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?

 

[Olivier]

I don't think Raikkonen is going to be around (at Ferrari) for 2015. They wanted Vettel last year but I'm under the impression that they have changed their minds. They may attempt to lure his younger team-mate.

 

[Bushi]

Riiiight.....

 

[Il_leone]

i dont see why Kimi should be retained and certainly has not justified his £10 m a year salary.. he's done worse than Massa did against Alonso at the moment

he reminds of Gerhard Berger hanging around a top team because of his reputation and denying someone with more hunger to do better in the car

 

[KekeTheKing]

Kimi has been a master at using the Spa runoff area to his advantage in the past. He was incredibly lucky to avoid serious injury by trying it at Silverstone today. An angle of impact just a couple degrees different could have been very bad.

 

[Fenderman]

Indeed. He seems to have forgotten the consequences of his excursion at Pouhon in 2008. Spearing back onto the track at full bore was never a good idea. Now that we know that he is okay and will be fit for Germany I can happily call him a berk. The rule on rejoining the race having left the track require the driver to do so in a safe manner. It's sheer luck that no-one was seriously injured. We can clearly see in the replays that Kimi was full on the gas. IMHO he should be penalised for failing to exercise the requisite caution and causing a collision. A grid drop for the next race and points on his license is the least I would expect.

 

[Incubus]

Along the "safe manner" rule, isn't there also a rule that a pack of cars racing each other on the track have track priority over you when you've had an off - and that you're supposed to wait for the whole pack to go through before you rejoin? I'm wording it very badly but it's something along those lines.

 

[Fenderman]

I'll look it up ...

Edit:
From FIA 2014 Sporting Regulations:

16) INCIDENTS
16.1 "Incident" means any occurrence or series of occurrences involving one or more drivers, or any action by any driver, which is reported to the stewards by the race director (or noted by the stewards and subsequently investigated) which :
a) Necessitated the suspension of a race under Article 41.
b) Constituted a breach of these Sporting Regulations or the Code.
c) Caused a false start by one or more cars.
d) Caused a collision.
e) Forced a driver off the track.
f) Illegitimately prevented a legitimate overtaking manoeuvre by a driver.
g) Illegitimately impeded another driver during overtaking.

Unless it was completely clear that a driver was in breach of any of the above, any incidents involving more than one car will normally be investigated after the race.

I would have thought that clause 16.1d applies and that the last sentence makes it clear that the incident should "be investigated after the race".I'm still looking to see if I can find it in the rule book but it may be that definitive statements about that kind of behaviour are contained one or more directives from Charlie Whiting.

Edit 2:

20) DRIVING
20.1 The driver must drive the car alone and unaided.
20.2 Drivers must use the track at all times. For the avoidance of doubt the white lines defining the track edges are considered to be part of the track but the kerbs are not.
A driver will be judged to have left the track if no part of the car remains in contact with the track.
Should a car leave the track the driver may re-join, however, this may only be done when it is safe to do so and without gaining any lasting advantage. At the absolute discretion of the race director a driver may be given the opportunity to give back the whole of any advantage he gained by leaving the track.
A driver may not deliberately leave the track without justifiable reason.

Note: Underlines are mine.

41) SUSPENDING A RACE
41.1 Should it become necessary to suspend the race because the circuit is blocked by an accident or because weather or other conditions make it dangerous to continue, the clerk of the course will order red flags to be shown at all marshal posts and the abort lights to be shown at the Line.
41.2 When the signal is given overtaking is forbidden, the pit exit will be closed and all cars must proceed slowly to the starting grid. The first car to arrive on the grid should occupy pole position and others should fill the remaining grid positions in the order they arrive.
If the race is suspended during a safety car intervention, and the safety car is directed into the pit lane, cars should stop in a line behind the safety car in the fast lane of the pits.

 

[Olivier]

Raikkonen to sit out next week's test, Bianchi and De La Rosa will drive the Ferraris

 

[Il_leone]

Be interesting to see if Ferrari will push Bianchi if he impresses like a certain Gilles Villeneuve all those years ago into a try out

 

[RasputinLives]

I'm surprised not to see Marchiello get a go in the car being that he is the Ferrari academy whizz kid right now.

 

[Fenderman]

Will Buxton had strong views on Kimi's excursion ... and got some back! Check out this little item and the comments he got in response ... Ouch!

http://willthef1journo.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/benching-kimi/

 

[F1Yorkshire]

A lot of them are the typical idiotic internet troll which luckily this incredibly well run site doesn't have!

As for the comments about Kimi, I completely agree. He joined the track in an unsafe manner, if he had have done a trackwalk he may have noticed the gully or maybe not.

What is certain is that he should be more cautious when rejoining the track in the future.

 

[Il_leone]

I am sorry but he must be close to getting the sack after another woeful performance finishing 30 seconds behind ALonso again .

Kimi is not making use of the car -

 

[Mephistopheles]

I think Kimi is just bored with F1 it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he announced his retirement at the end of the season..

 

[teabagyokel]

97-19 on points now. That is not even close to acceptable, for the fee I have no doubt he is being paid. Alonso is steamrollering Raikkonen.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Yes but if they sack him they will have to pay his wages for the next two years,,,, again.....

 

[Mephistopheles]

97-19 on points now. That is not even close to acceptable, for the fee I have no doubt he is being paid. Alonso is steamrollering Raikkonen.

I remember when 97 points was enough to win a championship..

 

[Il_leone]

I remember when 97 points was enough to win a championship..

Well Ferrari have themselves to blame for overpaying him but good on him and his management for swindling the team twice then

I seriously would want Hulkenberg or Grosjean in the 2nd car even if Alonso does not like it.. Kimi's time is up

 

[Mephistopheles]

I'd like to see Button in the car for his last hurrah...

 

[soccerman17]

I'd like to see Kimi in IndyCar. Pretty confident he'll be out of F1 soon. I'm sure that won't happen though as he'll surely elect to rally and snowmobile and get chicks.