: we realized too early as how it was going to end..." In 2014 there were several "earthquakes" in the team: it was right to overturn?" I don’t judge. But to make a real turn it’s necessary to make decisive change. I also imagine that there were good reasons to change so much ". How often hears the president Marchionne?" Not so much, he is a committed manager... "He has already sold a Fiat? (Laughter) "No, not yet. Seriously, we talk: he gets information on what we are doing."
Another thesis in the paddock: Raikkonen will work better with Vettel than with Alonso. "Well, there will be differences. But the fundamental thing is not so much what Seb and I will say, as far as everyone is working." About Fernando’s accident everything is not yet clarified. What happened to him is likely to generate doubt in you drivers? "We have to get in the car always having confidence in all and everything" .What do you like most of the new situation at Ferrari? "The fact that the car responds well: work and sacrifices will be rewarded." Kimi Raikkonen, what you ask for the championship 2015?" I speak in general: Ferrari today is better than the 2014. I expect a lot from ourselves and look forward to decisive progress. "You will be top of others? "We will try." When will address the issue of the new contract? "It's early, before I worry about finding the "performance" on track. There will be time to talk about certain things." For beating Mercedes need a miracle, or just a good car? "Working as we know, perhaps we don’t need a miracle: we do the right things, the results will come."
quoteRäikkönen: ’’To have a child is the greatest thing in the world”
It is Friday – the day off for Kimi Räikkönen during the preseason testing – but, however, the Finnish star of Ferrari arrives to the paddock of Montmelo. You can read from his face he is in sunny mood and you can see everything is fine with the oldest driver of Formula One with 35 years of age.
Räikkönen arrives to have an interview with Turun Sanomat and he visited his fellow countrymen at Koiranen GP factory close to the circuit to see brand new Formula 4 cars of theirs, as well.
Exactly at the agreed time Nicoletta Baffoni, who is one Ferrari media serving people, leads Räikkönen to the interview at Ferrari motorhome. Let’s get down to the business.
Räikkönen became of a father of son Robin at January 27th.
While making an interview with Kimi in the autumn in Belgium, I asked, how it felt for him to become a father soon. Kimi sighed, he believed it won’t make his world go upside down.
How is it now? Has his world gone upside down?
– Well, it is such a new thing, that I have not been able to assimilate it fully, yet. Buy it is the greatest thing, and I presume there will be a lot more items for big joy to come. Of course, obviously, everything is brand new, and I have not been able to spend too much time at home, while we have been testing and working at the factory.
– The main thing is, the boy is healthy, and the mother is healthy. The baby is still such a little, but for me it is the finest thing in the world, and I am so happy everything has gone so well.
How different does it feel to race, while you are now a man with a bigger family?
– Well, we have not been racing so far, Raikkonen corrects with a broad smile, – But, for sure, it will change quite a lot.
While Kimi’s brother Rami got his first son, their father Matti Räikkönen brought a small GO Kart car to the hospital as a gift. Now there is not anymore grandpa Räikkönen bringing gifts.
– But there is already a mini-size crossbike to the boy. Antti Pyrhönen, the team of boss of our Motocross team, sent me a picture immediately, what kind of bike they have got for the boy, smiled Raikkonen, who himself started his driving career witt small crossbikes.
Räikkönen owns a motocross team IceOne Husqvarna Factory Team and they started their season with a double win in MXGP class of the world championship series.
The sons of the Finnish racing drivers have become racing drivers, as well. It looks like Räikkönen is not able to avoid such a tradition to go on?
– I do not have anything against what the boy wants to do. He can decide that himself, what he likes the most. Obviously, we are not going to push him to any direction. I just hope, he would not end up here in the paddock – well, let him be in the paddock to see the race as time goes by, but not in the way, I would need to come back here myself to help him as racing driver.
– The time will tell, what it will be for him. As long as he is happy, and is doing what he wants, it is the main thing for us, Räikkönen says.
Räikkönen has a contract with Ferrari for this year and the team has an option for him for 2016. Have you ever been thinking, what you will do then, while Formula One is over for good for you?
– Most likely I will just be with the family. I do not have much more in my mind. Actually I have not been thinking of it, but I think, it is enough for me.
Could you leave all the driving just like that at once?
– For sure, I can do that, I do not have any huge inch to carry on this for long. It is not my lfe. My life at home is just a normal life. I do this as my job, I like it a lot, but it is not such a thing, I could not leave behind me while I feel time is right.
At Ferrari Räikkönen gets to the season with a remarkably better starting positions compared to the bad last year.
How about the atmosphere inside the team? Is it like you have with Lotus while you started there?
– For sure the things here at Ferrari are now much better compated to – let us say – last year. It makes things easier for all of us. What is better now, well, I would say it is the way how we do work together to the same direction.
Is Sebastien Vettel the team mate you have liked the most during your career?
– For sure, he is the one that I get along ín the best way of them all. It is difficult to say more right now. We have not been working together too much so far, we have not been talking or sending sms too much. We have been together only a few days so far. While we start to go racing, it is different. But I can say, it is such a nice thing, he is here.
How about after the first qualifying in Melbourne? Who ever is ahead of each other, does it affect to your mutual relationship?
– I do not believe that. Obviously, we try our very best to beat each other every time, but for us the main thing is to help the team up there, where it really belongs.
– It is a strong fact I am rather in this team, although I would be second or tenth than to get higher position somewehere else. There will be the day to come, we will win again! I would not change to anywhere else.
Print view
Wed Mar 04, 2015 5:42 pm
This thread has been closed. 
But nice that Mika mentioned it official. 
Stefano for 2014 
