Kimi Räikkönen

Probably one of the coolest drivers ever to grace F1 alongside James Hunt.

His part life-style may not have been to some teams liking in F1 but you can't deny that Kimi was probably one of the best drivers on the grid from 2003-09. He should have won more championships than he did!

Kimi won his one and only F1 Championship in 2007. Kimi won 18 races, 16 pole positions, scored 62 podiums and claimed 35 fastest laps in his time in F1.

Kimi is probably the must unluckiest driver to ever grace F1 and the amount of retirements he had no fault of his own were lots.

Kimi won his first GP in 2003 winning the Malaysian GP and he claimed his last victory in F1 at the 2009 Belguim GP.

Kimi started his F1 career in 2001 driving for Sauber, he then went on to drive for Mclaren and Ferrari before quitting the sport in 2009.

Kimi produced probably the 2 most funniest moments to happen in F1 over the last 10 years, when he said at the Brazilian GP in 2006 when Schumi first retired from F1 and the other one at the Malaysian GP where the race was red flagged and he went to the garage and got into shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops and started eating ice-cream.

Whether you liked him or not you can't deny his talent, he produced one of the comebacks of the past 10 season by starting near the back of the Japan GP in 2005 and went on to win it! Probably one of his best race wins in F1.

Did you like Kimi or Not?

 

[Bill Boddy]

Brundle just confirmed during Q1 that Raikkonen won't be at Williams next year.

Well there's one we never saw coming.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

...but he is in talks with Lotus, Caterham, HRT, Marussia and Force India

 

[Bill Boddy]

...but he is in talks with Lotus, Caterham, HRT, Marussia and Force India

What do you mean by "talks"? Didn't know that he did that, much more like a sleeping partner.

 

[RasputinLives]

...but he is in talks with Lotus, Caterham, HRT, Marussia and Force India

Who've all either got drivers signed for next year or too many drivers to pick from already so I think thats the end of Kimi's come back for this year.

 

[Brogan]

From James Allen on Twitter:

Sources telling me F1 fans should keep your eyes on Twitter and websites this evening for Kimi Raikkonen news....

 

[Jos the Boss]

http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/02/07/will-lotus-renault-call-on-raikkonen/

 

[Slyboogy]

Who've all either got drivers signed for next year or too many drivers to pick from already so I think thats the end of Kimi's come back for this year.

Think ExtremeNinja was taking the piss...

 

[The Pits]

It's been confirmed on the LRGP website that Kimi has signed a two year deal to race with them.

So 6 world champs on the grid next year then!!

 

[jez101]

http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/02/07/will-lotus-renault-call-on-raikkonen/

Article dated 7th Feb 2011? Cooper was right, but nine months wrong. Correct link confirming the deal

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/8034-Kimi-Raikkonen-back-in-F1-with.html

 

[Brogan]

It's a good job he's not desperate to get back in to F1, otherwise he would have ended up in a struggling mid-field team.

Oh wait...

 

[The Pits]

He must be down to his last $20,000,000 poor lamb

 

[Josh]

My pretty much favorite driver is back

 

[FB]

I wonder quite what he hopes to achieve? He's unlikely to win a race with Renault let alone another World title, maybe it's just the buzz but you'd think he would get that from rallying and US traffic jam racing NASCAR.

 

[Greenlantern101]

KIMI IS BACK WOOO HOOOO. Brilliant news. I Guess that was why Robert was dropped like a bad smell last week.

 

[RasputinLives]

Well knock my hat off and call me Susan. Didn't see that coming.

Would love to get excited about it but another ex world champion clogging up a seat one of a whole host of up and coming youngsters could have a shot with seems a shame to me. Not really sure what Kimi has to gain and can't see him pulling off race victories. But then again I've been wrong before.

I really hope they chuck in Petrov for Grosjean now as think he deserves a shot.

 

[Galahad]

Well I never.

 

[Viscount]

I wonder quite what he hopes to achieve? He's unlikely to win a race with Renault let alone another World title, maybe it's just the buzz but you'd think he would get that from rallying and US traffic jam racing NASCAR.

This is selective quoting, but Eric Boullier did say a few weeks ago, "The driver market is closed anyway for 2012 so our priority is not to have a big name in the car but to have a fast car which can then be given to a big name to win races. We should do it in this order and not the other way around - even though I would agree that a big name would help to make the car better, definitely."

So perhaps Lotus/Renault believe that they'll have a potential race winning car next season.

 

[FB]

It would be interesting if they do and also if a bloke who has been out of F1 for 2 years will still be fast enough.

 

[Brogan]

 

[RasputinLives]

What do we conclude from this move? Are we buying that Kimi now has a new hunger for F1 after going and doing the Rallying that he really wanted to do or do we conclude that Kimi always wanted to be in F1 but just wasn't prepared to lose out on money from Ferrari so priced himself out of the sport and has spent the last 2 years trying to negociate himself back in and has eventually gone with Lotus because he couldn't get any higher?