Kimi out of Formula One in 2010

Brogan

Legend
Staff Member
Apparently Kimi Räikkönen's manager has confirmed that he will be taking a sabbatical from Formula One next year.

This is due to him not being able to agree a deal with McLaren.

It looks like they called his bluff and now Kimi just gets to sit on his backside for 12 months and get paid £15 million by Ferrari to do so.

He's playing a dangerous game as 12 months out of F1 in this climate could signal the end of his career.
Especially considering his "stock" has gone down since his WDC in 2007.

It would seem that money seems to be the driving force for a lot of drivers these days and not the desire to compete.

"The options in F1 were with McLaren next season or not at all," Robertson was quoted as saying by respected Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, which has close links with the Raikkonen camp. "Kimi and McLaren were unable to reach an agreement, so he will not drive at the F1 level - at least not next year.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80187

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/nov/17/kimi-raikkonen-mclaren-snub
 
somehow this was to be expected and frankly, i don't think kimi is at all worried about this.

my personal guess... i think there will be lots of seats available after the next season. cos i am pretty sure quite a few teams will be in serious problems with their drivers.
 
I'm very disappointed with this.

According to Autosport, the main stumbling blocks at McLaren related to sponsor appearance days and them not letting him go rallying. And yet rather than acquiesce to their demands he's happy to sit out a season? With that attitude I think Whitmarsh et al are probably better off without him.
 
I tend to agree with you GM.

Kimi seems to want his cake and eat it.
He needs to accept that being an F1 driver in a top team comes with duties other than just driving.

It's also understandable that McLaren wouldn't want to risk him getting injured by going rallying.

As I said, if he sticks with his demand that it's a top team or no-one then he's probably going to have the same problem with whichever team he negotiates with.
 
Personally, I like this from his manager - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8365967.stm

The 30-year-old Finn had been trying to do a deal with McLaren but they would not offer him the salary he wanted, his manager David Robertson told BBC Sport.
"They couldn't afford him," Roberston said. "It wasn't in his interests to race for what they were offering so he's going to go rallying instead."

The same manager then went on to say (2011):

"The same criteria would apply as this year - he'd only go where he feels he has a chance of the world championship."

So he wants it on easy street, and to be paid over the going rate for it. With attitudes like theirs I'm happy to see them out of racing, and making way for those that want to race and not just count the $.
 
It would be quite a gamble for a big, championship-winning team to approach him after a year on the sidelines. Ferrari certainly won't, and McLaren's line up looks set now.

From what we know about Kimi, how easy would he find it to maintain his fitness, for one thing? Quite apart from the demands of a season of rallying, if that's where his passion currently lies.
 
kimi cannot be blamed. he gets paid 15 mil for doing nothing! what would any of you do?

kimi has won the WDC and he thinks, ok guys... my way or the highway. does he care? not at all. nice to spend a year without all that travelling.
 
bogaTYR said:
kimi cannot be blamed. he gets paid 15 mil for doing nothing! what would any of you do?
By all accounts he was offered almost that to race.

It just confirms where Kimi's priorities lie and what a lot of people have thought for a while now.

I wouldn't be surprised if he never makes it back in to F1, at least not with a big team capable of winning.
 
Basically, Kimi wanted to have his cake and eat it. He wanted to be able to go rallying, snow mobiling, etc when he wanted and to have a minimum of sponsorship commitments on top of being the most highly paid driver on the grid. You can't really blame Mclaren for choosing someone who will be easier to work with!
 
i have serious doubts about this kimi to mercedes story.

first of all, kimi wants a potentially WDC winning car. mercedes will be a new team, built on brawn though but still a new team. the chance of them pulling the same trick twice seems remote to me.

and second of all, 15 miliion per year for a driver? i think not.
 
I'm quite happy to drive a car around a rally course and do a bit of snowman building.

I can act a bit miserable and negetive whenever a camera points in my direction.

I'm quite happy to undercut Kimi and do it for £14 million.

???????

Why are you guys worring if he could return to F1 or be stuck in the doldrums of lesser formulas.

If you where given £15m would you worry about employment. NO.

Would you take a drive in an uncompetitive car. NO.

If your heart was no longer in F1 would you not indulge in things that interest you.

£15m, I would never have to worry about money again?
 
I'm with fedup, if someone is going to pay be £15,000,000 to do sod all, then I'll happily take their money. However, unless you are a monarch or former Ferrari driver this isn't going to happen. Since I'm not going to be an F1 driver, and my claim to any throne is slim at best; it is unlikely to happen. Alas!
 
GTFI!! Kimi has signed contract with Citroen and will be driving rally next year. Weeeeeeeeeee!! Altho this should not be on the F1 forum anymore :thinking:
 
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