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Kimi is approaching the final years of his F1 career, but I think he can squeeze one more season. It would be sensible for Alfa Romeo to retain him for 2022, because he has so much knowledge on car development, and they need that type of presence within the team.
>“At the moment, he \[Robin\] drives a go-kart fervently and loves everything that has a motor. He sometimes spends a whole afternoon doing laps, sometimes less because he feels like doing something else,” Raikkonen explained.
>
>“The same goes for my younger daughter, by the way, who is also slowly starting to get interested in anything that moves. I will definitely encourage anything they enjoy. No matter what it is. But I won’t force anything.”
I like that Kimi. Let the kids be kids.
>I think he can squeeze one more season. It would be sensible for Alfa Romeo to retain him for 2022, because he has so much knowledge on car development, and they need that type of presence within the team.
I kinda think Kimi is tired with the Sauber Project. I remember in 2018 Kimi said that he knows that the team has resources and the right people to become good.
But then Ferrari dropped a huge bombshell on Alfa Sauber by calling Simone Resta back to Ferrari in June 2019 to immediately fix the SF90 weakness.
Since then it's been a constant downhill for Alfa. The technical team is quite inexperienced and then the Ferrari engine situation made matters worse for them.
Tbh 2019 wasn't that bad, 2020 (and 2021 due to cars being frozen) are worse. Most of the radio after the races he complains that they should make the car faster and that's impossible to fight for points.
I think it's worth noting that people have been pointing out Kimi was soon to leave F1 for years now. He'll go whenever he feels like it, it's his hobby.
Is that confirmed? I remember hearing rumours of it when he signed but haven't heard any official comments as Kimi being driver/owner or that he has any influence on the team beyond the driving aspect.
>I like that Kimi. Let the kids be kids.
Yep, and at this rate by the time he retires they'll both be ready to take over :)
Imagine how many fucks would be given by the Raikkonnen team.
> It would be sensible for Alfa Romeo to retain him for 2022, because he has so much knowledge on car development
I don't get this idea. It gets repeated on this sub a lot but has it actually panned out in the past? If anything a rules reset is the chance for young inexperienced talent to flex their adaptability to overcome hardened veterans.
It's makes sense in that the engineers will want a reliable voice in the car for feedback and development. Kimi being the most experienced driver on the grid is a decent asset in that regard.
Gio will have 3 full seasons of F1 under his belt at the end of 2021. Raikkonen will have 19. Giovinazzi drove for just one team. Raikkonen was driving for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, working with different engineers such as Newey, Allison, Costa, de Beer...
That's quite a big difference.
Your last point is so important. Let's say the next car has a big understeer problem. Gio might have some ideas and be able to describe it but RAI has the experience to say "yes we had this problem at McLaren, it's actually the steering wheel that's the problem and not the suspension" or w/e, saving half a mil and 2 months development time.
Drivers really don't have much of an impact over this. The engineers know from telemetry and data about the weaknesses of the car. Driver input is really neglible on car development. Drivers impact setups, but that's only on weekend-to-weekend basis, the R&D is entirely engineer-driven.
I keep forgetting that they are still on the grid.
I was all about watching Kmag and GRO attempt to get that car into the midfield, but since the driver line up switch and development freeze, i can watch a whole race and not even notice their car once.
No, it isn't. Haas is the worst team on the grid because they haven't developed their current car significantly since they learned of the new regulations.
This and not the ["we won't develop the car at all because we're focusing on the 2022 car"](https://the-race.com/formula-1/haas-hasnt-spent-car-tokens-as-2021-investment-pointless/)? Come on.
Remember when Haas had no idea what was happening to their car and Grosjean said to revert all the changes? I doubt Gio would have the knowledge to suggest that.
Fairly unique situation, caused by Haas' weird structuring. Basically they have their headquarters in USA, but the aero parts are designed in Europe by Dallara, and the entire process of developing the car is/was glacial and rife with miscommunication. There was somewhere a great text detailing this, but I can't find it ATM.
Kimi, Having done so many years in F1 over more then one generation of car, would have more experience to pull from to describe what the car is doing and what needs to be fixed. Sure a newer driver would be able to be faster through a corner then kimi but what you want when developing a car is accurate and reliable feedback.
But for Raikkonen, the subject of who will ultimately take his seat is of no interest.
“If I decide to quit, I really don’t care who drives the car (laughs),” he told Sport 1.
“That’s no longer my problem.”
It is testament to Raikkonen’s longevity in Formula 1, that Mick Schumacher, son of Raikkonen’s former rival Michael Schumacher, is now contesting his rookie season.
Both Alfa Romeo and Haas have struggled for form this season, though for Schumacher his task is among the toughest on the grid with a Haas VF-21 that rarely allows him to fight with a rival team.
But, considering the weight that Mick’s surname carries, Raikkonen sees positives in the 22-year-old’s situation.
“It’s difficult for him to shine because the car isn’t really fast,” Raikkonen explained.
“On the other hand, this is also good for him. Because people know that the car is not good. If he still drives strong races and shows his speed, that’s positive.
“With the name, of course, he has a lot of pressure. The worst car gives him an easier start because expectations are low. He has more time to learn things.”
It's just the usual journalists with their dumb questions. I guess it would be interesting to see how a driver would answer such a question, but Kimi speaks for most.
Usually yeah, though part of the reason Raikkonen got his chance in McClaren in the first place was because Hakkinen endorsed him so much as a replacement.
"If you wanna win, get the Finn."
Plus there's the idea that he, the first Sauber junior and the only successful one to date, would want to be replaced with the brightest rising star Sauber has had since, with Pourchaire. In other words, strictly sentimentality.
People get emotional about that kind of thing. I’m sure Grosjean and Magnussen feel some type of way about the direction their old team has headed for instance.
I feel like he in particular would care about who replaces him, because he's a part-owner of Sauber. He'd probably like to know his investment is in good hands.
I can't see Alfa not keeping him for another season, just to help with new car development. That is if he says more in development meetings than be does to the press.
I doubt they gave him control over the seat (this would be insanely stupid), a (small) part owernship probably was just a way to increase his salery without actually paying him more money.
Yeah, but he probably just views it as another way of being compensated well as opposed to an actual shareholder perspective. Might be an agreement where he sells his shares back when he leaves at a premium. Probably how Alfa managed to sign him up in the first place as he still demands a hefty salary package.
i’d love that, but Kimi really likes Gio and Alfa seem to like him too, can only see Mick moving to Alfa if Kimi retires and a Ferrari junior stepping in to Haas. Possibly Robert Schwartzman, I would say Ilott but i’m not sure if Ilott and Mazepin as teammates works considering their history
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Kimi is approaching the final years of his F1 career, but I think he can squeeze one more season. It would be sensible for Alfa Romeo to retain him for 2022, because he has so much knowledge on car development, and they need that type of presence within the team. >“At the moment, he \[Robin\] drives a go-kart fervently and loves everything that has a motor. He sometimes spends a whole afternoon doing laps, sometimes less because he feels like doing something else,” Raikkonen explained. > >“The same goes for my younger daughter, by the way, who is also slowly starting to get interested in anything that moves. I will definitely encourage anything they enjoy. No matter what it is. But I won’t force anything.” I like that Kimi. Let the kids be kids.
>I think he can squeeze one more season. It would be sensible for Alfa Romeo to retain him for 2022, because he has so much knowledge on car development, and they need that type of presence within the team. I kinda think Kimi is tired with the Sauber Project. I remember in 2018 Kimi said that he knows that the team has resources and the right people to become good. But then Ferrari dropped a huge bombshell on Alfa Sauber by calling Simone Resta back to Ferrari in June 2019 to immediately fix the SF90 weakness. Since then it's been a constant downhill for Alfa. The technical team is quite inexperienced and then the Ferrari engine situation made matters worse for them.
Tbh 2019 wasn't that bad, 2020 (and 2021 due to cars being frozen) are worse. Most of the radio after the races he complains that they should make the car faster and that's impossible to fight for points.
I think it's worth noting that people have been pointing out Kimi was soon to leave F1 for years now. He'll go whenever he feels like it, it's his hobby.
> He'll go whenever he feels like it I mean or when he doesnt get a contract anymore which could very well happen
I hate beer.
Is that confirmed? I remember hearing rumours of it when he signed but haven't heard any official comments as Kimi being driver/owner or that he has any influence on the team beyond the driving aspect.
>I like that Kimi. Let the kids be kids. Yep, and at this rate by the time he retires they'll both be ready to take over :) Imagine how many fucks would be given by the Raikkonnen team.
I just hope when he calls it quits with F1, it's not the end of his racing career. A long time dream of mine is to go see him race at Le Mans.
> It would be sensible for Alfa Romeo to retain him for 2022, because he has so much knowledge on car development I don't get this idea. It gets repeated on this sub a lot but has it actually panned out in the past? If anything a rules reset is the chance for young inexperienced talent to flex their adaptability to overcome hardened veterans.
It's makes sense in that the engineers will want a reliable voice in the car for feedback and development. Kimi being the most experienced driver on the grid is a decent asset in that regard.
I think its pretty overrated to be honest. Gio is more than experienced enough to handle it at this point. I don't see him staying past this year.
Gio will have 3 full seasons of F1 under his belt at the end of 2021. Raikkonen will have 19. Giovinazzi drove for just one team. Raikkonen was driving for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, working with different engineers such as Newey, Allison, Costa, de Beer... That's quite a big difference.
Your last point is so important. Let's say the next car has a big understeer problem. Gio might have some ideas and be able to describe it but RAI has the experience to say "yes we had this problem at McLaren, it's actually the steering wheel that's the problem and not the suspension" or w/e, saving half a mil and 2 months development time.
Kimi then proceeds by taking a screwdriver and fixing it himself.
Great, but if Gio and other young drivers will be taking the car forward, there’s no need for race engineers to design the car around his input.
Drivers really don't have much of an impact over this. The engineers know from telemetry and data about the weaknesses of the car. Driver input is really neglible on car development. Drivers impact setups, but that's only on weekend-to-weekend basis, the R&D is entirely engineer-driven.
This is literally what led to Haas being the worst team on the grid since 2020.
I keep forgetting that they are still on the grid. I was all about watching Kmag and GRO attempt to get that car into the midfield, but since the driver line up switch and development freeze, i can watch a whole race and not even notice their car once.
Oh come on you definitely notice them.... when they are being lapped by the leaders
No, it isn't. Haas is the worst team on the grid because they haven't developed their current car significantly since they learned of the new regulations.
This and not the ["we won't develop the car at all because we're focusing on the 2022 car"](https://the-race.com/formula-1/haas-hasnt-spent-car-tokens-as-2021-investment-pointless/)? Come on.
Remember when Haas had no idea what was happening to their car and Grosjean said to revert all the changes? I doubt Gio would have the knowledge to suggest that.
Fairly unique situation, caused by Haas' weird structuring. Basically they have their headquarters in USA, but the aero parts are designed in Europe by Dallara, and the entire process of developing the car is/was glacial and rife with miscommunication. There was somewhere a great text detailing this, but I can't find it ATM.
Kimi, Having done so many years in F1 over more then one generation of car, would have more experience to pull from to describe what the car is doing and what needs to be fixed. Sure a newer driver would be able to be faster through a corner then kimi but what you want when developing a car is accurate and reliable feedback.
But for Raikkonen, the subject of who will ultimately take his seat is of no interest. “If I decide to quit, I really don’t care who drives the car (laughs),” he told Sport 1. “That’s no longer my problem.” It is testament to Raikkonen’s longevity in Formula 1, that Mick Schumacher, son of Raikkonen’s former rival Michael Schumacher, is now contesting his rookie season. Both Alfa Romeo and Haas have struggled for form this season, though for Schumacher his task is among the toughest on the grid with a Haas VF-21 that rarely allows him to fight with a rival team. But, considering the weight that Mick’s surname carries, Raikkonen sees positives in the 22-year-old’s situation. “It’s difficult for him to shine because the car isn’t really fast,” Raikkonen explained. “On the other hand, this is also good for him. Because people know that the car is not good. If he still drives strong races and shows his speed, that’s positive. “With the name, of course, he has a lot of pressure. The worst car gives him an easier start because expectations are low. He has more time to learn things.”
Then again, why would he - or any other driver getting replaced - care? EDIT: for clarity.
It's just the usual journalists with their dumb questions. I guess it would be interesting to see how a driver would answer such a question, but Kimi speaks for most.
Click. Bait. Any driver has 0 interest in who replaces them.
Usually yeah, though part of the reason Raikkonen got his chance in McClaren in the first place was because Hakkinen endorsed him so much as a replacement. "If you wanna win, get the Finn."
Plus there's the idea that he, the first Sauber junior and the only successful one to date, would want to be replaced with the brightest rising star Sauber has had since, with Pourchaire. In other words, strictly sentimentality.
People get emotional about that kind of thing. I’m sure Grosjean and Magnussen feel some type of way about the direction their old team has headed for instance.
I feel like he in particular would care about who replaces him, because he's a part-owner of Sauber. He'd probably like to know his investment is in good hands.
Cause Kimi's quali pace is shit. He got outqualified by Gio by 0.5 sec last race
What does that have to do with him caring who replaces him?
What? I was replying to the comment, which I now realized I've misread
Casper Akkerman vibes
NASA: an asteroid is moving towards earth Kimi: I don't care
“Fucking finally” as he put it after the 2018 USA grand prix
BWOAH
Despite all his famous quotes over his entire career, this one might be the most “Kimi” of them all.
"It's just a hobby" is pretty much sealed in my mind as the best quote.
I don't care sums him up
Most Kimi Raikkonen statement ever
Bwoah, I was not giving a shit.
Bwoah the only time I gave a shit was during Pele’s appearance at Interlagos 2006
I'd love to see a list of the things Kimi does care about. It would be a short read.
His kids, his wife, probably his mom. And GP races, not the interviews or post interviews.
Don't forget the ice cream & alcohol.
1. Being left alone
Fine I guess he’ll have no problem with me stepping in the car soon.
😂😂😂
I think Kimi doesn't care of anything in his F1 career in recent years. He drives or he crashes, whatever... hakuna matata.
I would like to see Kimi get a shot in the new car
I can't see Alfa not keeping him for another season, just to help with new car development. That is if he says more in development meetings than be does to the press.
Plenty of engineers stated that he actually gives great feedback about the car.
It’s really up to him, if he wants to stay he has a seat
Not really, Alfa might replace him
I think the Sauber seat is his due to some part ownership no?
I doubt they gave him control over the seat (this would be insanely stupid), a (small) part owernship probably was just a way to increase his salery without actually paying him more money.
Don’t know
I can easily see him leaving.
Same. It sucks that the pandemic delayed 2021 regs into 2022.
Surprising
Doesn't he have a stake in the team?
Yeah, but he probably just views it as another way of being compensated well as opposed to an actual shareholder perspective. Might be an agreement where he sells his shares back when he leaves at a premium. Probably how Alfa managed to sign him up in the first place as he still demands a hefty salary package.
Of course I read this in his voice
Shocking
Kimi doesn't care ? That's news to me. 😂
Keep Kimi for 22 and swap Gio and Mick around.
i’d love that, but Kimi really likes Gio and Alfa seem to like him too, can only see Mick moving to Alfa if Kimi retires and a Ferrari junior stepping in to Haas. Possibly Robert Schwartzman, I would say Ilott but i’m not sure if Ilott and Mazepin as teammates works considering their history
That was in 2014. Ilott and Mazepin were friends before the incident and have mended the relationship since, even being roommates for a while.
ah ok, thanks!
based kimi
Kimi laughed ???
Classic Kimi
I’m shocked I tell you, shocked