Thank you Verena... " title="ty" />

Redbull is just a drink h" title="hih" /> Don't get the Strongest opponent neither... maybe he misunderstood the question. Love the last answer with a big smile

Kind of remind me of those videos from the Ferrari days...

Zitat von miezicat

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60" with Kimi RÀikkönen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRU_vxOF4GU#t=20

Schumacher? - old man
strongest opponent? - team

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I think he wanted to say: "Teammate" but, for some reason, has stopped on: "Team" " title="hmm" />

Zitat

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Fernando and Kimi?
August 28, 2013

Translated by Nicole

F1, 27.8.2013 12:39, heikki.kulta

We both had a bad weekend in Belgium, Kimi and I. For a journalist it was a tough setback when I couldn’t send stories to my computer at work from the media center via broadband, I had to use e-mail. That’s why the news coverage was slower than usual.

ïżœ
Kimi again had first a bad qualification, then he retired for the first time during his Lotus-career. Kimi missed an extra lap in quali by three seconds, but race engineer Mark Slade revealed to me on Sunday that the misfortune would had continued anyway – because there wasn’t enough fuel in the tank for him to take the extra lap flatout.

ïżœ
There were no actual driver-news in Belgium. They still seem to have much to negotiate before the traditional top seats are filled.

ïżœ
I grabbed the bull by it’s horns and made a gallup on the field with some top journalists and -commentators, about how possible they think that Fernando Alonso and Kimi RĂ€ikkönen driving as teammates in Ferrari year 2014 is, and most importantly; what would it be like.

Some think that it could work, others are definitely disagreeing.

I asked for Spanish, Italian, Finnish, British and German opinions. Here is what I got from the weekend.

Damon Hill:

Damon Hill interviewed RĂ€ikkönen in Lotus-team’s premises and I provoked him right from the start. ’’Damon, what do you think, could the duo Kimi and Fernando be a working unit in Ferrari?”

– They are the two most strongest racing drivers on the paddock based upon their experience and speed. I would say that they are both fantastic world champions. It would be a very strong combination, that’s for sure. The problem would be if they started to fiercly race against each other.

– It’s always the difficulty when two drivers who are at the same stage of their career drive in the same team. Yet they might be mature enough to understand that by them working together the team would become stronger, so that they would both get a share of 50 % more competitiveness instead of 100 % of nothing.

– Why couldn’t a duo like that work, although di Montezemolo has said that you can’t have two roosters in the same house.

F1â€Čs court interviewer Bob Constanduros:

– When Sebastian Vetteli was asked the same he told that Kimi is a very uncomplicated guy. I believe everyone agrees with him. What you see is what you get. Politics are not related to Kimi. I don’t believe that anyone is seriously avoiding to drive as Kimi’s teammate. He is fierce, he drives fast, he is very consistent. I doubt he would become a problem for Fernando either.

– It would be a damn tough duo. I’m sure Fernando would have tough times every now and then, but it’s a thing that is good for a top driver. They like it when challenges are high. Two strongest drivers would mean a really strong team. I understand Kimi if he changes teams. Lotus has given him a great new start, but Kimi wants to show even more just how good he is as a driver. It’s the sign of a man to not remember the past, only push forward flatout.

Michael Schmidt, Auto, Motor und Sport:

– Kimi and Fernando as teammates? It could not work. It would be war – not from Kimi’s side, but definitely from Fernando’s side. Alonso is a driver who wants everything to himself. He is a bit like Vettel, but Vettel came to Red Bull when Webber was there already so Sebastian couldn’t say that he doesnt want to drive with him. These two are that kind of drivers. They demand all the attention. Only then are they really good. Just like Nelson Piquet said back in the times, ‘why the hell should you concentrate on the other driver when I’m supposed to win the championship’.

– It wouldn’t mean anything to Kimi. He didn’t even get problems with Montoya. It was Montoya who suffered.

Mika Salo, Maikkari:

– I don’t believe it would disturb Kimi at all. I would be very interesting to see those two together. I think that Alonso would surely be a little quicker in qualification, but in the race they would always end up driving close to each other. It would be one of these Prost-Senna -situations.

– It’s difficult to speak for Alonso, but I think that sparkles would start flying from his direction. Kimi is known for not caring what others do. That’s why it wouldn’t disturb him whatever Alonso would do. But you could see some fire coming from Kimi at times, when Alonso would block him every now and then in races.

– I think it would be an interesting thing, but time will tell if we will see it.

Oriol Puigdemoent, El Pais:

– There are lots of rumours about Kimi. I don’t know if he in the end will go to Ferrari. If Ferrari takes him, then it would be a clear message to Fernando, ‘hey, you are not the owner of this team or the leader either for that matter!’ I don’t think it’s a good message to give to Fernando. It’s very likely that things stay as they are now. Kimi stays in Lotus, but they have to find solutions to their financial problems before that. I don’t think Kimi is leaving to Ferrari or Red Bull.

– Maybe Fernando would accept Kimi’s arrival, but it would only create one more problem – and Ferrari have their share of problems as it is. They don’t want to invite more problems. They know in Ferrari that there is no problem in the driver-department. They have one of the world’s best drivers. They have a problem with the car and that should be solved first.

Jonathan Noble, Autosport:

– A few weeks ago I would had said definitely no, Kimi is not going to Ferrari. They don’t want to add extra pressure on Fernando or Ferrari. But when we get closer to the era of new regulations, the chance to to get someone to put more pressure on Fernando and the whole team to work even harder, that would emphasize the advantage of having two top drivers. It could work and I believe that di Montezemolo could approve it. I think that drivers would adjust to a situation which would benefit them both in the car department.

Jacobo Vega, Antena 3:

– Fernando and Kimi as teammates? Why not. If it takes place in Ferrari, then they will definitely become F1:s best duo. I believe that they could work well together. Kimi isn’t political and he doesn’t care about that department. He only cares about the car and going fast with it. Fernando again is political, but so what, since Kimi wouldn’t give back. In the end they would be a good duo. Which one would be ahead? Difficult to say. Kimi is a WDC and he knows the team. It would at least be interesting. I can’t say what happens, because I can’t get inside Stefano Domenicali’s head to see what he is thinking.

Roberto Chincero, Auto Sprint:

– From Kimi’s POV a duo like that would work well. He has never had any problems with teammates. The same can’t be said about Fernando. The only time he had a really tough teammate – Lewis Hamilton in 2007 – he had a lot of problems with it. When Ferrari made their contract with Alonso the strategy was very clear – one strong driver and the other one as driver #2. If Kimi goes there, then it means that Ferrari is changing their philosophy. One has to ask why? Do they want two strong drivers in the WCC-serie or do they want to put Fernando under tough pressure? Two important questions.

– I think it would work – in the final games. At least for Kimi. Maybe Ferrari wants to show to Fernando to keep quiet. This is how we do things. Because Ferrari is Ferrari!

Alberto Antonini, Auto Sprint:

– I think a duo like those two would be a very good thing for Ferrari. I don’t see any problems and I think Ferrari should go for it. There is also the WCC beside the WDC and the more points they score, the better. The team gets more money and takes away more points from competitors. Ferrari should do the move that they now speculate over.

– Fernando would just have to live with it. Lately he has been snapping a bit inside the team. It’s time for him to learn that he is in a team and lives by their decisions.

Carlo Vanzini, SkySports, Italy:

– If Kimi will become Fernando’s teammate, then it would mean that Fernando has to prove what he is like as a driver. He was hired to Ferrari to bring the championship to them but it hasn’t happened. For Kimi again being Alonso’s teammate wouldn’t mean a similar pressure to show off. He has already proven what he is capable of. For Kimi it would be enough to keep up the consistency and efficiency and of course he would have to prove that he is faster than Felipe Massa now is.

Cristolbal Rosaleny, Car and Driver, Spain:

– It would be a very smart move from the team’s POV. Kimi is fast, Ferrari knows him already and they also know the mistakes they made with him before, so I doubt they would repeat them. Kimi is so consistent and efficient that Ferrari would surely score more points with him than with Felipe Massa. Fernando would certainly not be happy. He would want to continue with Massa.

– On the other hand Fernando also remembers what difficulties can happen with a promising young talent when remembering his own experiences with Hamilton, so in a way it would be more safe to drive with Kimi than with for example with Nico HĂŒlkenberg. Fernando and Kimi would get along as full-blooded professionals and they have never had problems with each other on track.

Well well. This is how the Spa-weekend was spent. Would Alonso and RÀikkönen be dynamite together?

http://blogit.ts.fi/formulablogi/2013/0 
 o-ja-kimi/

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Translation by _TaniaS_ » 31 Aug 2013 09:01
From Gazzetta dello Sport magazine "SportWeek", 31/08/2013:

Zitat

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WHO LOVES ME, MUST CHASE ME

THE ALCOHOLIC INFRINGEMENTS ARE PART OF THE PAST (“I DRINK A LOT OF MILK TODAY”) AND EVEN HIS NATURE, ALWAYS A LITTLE ICY AND RESERVED, SEEMS TO BE SOFTER, SO THAT HE HAS BECOME THE FINNISH TESTIMONIAL OF A BRAND OF JEANS . AND THE "LADY IN RED" SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED ITS MIND ABOUT HIM ...
When you fall from a horse, you have to ride back as soon as possible to regain confidence.
But if it’s a prancing horse which unseats you, it’s a different matter. Especially if your name is Kimi Raikkonen and the runaway beast is willing to pay you to sit down a whole year on your home sofa.
It’s impossible to serve two masters if you work for the Lady in Red, which in 2009 fell in love with a talkative Asturian, Fernando Alonso. Exactly the opposite of the Finn, not surprisingly named Iceman for the icy coldness in human relationships.
Four years later, the differences of views seem to be attenuated, so that Raikkonen is seen as the most serious contender for the seat of Felipe Massa (ironically: Masa, with a single S, is the nickname which Kimi's mother, Paula, uses to call her husband Matti).
A thing that (maybe) has made Maranello chiefs minds change is the incredible series of results achieved by Raikkonen since his return to F1: before the stop for a brake problem, then not his fault, in Belgium last week, during the 30 GP starts from the beginning of 2012, the Finn had always managed to bring the car to the finish line. He did it without skimping on his performances, as evidenced by the 2 wins and 13 podiums conquered, but especially the record series of 27 consecutive Grand Prix always in points. Points which Ferrari desperately needs to conquer the Constructors' title.

If Ferrari had bounced back to win in the meantime, the question wouldn’t even have existed. But, in spite of the expectations heaped on Alonso, today Raikkonen is still the last driver who won a world title with Ferrari: he succeeded in 2007, mocking the two top drivers of the McLaren army, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, for one point. "Ferrari is a very big brand in motorsport" repeats Kimi since his return to the Circus, "and it was nice to race with the Reds. I have only good memories because it is a team where I won the World Championship and where I have several friends among Ferrari’s mechanics." Although, when asked to point out a candidate of best friend in motorsport, his answer is surprising: "In Formula 1, I would say Vettel, because he is the person I know better and with whom I spent the most time. Outside I would say Toni Vilander, who races in GT championship with a Ferrari."

DOGS YES, NO HORSES
We always come back there, at the Prancing Horse, despite his natural intolerance for horses: "I'm allergic to a lot of things and among them there are cats and horses. If I stay for long in their company, I cannot stop sneezing. But during my military service was even worse." On the contrary, Raikkonen feels perfectly at home with the dogs: "For many years I've had three, but unfortunately Ajax, a beautiful German shepherd 8 years old, died in June. I have two Jack Russell, 10 and 9 years old, Peppi that stays with me in Switzerland and Reiska which is in Finland." These are his two homes: "I spend a lot of time in Switzerland because the geographical position allows me to quickly reach the tracks. I go in Porkkalanniemi (Finland), however, in the summertime, because of the good weather." In Italy anything yet, in spite of the promise - then become a familiar catchphrase – he made to his parents as a boy, when returning from a race in our country he said: "One day I'll give you a castle in Italy." It was a sincere way with which Kimi thought to repay their many sacrifices. No wonder, then, staying on the subject of house and family, his choice about charity: "I support SOS Children's Village, a charity that makes homes close to hospitals, to enable families to be close to hospitalized children." Other money he spends in motorsport for his team, the ICE1 Racing, which competed in the motocrossMX1, with not much luck so far.
Trifles for a man whose assets, before the separation from his wife Jenni Dahlman, former Miss Scandinavia, exceeded plenty 120 millions of euro: "I am not ashamed of my belongings because they are the result of my work. And then, money makes things easier but it is not everything in life."

NEW OPENINGS
Coming back to his link with Ferrari, the extra-sport aspect has a decisive weight. At the time of his first experience in Ferrari, Raikkonen was reluctant to the public relations that modern F1 requires. There were also harsh arguments with the Chiefs who wanted more commitment by him with sponsors while Kimi just wanted to drive. So it came as a surprise the choice of this shy Raikkonen as special testimonial for a brand of jeans: "I love working with expert people. As Wrangler is in the world of jeans. Everyone knows that I prefer comfortable clothes, features that I can find in jeans and denim jackets . But I don’t think to be an icon for this." Even the alcoholic infringements seem to be rarefied than in the past: "I drink a lot of milk." Maybe it will remain the problem of the coexistence with Alonso, who elected Vettel to his natural enemy. Untangling between the personal relationships and the interests of the team will not be easy, but Raikkonen can do it: just little opening his mouth, as he has always did, and leaving the results to speak for himself.

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if i say it does not still break my heart i wont be telling the truth " title="sad" />

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... gHEk#t=172

but i think hes so much stronger and wiser now

Zitat von Olga

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if i say it does not still break my heart i wont be telling the truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... gHEk#t=172

but i think hes so much stronger and wiser now

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I remembered it too well.... I was there at Suzuka 2009 " title="broken" />

" title="there" /> YiNing " title="" />
He is so strange in this interview. " title="oi" />

Zitat von Jalumi

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YiNing
He is so strange in this interview.

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put up a brave face (and fake laugh...ha..ha..) to face those medias... " title="eek" />

Translation by _TaniaS_
Here the article from Autosprint of this week (03/09/2013):
EN GARDE!
Alonso and Kimi's shadow on the Ferrari. There is an explosive Italian Grand Prix also for the drivers market.
https://rgl0pq.sn2.livefilestore.com/y2 ... jpg?psid=1

PAGE 1
PAGE 2
PAGE 3
PAGE 4

Zitat

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THE SHADOW OF KIMI ON ALONSO
Raikkonen and Ferrari: another step forward in negotiations. Maranello agrees to have two roosters in the henhouse. To defuse the "excesses" of Fernando.

For the fans in uniform and red flag at Monza this weekend there will be one more reason to come to the track. The eyes of the Ferrari fans won’t follow just Alonso and Massa, but they will be focused also on him. On the Black Man. Seven years after the 2006 edition, that one of the farewell - provisional - by Michael Schumacher. Kimi Raikkonen is again the man of destiny for Maranello. It won’t be, cannot be, an as triumphant handover as it was then, when Schumacher from the top of the podium, "pointed him" as his designated successor. Seven years ago the games were already closed time ago, in spring Raikkonen had already decided to leave McLaren to answer the call of Maranello, which was looking for a successor for SuperMichael. Now, the only certainty is that we won’t have an official announcement from Ferrari on the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix. This doesn’t mean that anything isn’t moving. A week ago, after Spa, we wrote that Raikkonen was closer than ever to Ferrari, more than a year ago, when the attempt to leave the Lotus was solidified in an approach with Maranello. But not all is defined. First of all, Ferrari doesn’t want to create psychological pressure, apparently, on anyone. It doesn’t want to create it on Massa, who would be the sacrificed one. It doesn’t want to create it on Alonso, who’s living a so called delicate moment with the team, (but we expect his usual profession of faith to Ferrari this Thursday at Monza, along with his usual criticism to the media that distort everything as always) . Probably Ferrari doesn’t even want to put pressure on Raikkonen himself. Who is putting pressure on Kimi, now, is Lotus. But maybe it's already too late.

MORE AND MORE “YES” FROM THE PRANCING HORSE
Compared to a week ago, several things have changed. First of all what in August was just an idea now is taking shape and finding consensus. Think about it: it’s not easy, for both sides, to find a reapproching. Raikkonen left Ferrrari after three years, with a season still in contract. Maranello had to make way for Fernando Alonso and for the money of Santander; Kimi seemed tired, although in that year, 2009, he even won a GP (Belgium) with the bad F60. Seeing him to the door, by paying him the season (not in full) was not too difficult. But when he returned from the world of rally, in 2012, Kimi made clear that what bothered him was the too much "politics" in Maranello. Now the same politics becomes a part of the negotiation. If who wanted Alonso for 2010 - well, if it were possible even before – was Stefano Domenicali, of course with the "placet" of President Montezemolo, now the negotiation goes by the same people. And it seems that even Montezemolo, after an initial resistance, has been convinced.
It's an important turning point because - however the deal ends - it marks a change of policy within the Scuderia. Since 1996, the era of Berger and Alesi, Maranello has always had a first and a second driver. Schumacher raced with Irvine, Barrichello and Massa. None of the three has never questioned his authority. Then, both Raikkonen and Alonso raced with Massa. And if it’s true that in 2008 was Kimi who helped Felipe to win the Championship, it is also true that until mid-season things were planned in reverse. At the French GP, Raikkonen broke an exhaust, and let pass his teammate, and since there Ferrari only reasoned - and rightly so - according to the compelling logic of the points in championship. But the star was Kimi, also because Ferrari took him - paying well - from McLaren, while Massa was the "boy" home-grown and offered to Sauber.
Among the many things that press wrote then, there was the story that Kimi communicated too little with the technicians. A little “gratuitous” affirmation, since his engineers adored him. So why, would Ferrari have convinced today to take him back? And why would Montezemolo, who on the pair Alonso-Vettel had vetoed ("no two roosters in the henhouse"), be convinced now to put together even two worldchampions?

FERNANDO PERPLEXING HIS SUPPORTER
The explanation comes from Alonso. Or rather, from the Alonso of recent times. The driver who some call "unrecognizable", and certainly not because he has forgotten how to drive. Fernando has given, in the last two or three races, signs of impatience that cannot be ignored and it would be just plain stupid - by all - minimize or underestimate. In this crazy late summer - perhaps because the heat doesn’t go away at all – we continue to hear the craziest rumors. After the so-called "meeting" with Red Bull at the Nurburgring (a false history sensational, perhaps inspired by his management) now rumors are talking about a sort of negotiation with the Lotus of Kimi. The reality, and we don’t say by now, is that if the ways of Alonso and Ferrari divided, it would need of the agreement of both parties. Otherwise there would be penalties to pay, and expensive, as we are talking about a driver who earn over a million a GP. Therefore, it is unlikely to think of a Ferrari future without Alonso. We speak about the present, because the three-year contract that Fernando still has with Maranello could, perhaps, become two, but this, for the moment, is not in question. But Ferrari felt, evidently, the need to protect itself. From the "excesses” of its Spanish champion. Putting Raikkonen alongside Alonso, for some F1 analysts, it is like playing with fire. But it could be the winning idea for a Ferrari that in recent years has won and collected most of points with a single driver. The numbers of the pair Alonso-Massa are clear: zero vs five wins in 2010, 108 points behind in the standings (252 against 144); a victory vs 0, in 2011 and 139 points of difference (257 versus 118); three wins, vs no one, last year with a gap of 156 points . Put in perspective, these are the numbers of a constant and huge gap.

BUT SO FAR FELIPE IS TESTING FOR 2014
With Kimi as a teammate, Alonso would have little to lose and everything to gain. A positive psychological pressure, a more successful and happier team, a way to ward off his whims as a rockstar and concentrate on driving. With all this, Felipe Massa in recent days has tried the co-ckpit of 2014 car. At Maranello, everything has to continue, according to the plan, as if there weren’t a drivers market, as if Raikkonen weren’t an opportunity to be taken. At Brisighella, last Saturday during the delivery of the Prize Bandini (not to him) Felipe said, "I hear around me the confidence of the team."
Good for him, but in the meantime the negotiations go forward. Meanwhile in Enstone, Lotus try a countermove . Certainly not with the naïve solution of E21 long wheelbase. The English team cannot count on the same economic availability of Ferrari, but what Raikkonen wants to stay are also key technical guarantees for the future. To give them to him, Eric Bouiller should transform his team in an official team Renault. A mission impossible, given that this status naturally belongs to RedBull. But Lotus doesn’t give up, and fight the team that has already stolen the technical director James Allison, at the beginning of the year. All that remains is to see how a driver like Raikkonen, apparently uncaring of all, is moving a lot on the market at the end. Maybe the Robertson, his managers, were not very clever men to beat the competition with Ricciardo for the seat at RedBull. However, moving himself like a shadow on the market without stopping anywhere so far, Kimi Raikkonen has already achieved two results: to make people talk so much of him and to raise his price. The first, probably, he would have preferred to avoid it. But the second would have pleased anyone.

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a day to remember

cant believe Kimi returning to Ferrari..

Zitat von vida

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cant believe Kimi returning to Ferrari..

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Neither do I...

A great article posted on FB

Zitat

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Tin Vidal
Back to red.

"Ferrari will be my last team in Formula 1." Kimi Raikkonen told this on several occasions between 2007 and 2008, when it was the Prancing Horse no1 driver. There are some kind of things you can feel, some passions are irrational flames, able to destroy the space, compress time and heal the wounds. The one between Ferrari and Kimi is a particular story, born from an intersecting destiny and an affection that borders the attraction between two poles so different, and so close at the same time.

Raikkonen has already been, and probably will be again, the man of destiny of Ferrari. He came to the team in 2007 with his silences, his poetic arrogance for everything that was not about driving, finding hard to fit into a whole new team after five years in McLaren. Yet he won that year, and so, entering into the hearts of fans worldwide, thanks to the epic comeback in WDC. One of the most exciting progressions to the World Championship in the history of F1, equal to the run-up that his idol James Hunt completed in 1976 against Lauda. At the time it was a McLaren to mock a Ferrari. In 2007 was the Ferrari of Raikkonen to mock the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

He won the WC at his first year in red, the third Ferrari driver in history to do it after Juan Manuel Fangio and Jody Scheckter . But that’s not all, because Kimi was also the one who won the race number 200 driving a Ferrari (China 2007) and sealed the 200th pole position of the Scuderia (France 2008). The kind of signs that should have been enough to make clear to Ferrari they had found a man to bet on, that they could have won anything together. It did not ended that way, you know the story. There were misunderstandings between the team and the driver, caused by intemperance of man, but also a beautiful car - the F2008 - designed (and especially developed ) to fit to Felipe Massa, with an unstable, soft limber, and abrupt insertion on corners, which created more than one headache to a driver accustomed to a neutral behavior and very stable car. And the crisis came in the first half of 2008, a technical difficulty which rised many urban legends about that guy who was asleep at the wheel, or drunk while driving.

For goodness sake, Kimi is a real character, who loves to live, a driver from another era, heir to the best approach to competition and character to the heroes of the seventies and eighties. Raikkonen is a rebel, is politically incorrect , he smokes, he drinks, he fucks and teases . But he’s a phenomenon behind the wheel. Even the most skeptical noticed in that September afternoon of 2009, when Raikkonen stormed Spa (for the fourth time in his career) with a mediocre Ferrari. That victory, a real exploit, established him permanently in the eyes of Ferrari fans.

Iceman may not have great respect for the media, for the sponsors, for all that things he deems unnecessary. At the same time is a professional driver, he’s devoted to the cause, communicative with the engineers (in despite of what they say) and above all, loyal. You won’t see him tweeting from the podium, or speaking Italian during team radios. Is very unlikely that he’ll flatter the team. Yet in 2008, he helped Felipe Massa, who was fighting for the championship. Also showing that he could sacrifice for the team. It is no coincidence, in fact, that Ferrari mechanics worship him again, as that everyone is excited about working with him, both for feedback and confidence this guy is able to convey. In his own way Raikkonen , and we have discovered over time, it is a silent, but true leader.

Above all, the person behind the mask of ice has feelings. He did show the whole world when he left F1: “There are too many economic interests, it’s just business and politics, this world makes me sick.” Kimi was betrayed, stabbed in his back by the team that he himself had called “A family.” And you should realize how much weight these words could have, coming from a person who made of coldness his creed. As an abandoned lover, Raikkonen bided his time, he raced in the WRC and he amazed the world with his comeback as a Lotus driver, appearing even stronger and more focused than in the past.

The choice of Ferrari was the best possible. Maranello will bring back home his last world champion. But it is not just an emotional choice. The introduction of the new turbo engines will require all of his talent, sensitivity and technique, his ability to exploit the asphalt to the limit, but with surgically clean trajectories. Accuracy, speed, consistency of performance. Trying to rebuild together what was abruptly interrupted.

Because it is clear that Ferrari in 2009 behaved badly with Raikkonen (out of respect we do not go into the details of a family situation that was difficult for the Finnish), but the dark Kimi is like the Dark Knight, it is not the mistake that Ferrari deserves, but what - between Alonso’s whims and an ever-increasing competition - it needs.”

Source: http://www.blogf1.it/2013/09/11/ferrari ... re-oscuro/

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I was about to post it, is really great to read

http://www.espn.co.uk/blogs/motorsport/ ... 24781.html

Zitat

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Fire and Ice
Kate Walker September 11, 2013
Fernando Alonso will need to learn to restrain his emotions alongside Kimi Raikkonen

The Iceman and Alonso. Formula One's most taciturn Finn, paired with one of the paddock's most eloquent talents. A passionate and fiery Latin temperament coupled with one of the most laid-back men in motorsport history.

Ferrari are either total geniuses or completely mad (geni or scemi, maybe
), and we'll have to wait until mid-2014 to work out which is which.

On the side of geni comes the good sense of having two of the sport's fastest drivers on the same team. Pace should mean points, and points most definitely mean prizes. Both Raikkonen and Alonso are top-tier drivers capable of squeezing every last drop of performance from a car, both men are capable of delivering championships, and both men are entirely logical targets for the Scuderia. A winning team needs winning drivers, after all.

And on the side of scemi comes every version you've ever heard of Luca di Montzemolo's comment that he didn't want to put two roosters in a henhouse. Partnering Alonso with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren went down about as well as a suicidal lead balloon wearing concrete boots. Several seasons have elapsed since then, but there's no real indication that the Spanish racer has become any better at dealing with a competitive teammate.

Quite the opposite, really: on those rare occasions when Felipe Massa out-performs Alonso in qualifying, the atmosphere in the Ferrari motorhome is several shades past awkward and into walking on eggshells mode. Luckily for the team, who then have to work in an atmosphere most kindly described as strained, Massa hasn't been beating his teammate into a cocked hat.

But Kimi could prove to be a real problem when it comes to internal harmony. He's quick, he has no interest in mind games, and he just wants to race. Sometimes he'll be faster than Fernando, and sometimes he won't. But on those occasions where Fernando is faster than Kimi, the only message emanating from the Iceman's cockpit will be a four-letter version of 'leave me alone, I know what I'm doing'.

There is a growing discontent at Maranello with Alonso, who has had to be reminded on more than one occasion that Ferrari is bigger than any of its drivers.

While racing drivers are trained to put themselves first in the cockpit, Ferrari drivers - be they champions or not - must always think first of the Scuderia, of the men and women proudly wearing red overalls in Maranello, and of the unwavering support of the tifosi . The holy trinity of prancing horse, devoted worker, and passionate fan will endure far longer than any one driver. Michael Schumacher understood this intuitively, but Alonso is still learning.

With Kimi getting his head down and concentrating on the racing, Alonso will need to work hard to restrain any negative outpouring of emotion he might feel towards the car. While the Spanish racer's frustration has often been justified, any complaint will stand in stark contrast to Kimi's indecipherable mumbles.

In victory, and in positivity, Ferrari adore Alonso's passion. But the flipside of a passionate nature is that it also rears its head in the tough times. Faced with Kimi as a teammate, Alonso will do well to live by that adage so beloved of grandmothers around the world: if you don't have anything nice to say, better to not say anything.

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