Kimi's comeback.Thoughts from the Media
– At the moment Kimi is completely dedicated to learn as quickly as possible all that's needed in order to be competitive with a WRC-car, Robertson assures.
– Kimi has also made it clear that he might want to go back to F1 only if he gets to drive a winning car so that he can fight for the championship. That's why he has to decide it in the middle of the season when the best driver seats are up for grabs.
– At this stage it's impossible to estimate in which direction Kimi will go. It's clear that now he invests everything into his rally career, Robertson emphasises.
Red Bull already pays Räikkönen's salary so Räikkönen would have the most logical bonds to Red Bull. Red Bull has a contract for 2011 only with Sebastian Vettel. Both McLaren and Mercedes have longer contracts with their drivers.
BBC will miss Räikkönen
I took the advantage on Ferrari's media-days to ask if the international media thinks Räikkönen will go back to F1 or make a longer rally career.
BBC:s commentator Jonathan Legard believes that the chances are 50-50.
– Of course it depends first of all on how Kimi will do in rally during the beginning of the season. If he starts doing well immediately we won't probably see him in a F1-car anymore.
The season is going to be mega-interesting for BBC when McLaren has two British WDC's, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
– But if Kimi would be in F1, there would be five WDC's in the serie. That hasn't happened in ages. Kimi has a big fanbase in UK so if he had stayed in F1 it would have increased the interest even more when thinking of BBC, Legard reminds.
Carlos Miguel from Spanish AS-magazine believes that it's certain that Räikkönen will return to F1 already next year.
– Kimi only wants to win and when he realises that he won't fight for victories in WRC this year F1 will become interesting again during the mid-season. I think Red Bull would be an ideal team for him in F1 also.
– Personally I would have wanted to see Kimi as Fernando Alonso's team mate in Ferrari. When thinking of Kimi's merits in driving he is the kind of a driver that F1 desperately needs, Miguel continues.
The more laidback rally will take him away
The Brasilian veteran reporter Livio Oricchio goes in a completely opposite direction writing off Räikkönen from F1-history for good.
– Kimi's F1-career is definitely over. I had a chance to visit his own roots in Finland and I understood his cultural background much better after that. The mandatory F1-promotions were such an agony for Kimi that I'm sure he doesn't want to go back to that again.
– I believe Kimi is at home in the rallying world. On top of that it offers him a challenge F1 can't offer him anymore since no driver has won the WDC in both F1 and WRC, Oricchio thinks.
Andrzej Borowczyk from Poland's TV and who knows closely a whole bunch of Finnish rally stars, believes that Räikkönen will like it much more on the rally side.
– The going is much more laidback there and Kimi will see much more friends and countrymen there. It's clear that Kimi is now starting a 3-year period in WRC. You can't grow to a winner in any less time. I think Kimi will stay there and F1 will be over for him.
source:TS
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