From Autosport.com
Q. Are you happy with that result?
Kimi Raikkonen: I mean it is fourth place. It is not much to be happy about, but what we have we need to be happy that we finished even fourth.
Q. You did not gain any positions at the start even though you had KERS. Was that disappointing?
KR: No. We chose to start with the harder tyres, so you are
always going to give up a little bit of grip at the start. It is not
really a long straight to the first corner. But we kept our place and,
of course, you expect to gain a place but with the end result it didn’t
make any difference.
Q. Your second stint, even though you were heavier, was much quicker than your first stint. Was that down purely to the tyres?
KR: Well, we had different tyres. We need to use both of the
tyres and when you don’t have as much downforce as the others, when you
run the harder tyres you keep sliding. When you run the softer tyres
you have a bit more grip and the car was much better.
Q. Was there no chance to get Lewis Hamilton at the restart after the safety car?
KR: No. It is pretty hard to get close enough, even at the
restart. We were sliding around, and they are much faster than us in a
straightline. So even without the KERS, there was no chance for me to
get him.
Q. You have maintained third place in the championship, so it is good isn’t it?
KR: Yeah. I don’t know how much the difference is – one
point. But they seem to be faster than us so it will be difficult to
keep them behind, but there are two races to go. Anything can happen,
we will try and we will where we end up.
Q. Back in 2007 you headed into the final two races with a
17-point deficit to Lewis Hamilton but still won the title. Sebastian
Vettel has a 16-points deficit now, is it easier for him knowing that
he just has to go out there and go for the win?
KR: I don’t know if it makes much difference. The Red Bull is
definitely a fast car, as we have seen this year. The Brawn – who knows
what they are doing? I think the car is better than what they achieve
at the moment. For sure, he [Vettel] has a chance but in the end the
Brawns need to make quite a big mistake to lose it any more. But you
never know. You need a few mistakes, a few accidents, and it all looks
different.
Q. Did the car feel better on the softer tyre?
KR: Yeah. Overall the balance is the same, but you just have
more grip across the tyre and then it improves a lot. It is a bit of a
similar story to the last race, but with the hard tyre it was not as
bad as the last race – but it was the same there. With the soft you
gain grip and got faster.
Q. Will you resolve your future in a few days?
KR: No.
Q. So in Brazil will there be the same questions?
KR: I don’t know. Like I said, I have no contract for next
year. I am looking at different options and we will see what happens in
the future. I don’t know when we are going to tell anything – or if we
have anything to tell.
Q. We saw this weekend quite a few big accidents, mainly from
rookies. Some drivers complain that this is a bit of a dangerous
circuit. What do you think?
KR: I think it is a dangerous sport. This is more a kind of
old-style circuit. The new circuits have a lot of run-off with asphalt,
so it makes no difference if you make a mistake, you can usually get
back on the circuit. Here, if you make a mistake you are usually going
to hit the wall and I think that is how it should be. You get punished
for the mistakes and it makes it more exciting, and I think you need to
be more precise.
Q. What are the criteria that you would like to use to choose your team for next year?
KR: There are many different choices what you want. But first
of all, you want a contract you are happy with, and a car that you have
a chance to win the championship with. There is no point to go to a
smaller team and just drive. I get nothing from that.
Q. So you are not going rallying?
KR: I have no interest to drive around just in 10th place. I
get nothing from that. I would rather stay home and do something else.
If I cannot have the proper team, with a proper winning car, then I
will think about it.
Q. Is rallying more appealing now that you have done it?
KR: No. It is the same story. There is no point to go there
if you don’t get a good car and a good team. Whatever you do, you need
to give yourself a chance to be up there, and have the equipment to
fight for the best possible positions.
Q. Do you think you are ready to compete at the top level in rallying?
KR: I don’t know. I have never driven the world rally car. I
have some idea from the rallies that I have done, but for sure you need
a lot of practice. You need to give yourself time to be up there, and I
think in F1 speed wise if you don’t have the experience it is not a
problem. But experience there is everything. It is a different story.
Q. Having done both, what is easier – to go from F1 to rallying, or from rallying to F1?
KR: Of course, for me, there is only one direction to look.
If I am doing F1, for me, it is an easy sport. I don’t know how you would
feel if you have never driven the car. But I would still say that the
rallying is more difficult. You have more things changing there, you
have the co-driver, you need to make the notes and understand what they
are doing. In F1, you are doing the same circuits lap after lap, and
there every kilometre is different. In that way, for me, it is harder
to go rallying than F1.
Q. There is talk of Sebastien Loeb coming to F1. Which would you think would be the easier switch?
KR: For me, I would say coming to F1 is easier than us going
there. But, like I said, doing F1, you can have no experience if you
have never felt what an F1 car feels like to drive. It is a difficult
question.
Q. You have two races left with Ferrari. What provides your motivation?
KR: It is the same thing that I said before. I have no
interest in driving for a bad team next year. If I race here, I always
try to finish as high as I can. I don’t need anything to motivate me.
If I drive, I drive to do my best and that is it.
Q. Do you want a winning car from day one, or do you want to go to a team you can build up and make a winner?
KR: No. Like I said, if I want to race, I want to have a car
that is ready there next year to win the championship. I want to have
at least given myself the chance – and then it is up to me and the team
to see what happens. But at least you have to have a car in the first
part that gives you a chance to win.
Other Quotes:
Exclusive interview with Martin Whitmarsh – "Kimi
is a fantastic driver, and I like him and know him well. He was with
the team for five years. He is quick, he is committed and I think he
probably would be very committed to beating Ferrari in the future –
knowing him. All these are attractive things with Kimi. He is not
political. He is absolutely straightforward – what you see is what you
get with Kimi. And on top of that everyone knows that he is a winning
driver. I think he has been underestimated technically. He is a very
good racing driver and I think he would fit well in this team, if we
choose to go down that route."
Marc Gene sorry to see Kimi leave Ferrari (translation courtesy of Wolfie) – "I want to take this advantage and thank Kimi
Räikkönen for his phenomenal work during the 3 years he has been with
us. He will leave Ferrari after the season ends but will leave so that
everyone is in a good mood. He is not just only a top driver, which is
a clarity, he is much more: a unique driver. He drives really well at
the moment. As a person Kimi is very special. He has always been the way he is
and being a driver in F1 hasn’t changed him a bit. I have a really good
relationship with Kimi. We often go to eat together. He is one of those
persons to whom you can talk about all kinds of things, not just our
work. I for one will be missing him when we start working next season. It would be a great loss to F1 if Räikkönen wouldn’t be on the starting grid in 2010."
Paddock Life: Suzuka edition – "…In fact, the layout proved quite neat for Kimi Raikkonen who, several
times over the weekend, in the wake of his Ferrari contract being
terminated, chose to use McLaren’s garage to cut through to the pitlane
– rather than going next door and using his own!"
FUCK ISRAEL 
Very honest, revealing interview with Kimi. It doesn’t sound like he’ll go rallying but I wonder if the delay in announcing which team he’ll race in F1 next year is due to the rumour I read in a website speculating that Mercedes will pull out of McLaren in 2010… Perhaps the photos of Kimi having discussions with Norbert Haug is about where best to place him next year?! McLaren could use BMW engines instead, but as we’ve seen this year, the Mercedes engines have been the best performing. I read that Martin Whitmarsh has flatly denied this rumour, but it’s understandable now in light of this speculation maybe Kimi is taking his time to decide which is the championship winning team he should head to. In any case, F1 must retain Kimi for several more years because we are not ready to see him go just yet. He is the star of F1 and without him, F1 will be less attractive and the future will indeed be dim for us fans!
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This is Kimi as we know him: a man of few words but always honest and straightforward.@Trixie: hope Iceman going to rally next year turns out to be false or i’ll be so sad but i have to agree wiz u about the possible reason of the delay….maybe Kimi and his management are waiting to see what’s gonna happen wiz Mclaren and Mercedes, and like u said Mercedes engines proved to be the best this season and Mclaren would be taking a huge risk by switching to the BMW ones and knowing that "control freak" Ron is behind this idea…well there’s not much to add.Plus considering the latest rumors regarding Button and Brawn and their disagreement over his salary and the possibility that he might leave the team and also Kimi’s sighting wiz Haug over the last couple of races, one cannot help but wonder whether we might have a Raikkonen-Rosberg line-up at Brawn in 2010.At the end all that matters is that Kimi finds a good seat in a competitive car next season like he wants and hopefully we’ll see Iceman win his 2nd WDC.
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Trixie, what you were mentioned below is quite a valid guess. I think Kimi is taking the right action to just wait & see first. No point rushing & enter into another ‘Ferrari’ for Kimi. A winning team which can ‘win with Kimi’ is vital.
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Yes, that could be the reason why he is waiting. That was one of the best interviews with Kimi we have had all season. It seems that rally is on a secondary option if he is unable to find the right team. Keep flying Kimi!!!!!
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Kimi es el mejor, asi como es lo adoro! espero que tenga todo lo que quiere para el proximo año….vamos Kimi eres el mejor….
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i think why still no Announcement yet because Kimi and Robertson still discuss with the teams want Kimi to drive for them,i read article Red Bull also interested in Kimi as Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko make deep conversations with Kimi and Robertson in Ferrari motorhome but no doubt Nobert Haug want Kimi drive one of Mercedes powered team it could be Mclaren,Brawn,Red Bull
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i don’t want Kimi leave F1 like this,win at least two more championship, then he can leave F1 with glory
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Well zero where did you read about Red Bull, Kimi and Robertson meeting?
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@Amol: http://twitter.com/JRobertsF1 – "Just spotted Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko in deep conversation with Kimi and his manager in the Ferrari motorhome…"
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awww….i loved the way kimi answers questions…precise and honest!no bullshit!
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Thanks Saima for the link! I’m imagining Kimi and Seb locking out the front row of the grid now… how awesome he’d look in blue (I love their overalls), and in a speedy little Red Bull. It suits his style, and would be a dream team since Seb is my 2nd fave driver! But they’d have to do a Ferrari on Mark for him to get that seat, and I guess that’s not so nice… 😦
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Hi everyone,I just read the interview with Martin Whitmarsh on formula1.com and he praised Kimi a lot more than SD praised him for the whole of 2 years, I think! He really values Kimi so much more than Ferrari ever did and knows him very well.The way he’s talking looks like they is a very huge possibility that we will see Kimi back in Macca next year (hopefully!!!) I think that there may be only 2 reasons why Macca are not yet saying anything:1) They are still ironing out Kimi’s contract and2) They are respecting Heikki as their current driver. This matches with Kimi’s comment that he will not decide in the next few days especially since Heikki is his friend. What do you guys think? You know how Kimi is, I’m sure he does not want Heikki to feel what he himself has gone through with Ferrari.I really hope that Kimi goes back there because he also said that their 2010 car is already very advanced in its development so it will be another winning car.
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Yes, that Whitmarsh interview can be read here: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/10/10060.htmlHe says: "Kimi is a fantastic driver, and I like him and know him well. He was with the team for five years. He is quick, he is committed and I think he probably would be very committed to beating Ferrari in the future – knowing him. All these are attractive things with Kimi. He is not political. He is absolutely straightforward – what you see is what you get with Kimi. And on top of that everyone knows that he is a winning driver. I think he has been underestimated technically. He is a very good racing driver and I think he would fit well in this team, if we choose to go down that route."YAY! I want this season to end ASAP so my mind and heart can rest over this. I even dreamt last night about it, I was speaking with the Robertsons.
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Hey Kracer + Saima – wow, all the soundbites look positive! Personally, I can’t wait to have Kimi in a McLaren, although it would be cool to have him in RBR with his buddy Seb provided they have a good car!! Just a pipe dream I guess!As for why the confirmation is taking so long, I agree that it probably boils down to the 2 factors Kracer mentioned. Commercial negotiations take time because no one wants to the be the first to blink. It’s always a waiting game – just recently my company clinched a deal at a fraction of the price we expected to pay because we waited, the other side got desperate and caved in! 🙂 I expect the Robertsons are playing the same game. I’m looking forwad to next season too. This one has just been awful in so many ways. Kimi, if you ever read this, get into that McLaren (or whatever other car you choose) and blitz the grid. And don’t forget to take a long, cool glance at those Ferraris in your mirrors as you take the chequered flag!! 😉
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Haha! You’re right, Saima! i can’t wait! I’m really hoping that Kimi stays in F1 since we only get the rally highlights here. Plus, he will also be looking for a winning team there so he has more chances in F1.I think he will stay coz I am sure he still has sponsor commitments that will be affected (like with Tag Heuer) and what wlll happen to the Robertsons if Kimi quits? Are they managing anyone else? Well, definitely no one as important as Kimi.So, I am sooo in suspense just like everyone else so I hope they don’t make us wait too long.I don’t mind seeing him in Brawn too because Ross is a brilliant strategist and I don’t think Michael would have won as many races if Ross wasn’t there.I don’t t think he will go to Red Bull (although it would be great for him to partner Seb, too) coz didn’t they already announce their driver line-up?Well, for now, I hope he is back home (or on vacation) resting and relaxing with his family and friends. He needs to get his mind off of everything that has just happened. I know he is probably getting all the support from the people he cares about now that he is with them.
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@Kracer – I don’t think Kimi will quit (I sincerely hope not, since I only get highlights too!). There’s a learning curve in WRC, and as he said himself, experience is very important there. It will be a challenge getting a top WRC drive with no experience, and an even bigger one to start fighting for the championship immediately. Having said that, there might be a seat at Citroen if Sebastian Loeb is really leaving, but the question is whether Citroen will take him on as a rookie, with only Dani Sordo (who’s Loeb’s current wing man) to fight Mikko Hirvonen and JM Latvala. Kimi’s got all the experience he needs in F1 – all that’s missing is a winning car and team. So, F1 is still his best bet. I doubt he’ll be content sitting at home in retirement mode either! So, I do think he’ll stay where we can all see him. :)Like you, I hope he’s having a good break and all the emotional support he needs. Last week was dreadful for us, and no doubt even worse for him. And he took it all with dignity and grace – really made me proud to be a Kimi fan.Btw, Felipe is back "home" at Maranello! The planet f1 article is hilarious – it’s a love fest going on there, and strangely, no hugs and kisses for the new addition to the family from Felipe. For your entertainment, guys!http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5610451,00.html
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When I read the Interview with M.Whitmarsh, it immediately occured to me that what Kimi said in his interview is in sync with what Martin had to say when asked about Kimi’s future. They both seem to be taking their time nutting out the details and yes, agree perhaps out of respect to Heikki. I especially like the comment about knowing Kimi, that he’s fully committed and will most likely take great pleasure in kicking Ferrari’s butt, if and when he ends up in a competitive McLaren. Too right!Also I think the interview reassured us somewhat that McLaren still has a long term contract with Mercedes…let’s hope so.Thanks Saima, & Wolfie for translation of Marc Gene’s kind words in response to Kimi’s departure. Didn’t expect to hear anything less really, especially someone of Kimi’s calibre.
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Anyone see this already? Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long.http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=348184&FS=F1
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Thank God, finally someone in Ferrari who has the courage to come out and say something sincere about Kimi. I am sure there are others there who feel the same way but just do not have the position or the importance to be noticed by the media.Thanks to Marc Gene for speaking up about the Kimi that he knows.And it has to come from someone who is a Spaniard.
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I have often heard Kimi being described as "very intelligent". This is indeed true. I like the way he plays this game. He is just stringing all these in-your-face reporters along. By not giving any definite clues with regard to his future they don’t know what to do. In fact, it seems as if the whole F1 is waiting for Kimi’s decision. I wonder what Ferrari makes of this. They probably thought he would just grap the first team that comes along!! This is just brilliant!! By keeping his cards close to his chest, he is on top of everyone. He won’t beg. Oh, Kimi. you must never retire! I just like your approach to life and how there are just people who are totally flabbergasted by you!! They can’t get a handle on you. They can’t fit you in a mould. You are one in a million!!
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I’m so touched about Marc Gene’s comment on Kimi, someone from Ferrari! I can sensed his sincerity & appreciation. Big thanks to him.I’m following F1 news everyday closely simply because of Kimi. I fear he might just walk away from F1, I can’t imagine that! Oh Kimi please stay at least 1 more year or at least beat Ferrari before you retire from F1. I think it will be very interesting to see if Kimi & Vettel become teammates :); or Kimi parters with Button or Rosberg??? Kimi +McLare+Mercedez will be fantastic but if + Hamilton?? mmhh … … again can’t imagine ; Kimi to rally or stay home???? …. NOOOOOOOOO… not next year please.
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woo hoo Saima ! new old design above ! i love it! those determined eyes !!KFK
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I second that! The new banner is just brilliant 🙂
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yup yup… I noticed this too. Nice 🙂
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HI! Saima,the new banner is excellent:). And thanks to Marc Gene on so nice words.
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I follow Gene on tv sky every gp and he’s used to talk very well about Kimi, he’s a kind person and he’s -I think-able to understand him. also Badoer had a good feeling with him.Kimi is brilliant and kind, only ferrari can’t comprehend this?
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Very nice comment from Marc Gene. 🙂 Expect similar stuff from Luca Badoer as well.So our Kimi has enough offers atm. 1. Mclaren2. Brawn GP3. Red Bull ( they would definitely have different engine for 2010. May be Mercedes )4. ToyotaThough signs from Mclaren are very positive and the agreement looks to be going right now, but if he does n`t get Mclaren then too Kimi will have enough winning team options.I believe Robertsons mentioned that they are in contact with 1-2 teams who seem to already have 2 drivers but still interested in Kimi. That would be Brawn and Red Bull. Also Red Bull are very much serious about Kimi too. Lets see. We`ll be patient and `ll support Kimi and Robertsons to the Fullest! :)Still, Mclaren would be the best option. B-) 😉
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