Kimi gone from Ferrari ?

thegoth

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/2585844/Ferrari-aim-to-ditch-Kimi-Raikkonen.html

Could well be true, but Ferrari must have lorries of vans full of cash to pay Kimi this much to leave one year early.

Ghost Train

heres another story

"Alonso Could Help Ferrari Wheel In A Lucrative Sponsorship Deal With Santander Bank"

Ferrari is set to announce its multiple-year sponsorship agreement with the Spanish bank Santander next month.

The deal, to kick off in 2010, has been one of F1’s worst-kept secrets for more than a year, but will finally be confirmed officially ahead of the Italian grand prix at Monza. F1 Times

The arrival of the Spanish banking giant is expected to go hand-in-hand with that of the double F1 world champion, who would be reunited with a backer that he shared a brief dalliance with at McLaren in 2007.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11082009/58/alonso-ferrari-switch-moves-closer.html

thegoth

Now that makes more sense

enzo7

If i were ferrari id pay kimi whatever he wants to rip up his contract. Seriously hope the alsonso deal goes through for nxt season, on hearing about the santander deal i reckon it in the bag:D

On a diff note really excited at the prospect of rosberg maybe getting the 2nd maclaren seat.

Top Dog

thegoth wrote: »

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/2585844/Ferrari-aim-to-ditch-Kimi-Raikkonen.html

Could well be true, but Ferrari must have lorries of vans full of cash to pay Kimi this much to leave one year early.

Well they're paying him 51million dollars a year to underperform, so a payoff of 20million to get shot of him doesn't sound that far fetched.

Or they could just move him into a WRC entry Fiat Punto - keeping him under some form of contract maybe.

EvilMonkey

enzo7 wrote: »

If i were ferrari id pay kimi whatever he wants to rip up his contract. Seriously hope the alsonso deal goes through for nxt season, on hearing about the santander deal i reckon it in the bag:D

On a diff note really excited at the prospect of rosberg maybe getting the 2nd maclaren seat.

Seems like it would be up to Kimi take the money or race next year.

If i was Rosberg i wouldn't go near McLaren, he will never be given a fair chance.

frostie500

enzo7 wrote: »

On a diff note really excited at the prospect of rosberg maybe getting the 2nd maclaren seat.

I'd be more excited to see Kubica get the seat

enzo7

EvilMonkey wrote: »

Seems like it would be up to Kimi take the money or race next year.

If i was Rosberg i wouldn't go near McLaren, he will never be given a fair chance.

Can they not sack him?? He will take the money because no driver every stays where his not wanted in the end they always settle.

If it were a yr ago id hate to see rosberg go to maclaren but now i think its a great move because hamilton doesnt hav the same hold over the team he had b4 liargate.

Top Dog

EvilMonkey wrote: »

If i was Rosberg i wouldn't go near McLaren, he will never be given a fair chance.

Whether true or not, if I was in Rosberg's shoes that would definitely be at the back of my mind all the time

enzo7

frostie500 wrote: »

I'd be more excited to see Kubica get the seat

Im a bigger rosberg fan tbh, it be good to see him in a top team doe but just not at rosberg expense. It looks like he might get the 2nd brawn seat but dont know really what state they will be in nxt season.

thegoth

I'd be very vary if I was Rosberg. It could turn him into a mega star of destroy him. By destroy him, I mean a career post McLaren in mid field teams.

Is it a good idea to go against a driver like Lewis who has the team and car developed around him ? Looking at it objectively, the answer must be no. If I was him, I'd look at Brawn, Toyota, or Renault

If he does it, he has mega b*lls and I wish him the very very best of luck

enzo7

Top Dog wrote: »

Whether true or not, if I was in Rosberg's shoes that would definitely be at the back of my mind all the time

Do ye still think maclaren still hold hamilton in such high regard even after he show them such lack a of loyialty after liargate??

I still think if his good enough they will give rosberg a fair chance.

enzo7

thegoth wrote: »

I'd be very vary if I was Rosberg. It could turn him into a mega star of destroy him. By destroy him, I mean a career post McLaren in mid field teams.

Is it a good idea to go against a driver like Lewis who has the team and car developed around him ? Looking at it objectively, the answer must be no. If I was him, I'd look at Brawn, Toyota, or Renault

If he does it, he has mega b*lls and I wish him the very very best of luck

That intresting, but if rosberg is good enough he will be able to adapt to whatever car he drives 2nd i really dont think lewis has the team wrapped around him as much as he did 6mths ago.

Unless he wants to be driving around mid grid nxt yr he has to take a risk and go with a top seat. And if his good enough he will make it work if not he will go back to a mid grid team, nothing ventured nothing gained.

ottostreet

This isn't being posted on ANY reputable sources, and until I see it in Turun Sanomat or Ferrari/Kimi make a formal announcement, I remain 100% convinced Kimi will race in F1 for Ferrari until the end of 2010. Having said all that, I'm not sure how Ferrari feel about Kimi. He is not the same driver he was until the end of 2006. I watched the Brazilian and Malaysian GPs from 2003 today, and its evident that Kimi just doesnt hustle the way he used to.
Kimi is evidently happier with Ferrari than McLaren, but in terms of his job, I think McLaren were able to get more out of him. The discipline and image may not have been to his liking, but Ferrari seem to give him too much freedom. We obviously don't know what happens behind the scenes at Ferrari, but I believe that when Kimi and Ferrari do part ways, Ferrari wont be able to keep their mouths shut and we'll find out what is really happening at this particular stage.

Either way, I feel very sorry for Kimi. Living in the shadow of a 7 time world champion, equal status with a guy who has clearly improved since 2006, and driving a car which right now isn't capable of winning. After the next race, there WILL be people who go 'oh Michael would have done better'. Which we all know is rubbish.

RayM

enzo7 wrote: »

Can they not sack him??

They could sack him right now if they really wanted to, but only if they were prepared to compensate him by buying out the entire remainder of his contract. Alonso is better than Raikkonen, but not that much. I can't see why Ferrari don't just wait until Raikkonen's contract is up at the end of next year, and then sign Alonso for 2011, thus saving millions.

lendrew1

thegoth wrote: »

I'd be very vary if I was Rosberg. It could turn him into a mega star of destroy him. By destroy him, I mean a career post McLaren in mid field teams.

Is it a good idea to go against a driver like Lewis who has the team and car developed around him ? Looking at it objectively, the answer must be no. If I was him, I'd look at Brawn, Toyota, or Renault

If he does it, he has mega b*lls and I wish him the very very best of luck

He'll have to do a Massa. Kimi had the team around him from the start of 2007 till the end of 2008 in China. Now the team is(was) based around Massa.

Having 2 top drivers at a big team only ends in tears imo. Look at Ferrari last year and McLaren the year before. It could also be Red Bulls downfall this year unless one of them pulls away (Hopefully Webber:P)

enzo7

RayM wrote: »

They could sack him right now if they really wanted to, but only if they were prepared to compensate him by buying out the entire remainder of his contract. Alonso is better than Raikkonen, but not that much. I can't see why Ferrari don't just wait until Raikkonen's contract is up at the end of next year, and then sign Alonso for 2011, thus saving millions.

His deadwood they hav nothing to looses by sacking/paying him off and they hav everything to gain by getting alonso for 2010. His a fresh start it will do wonders for team morael to have a fresh face to is willing to turn up at every race also there going to be getting a hell of alot of extra points becasue alonso will actually be scoring some.More importantly the sponsors will be a hell of alot happier. It will also mean the ferrari revival will start a yr earlier that worth a hell of alot more than the £25 million it will cost to get rid of kimi. And it will keep the fans happy.

Top Dog

ottostreet wrote: »

Either way, I feel very sorry for Kimi. Living in the shadow of a 7 time world champion, equal status with a guy who has clearly improved since 2006, and driving a car which right now isn't capable of winning. After the next race, there WILL be people who go 'oh Michael would have done better'. Which we all know is rubbish.

While a lot of that may be true - it still doesn't excuse his inability (or unwillingness) to motivate himself to at least make some form of effort. Its like driving the car is a chore for him these days, and sure if it breaks down then he can just have his ice-cream a bit sooner. Its like he just doesn't care about F1 anymore. He got his WC title so couldn't be bothered anymore.

Personally I really don't feel there'd be any great loss to F1 if he did pi$$ off to the WRC.

enzo7

ottostreet wrote: »

Either way, I feel very sorry for Kimi. Living in the shadow of a 7 time world champion, equal status with a guy who has clearly improved since 2006, and driving a car which right now isn't capable of winning. After the next race, there WILL be people who go 'oh Michael would have done better'. Which we all know is rubbish.

It was always going to be tough for kimi coming to ferrari on the back of what schumacher achieved there but no-one really expected him to come close to schumacher sucess, all any ferrari fan wanted was for him to do his best and he hasnt in the last 2yrs. Would schumacher hav done better dame right he would hav , he would hav beat kimi on attitude alone because schumacher doesnt know how to give less than 100%.

thegoth

lendrew1 wrote: »

Having 2 top drivers at a big team only ends in tears imo. Look at Ferrari last year and McLaren the year before. It could also be Red Bulls downfall this year unless one of them pulls away (Hopefully Webber:P)

Big +1. From a teams point of view, I have always been a fan of one string driver and a decent backup driver. Better having one driver with 70 points and the other with 30 rather than both with 50

Iron Hide

Meh, wouldn't really believe the sun tbh.. Kimi's there till he or Domenicali says otherwise.. On the other hand, Kubica to Renault and Rosberg in a McLaren. Good shout for Kubica but Rosberg (and any driver with a bit of sense) should stay well away from McLaren. They're a team in decline, not necessarily the car, but i doubt the name commands the same level of respect due to their antics of 2007 and the start of this season..