Kimi Räikkönen's manager Steve Robertson rejects the stubborn rumour that Ferrari would replace Kimi with Alonso after this season.

- Those talks are pure BS, Robertson said to MTV3 on the telephone.

- These rumours have been going on for a while. Some quarters seem to have a habit of coming up with unjustified rumours and the magazines again want to write. A lot of the rumours come from Spanish reporters but as I said, there's no truth in them, Robertson continued.

Robertson didn't want to speculate if the group backing up Alonso could be behind the rumours.

- I don't know who is behind them but I can only assure that Kimi has a contract for the next season. Kimi is happy at Ferrari and he wants to drive for Ferrari.

Robertson says that Räikkönen is committed 110 % to continue his career in F1 and Ferrari.

- He has a contract with Ferrari and he will drive there, Robertson assured.

MTV3 - Lauri Ouvinen

While Kimi Raikkonen looked relaxed and refreshed after the longer than usual break since the last race, the questions he faced this afternoon from the media seemed to be the same as always! Asked if a podium might be a possibility at this circuit, whose characteristics might suit the F60 better than those at the last two races, Kimi was cautious. “We will try our best,” began the Finn. “Certainly, a win would be a very difficult target under normal circumstances, in fact so would a podium. However, it is hard to predict, as apart from the two teams who seem to be regularly at the top, the order behind them seems to change a lot. We will get a better idea once practice starts tomorrow. We have some new parts again for the car, which will hopefully help us a little bit. In general, for the second half of the season, I hope we can bring some major step forward on the car at some point and get closer to the front of the field. I don’t think we are so far off the podium, even if the Red Bull was in a different league to the others in the last few races and they look very difficult to catch. At some point we will need to make the decision to put more effort into next year’s car.”

Raikkonen has always been the type to concentrate on his on-track activities and rather than everything that surrounds the sport, which was obvious when he was asked to comment on the current political arguments in the sport. “I don’t follow the politics much. It is pointless to read all the stories as the situation seems to change every day. I prefer to wait until it is all sorted out and hopefully it will be soon.”

It seems that every race weekend, Raikkonen faces the same question about his future with Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and his future in Formula 1 and it’s clear the Finn is bored with it. “You ask the same question, so I will give you the same answer – I have a contract with the team,” he said. “Maybe you can ask them if there are any changes planned!” Some of these rumours stem from the fact the Finn has indulged his countrymen’s passion for rallying and is due to compete in Finland’s international rally next month. “I did already two rallies during the winter and doing the Finnish Rally is no different. It is no more dangerous than Formula 1, so I see no reason why I shouldn’t do it. It is good fun and the team is allowing me to do it. It will be nice to do as it is in my home country and everyone says it is a good rally. I am not sure what to expect, but like the other rallies I have done, I expect it will be good fun, even if I don’t have much experience driving on gravel. At least the speeds are slower than in F1, so you have a bit more time to react. Just because I am doing this rally, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to continue in F1 next year. I would have done some rallies a long time ago but I could not. It’s just because Ferrari is kind enough to let me do the rallies that I am doing them now.”

With just 26 points and one podium after eight races, Ferrari have endured a difficult first half of the season and are 65 points shy of where they were this time last year. For driver Kimi Raikkonen the time has come to admit a win will be highly unlikely at this weekend's German Grand Prix and a podium finish will be his real target.

“Realistically this year our objective can’t be a win,” said Raikkonen on Ferrari’s official website. “We still have to make up ground compared to the leaders as far as performance is concerned. It’s always difficult making predictions and promising something to the fans, but for us today a place on the podium is already a good result, considering that we’ve been there just once this year.

“There are still nine races until the end of this extremely difficult season for us. Our objective has to be to give it our all race after race, without thinking that the leaders are so many points ahead of us. I really trust the team’s work and its capacity to close the gap between us and the leaders.”

At the previous round, June’s British Grand Prix, the Finn qualified in ninth and finished one place higher in eighth to score a point. But after crossing the line over a minute down on the victorious Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, the Italian team had little reason to celebrate and have been back at their Maranello factory seeking to improve the errant F60 ahead of this weekend’s German event.

“The team has continued to work very hard over the last weeks to bring some new solutions to this race,” Raikkonen continued. “The track should be better for the F60’s characteristics than Silverstone, but we’ll get a clearer picture during Friday’s free practice sessions. To be competitive you need a car with good traction, which is very stable while braking.”

While his faith in his car’s suitability for the Nurburgring may prove well founded, Raikkonen’s record in Germany leaves a lot to be desired. Despite scoring pole on four occasions, he has never won on German soil, and with his declared objectives for this weekend's race, it doesn't look like he will remedy this in 2009.

Turun Sanomat 6.7 2009 22:50:28

Nürburgring is a track where Kimi Räikkönen has had to experience his career's most bitter DNF's. One could say that he has lost in these 4 DNF's three victories and at least one championship.

Twice he has had to stop from a clear leading position.

On top of that Ferrari's only pole man got in 2007 beaten by rain and when trying to get back he had to stop the race from 3rd postion due to a technical problem. Still he won the championship.
– Kimi has has his share of unfortune on certain tracks but Nürburgring has to be his most unfortunate track. The track suits him perfectly but there has always been problems with the car when he is succeeding, Steve Robertson sighs.
Räikkönen has been in Nürburgring twice on pole (2003 and 2007) and once 2nd (2005). Yet he has only got one 3rd (2002), one 4th (2006) and one 10th position (2001).

When the dream becomes a nightmare
In 2003 Räikkönen started from pole and got immediately a 25 second lead when he had a DNF. If Kimi would have won that race he would have most probably become the youngest ever WDC. Michael Schumacher won the WDC with 2 points.
In 2005 Räikkönen had won before Nürburgring in Barcelona and Monaco. While overtaking Jacques Villeneuve he braked so that his front tyre became a cube which made McLaren shake so much that the differential broke when the last lap started.
That took also away his hopes for the WDC.

Räikkönen believes himself that he drove his career's best GP in Nürburgring.
– Maybe the all time best is 2003 Nürburgring. I was easily leading the race from pole until the car broke down. Until that there was this feeling that I couldn't have done anything any better, Räikkönen admits to Turun Sanomat.
– If you think of it as a whole then my last victory in Spain 2008 must have been my best weekend. It went right in the tube from the beginning to the end, Räikkönen said.

What makes Nürburgring especially good for Kimi?
– Kimi is always good in certain chicanes and there's two of those left-right-areas where he is really fast. Kimi is at his best when you have to change the direction quickly, Robertson said.

Ferrari brought to Silverstone a highly renewed aero package and a lot more was expected than the GP could give. To Nürburgring they bring an even lighter aero package but the short axle distance is still maintained. According to Italian sources they have even found something new and interesting about the KERS-system.
– The team has been working really hard again since the last race. I would think that Nürburgring would suit our car at lest better than it suited Silverstone. We'll see then where we are when we get to drive the practise.
– There ain't any other goal except that I'll do my best in every race. The podium would be a cool thing because we only have one 3rd place from this year. But it's best not to promise anything beforehand, Kimi says.

Räikkönen's most unlucky tracks:

Hockenheim: 5 DNF's (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005).

Nürburgring: 4 DNF's (2003, 2004, 2005 ja 2007).

Barcelona: 4 DNF's (2002, 2003, 2007 ja 2009).

Sepang: 4 DNF's (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006).

Indianapolis: 4 DNF's (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006).

Last spring it took control like a parasite without any warning and grew bigger than it's host in silence and with determination.

All of a sudden success vanished, the colours disappeared and the world became black and white.

Kimi Räikkönen is for the big audience nothing but a grey shadow of the masterful driver he once was.

But somewhere the real Kimi is still breathing.

What supernatular power melted the Iceman. And who is that man who reminds us of Kimi but isn't Kimi?

Kimi has raced exactly 40 races for Ferrari. Even though he wasn't after his victory in Melbourne exactly what Luca thought he'd ordered, the flaws where more or less harmless colour flaws.

After a frozen spring Kimi put his act together and did what nobody expected - became a world champion.

And just as the championship war in 2009 looked like it had surrendered under Kimi's power, the cannons exploded on his own face and half of the world turned dark.

Something should be done, Kimi!

Once more.

There are two kinds of champions in sport. Those who never get enough and those who lose something irreplacable when achieving their dream so that they can't reach that same glory again. Blossomed once beautifully but shrank in a couple of nights. Even the sportsman himself isn't necessarily aware of the change. Usually only results tell that and often with a delay.

It's no wonder that the Italian media asks today if Kimi is more interested in rally than in his work. The signals he sends are conflicting; on one hand he emits fighting spirit with a monkey's rage but the next moment he looks totally indifferent to his own setbacks.

It's not a bigger miracle that the circle of doubters grows bigger every week. Kimi feeds them himself with his own behaviour.

When was the last time we saw that old fire-spirited warrior who rather raced with the taste of blood in his mouth right into the wall than gave up...

In Spa last September - and instead of the end result it at least showed an attitude of 'everything or nothing'.

Just what Monty needs so badly. Just what the whole F1-world needs.

Kimi has had to prove something all his life.

First to his parents that his hobby is worth sacrificing the small money they had.

Later in karting-tracks from weekend to weekend and a lot later - in 2001 - to the doubting F1-world that he is ready to race with the most respected drivers in spite of his lack of experience.

And next stepping into the boots of the double champion Mika Häkkinen in McLaren.

When stepping into the driving boots of the Red Messiah, Michael Schumacher, he had to prove his talent and ability.

He has always succeeded - and will succeed again when he wants. Silencing every ignorant critic around him.

If he wants.

One more time.

From Iltalehti's new Special Edition - June 2009 by Kari Melart translated by Nicole

"Non saremo mai in posizione di vincere il campionato quest'anno ma speriamo di migliorare la vettura per provare a vincere qualche gara questa stagione, quello e' un obiettivo realistico" ha dichiarato il 29enne alla BBC a Shanghai.

Il responsabile della Gestione Sportiva, Stefano Domenicali, si e' detto d'accordo sostenendo che la dichiarata legalita' dei doppi diffusori da parte della FIA ha dato al campionato "una precisa direzione".

via Tania

... with KERS systems weighing between 25 and 40kg, heavy drivers now have even less scope to distribute ballast around the car, to achieve an ideal weight distribution.

So far, it has emerged that, in preparation for 2009, Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso have deliberately lost weight.

[via wheels]

Kimi Raikkonen has said he is keen to put his disappointing 2008 campaign behind him and focus his attention instead on winning this year's World Championship.

The Finn struggled in making his title defence last year, winning just two races and only narrowly beating Robert Kubica to third place in the Drivers' Championship.

With Felipe Massa in contrast battling with Lewis Hamilton to the last corner of the last race in Brazil, Raikkonen found himself in the unusual position of supporting his team-mate's title bid.

Indeed, such was his malaise mid-season that it was even suggested that Raikkonen might be on the verge of retirement.

However, his form improved somewhat towards the end of the season and Raikkonen is now hoping that it will be a case of 'business as usual' in 2009.

Question mark
"Last year was not exactly what I wanted but that is in the past now and we will try again this year," he said at Monday's launch of the new Ferrari F60.

"Of course it is a big question mark how good the car will be because the rules have changed a lot.

"But we are very confident that the car should be very good and we will see in the next few weeks how good it is against the others.

"But for sure we'll try to win the world championships, but we'll see how it is and we'll go from there."

Raikkonen also conceded that it might take some time to adjust to the new-look car, which features a long, low front wing and a short, high rear wing in keeping with this season's new rules.

"It looks different because of the new regulations, but after looking at it for a little while you get used to it," he added.

"It looks different but it looks very good. I'm looking forward to see it run and see how it goes."

[via sky sports]

Kimi Raikkonen will win the 2009 FIA Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship - that's the prediction of Crash.net columnist and former ITV-F1 pundit Mark Blundell.

Raikkonen endured a largely torrid season in 2008 and, while he definitely had the speed to set a record-equalling ten fastest laps, he was forced to play second fiddle to Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, who only lost out on the title by one point following a dramatic final round showdown in Brazil with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Despite all that, however, Blundell reckons the ‘ice-man' could come good again this year.

“I might be completely wrong here but, for some reason, I think Kimi Raikkonen might turn things around and come back stronger than ever,” MB told Crash.net Radio in his exclusive 2009 F1 season preview.

“I am going to put my money on him again for the title - like I did for 2007. Let's wait and see. I might change that prediction when it comes to the first race and when we see what goes on in winter testing!“

As for how Raikkonen performed in 2008, Blundell added that he was shocked by Kimi's form, or lack of it.

“I was very surprised in '08, because I felt Kimi would go on again after pulling the championship off," he admitted, "There was a lot more still to be done and there was no pressure on his shoulders because he had delivered. I thought he would be right there and in contention.”

“At the beginning of the season, he was up there and all was going according to plan. But then, all of a sudden, things dropped out and he went below the radar.

“On many occasions, we saw Kimi struggle in qualifying trim, but then gradually, as the race went on, you would see him and the Ferrari getting it together and coming on strong and pulling off fastest lap after fastest lap.

“But it was all too late then - that was very costly. He never collected enough points when it mattered".

And that has left Raikkonen unsure of what impact it will have on each team, or even how much it will open up the field.

"There are many more question marks compared to last year, everything is very different," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"If you do everything well you can have some advantages, while if you do things wrong it can cost you a lot. But this is no time for speculation."

"I think in the end the tyres will work well, but it takes time to get used to them," he said. "In general I prefer slick tyres, but if I think back at the grooved tyres, thanks to the competition between Michelin and Bridgestone they became very good.

"When we moved to a single supplier, the push from competition ended. So it's better to wait and see."

[via Autosport]

By Michele Lostia and Jonathan Noble Wednesday


The Finn is now out of the world championship battle after a season of mixed fortunes, but believes that the troubles he has had this year should not carry over into 2009 - especially with him and the team understanding the reason behind their problems.

"For sure I've had other moments like this in the past. It's part of the game," Raikkonen said in an interview with Italian magazine Autosprint.

"Then you happen to have a good result and so, from one week to the next, the same people that were saying you were incapable start talking differently about you all of a sudden... It's not the first time.

"Obviously I'd like to have more results and avoid making mistakes, but it happens sometimes. I prefer it to happen this season, which hasn't been a good one anyway, rather than next year.

"In order to get results you need to have everything you need, but sometimes this doesn't happen. Last year we went through a similar patch and we came out of it.

"This year there have been problems, perhaps originating from certain decisions, and when we went back it was too late. Maybe this has cost us the season, but at least we've learned something for next year."

Raikkonen claims that changes made to the car over the course of the season did not help him as much as teammate Felipe Massa, which is why stepping back to an old concept from the Belgian Grand Prix marked a turning point for his campaign.

"Well, we changed the car a bit, and probably this wasn't good for me," he said. "So we went back, I think at Spa, and things went much better. But at that point we were already behind, it was too late.

"However I feel good with the car at least, even though it isn't always the way I'd like it to be. Sometimes it goes well, other times it's difficult to make it consistent performance-wise.

"But what we've learned will be useful next year too. I know we'll have different cars and tyres, but certain things remain the same."

When asked about his feelings on the championship battle, Raikkonen said: "Hamilton is in a better position points-wise, but things can change quickly. Who knows, maybe the others will crash again, like on Sunday.

"I wouldn't have bet on my chances to win the title last year. It would be nice for Felipe and for the team, if he could do it. But for me, for my points table, it doesn't change things anymore."

For a world champion defending his title, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen has shouldered more than his fair share of lacklustre results this year. And after leaving a Grand Prix empty handed for the fourth time in succession in Singapore, Raikkonen lies a distant fourth in the championship standings, 27 points off the lead.

“Obviously I'm really sad about this situation,” said the Finn. “I can't explain this dark period and there's nothing I can do to change what happened. It's difficult to find the right words: racing at night or during the day, this is definitely not my year.”

Raikkonen crashed out of the Marina Bay night race three laps from the finish, battling Toyota’s Timo Glock for fourth. It wouldn’t have been a great result given his third-place grid slot, but it would have been his best since August, a third place in Hungary. His Belgian race in September ended in a similar circumstance, after he hit a wall while tussling with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton for the lead.

But as well as the well-publicized driver errors, Raikkonen has had to contend with a car that struggles in wet conditions and the occasional chink in Ferrari’s normally bulletproof reliability. At Monza, Raikkonen struggled to ninth after rain hit the Italian race, while at both the season opener in Melbourne and the inaugural Valencia race his engine failed.

In qualifying too, the 28 year-old has struggled to match the performances of his 2007 championship-winning campaign. That season he started just one race from outside the top five. This year he has failed to make the front two rows on four occasions and has scored just two pole positions. And as for race victories, he’s not tasted one since April’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Nevertheless, there is light at the end of the tunnel. His pace is certainly not in question - he has already clocked 10 fastest race laps in 2008, equalling Michael Schumacher's season record. He also has no worries about his future, after Ferrari confirmed him until the end of 2010 last month, and the team have been hard at work finding solutions to both his qualifying issues and the car’s problems in the wet.

“I'm very sorry for the team, because they've done some great work to improve the F2008,” he added. “It seems as if the more we try to improve the situation the less we get in the end. But we know that we've got what it takes to fight for victory. Let's hope that I'll finally have a smooth weekend, from Friday to Sunday evening.”

Still, with just three races left, and a total of 30 world championship points up for grabs, it will be almost impossible for the Finn to retain his crown. Perhaps Raikkonen shouldn’t feel too downcast, though. Historically speaking, it’s a feat that is more difficult to achieve than it looks.

Of Formula One’s 29 world champions, only five have successfully defended their maiden crowns.

And Raikkonen can seek solace from the fact he’s not faring as poorly as Jody Scheckter, the last man to win his first championship with Ferrari. From 51 points and the title in 1979, 12 months on Scheckter had slumped to 19th in the standings on just two points.

"You push, you give it your all, but it seems as if it won't go in the right direction," he said.

"It's been a long time without a win for me and even the list of races without points is growing.

"Five times no points in the standings are really a lot: you don't have to be Einstein to understand that this is not the right way to fight for the title.

"It's not over yet, but now it will take a miracle, like one that makes lightning strike twice."

He insisted that he did not lack motivation despite having failed to win since April and amid strong hints from Ferrari that he will now have to back team-mate Felipe Massa's title bid.

"Things are definitely not going my way," said Raikkonen.

"Sometimes it happens, but that won't lower my spirit or my determination.

"I want to try to win again this season."

Both Ferrari drivers have struggled in the rain in recent races, with the team admitting that it has to work out why its car refuses to generate sufficient tyre temperature on a wet track.

That scenario left Raikkonen marooned in the midfield in Italy, although he gained several places in the closing laps as the track dried.

"I didn't lose my driving ability in the wet, but when you don't have any grip under certain circumstances, there's hardly anything you can do," he said.

"You can just try to stay on the track and hope that the situation will change, as it happened at Monza.

"At a certain point it was as if a light had been turned on and I could attack in every corner, but by then it was already too late"

Kimi Raikkonen fears his championship chances could suffer unless he and Ferrari resolve his qualifying quandary.


Raikkonen has so far been outqualified by team-mate Felipe Massa 7-4, and in particular in the last two grands prix in Germany and Hungary has started a lowly sixth on the grid.

The Finn knows the situation has to change if he is to have any hope of overhauling Lewis Hamilton at the top of the championship standings and retaining his world title.

"We have the speed in the race, but if I can't get qualifying right we are going to end up at every race in the situation I've faced in the last two races," assessed Raikkonen.

"We need to sort it out and get back to the front so we can fight for the wins, otherwise we are just following people, and when you do that you can't use the speed.

"The car seems to be working well. We just need to find a good set- up again, to fix a few problems and then we can be back in the hunt for wins."

Despite his problems and the fact he has not won for seven races, the 28-year-old only trails Hamilton by five points.

Fortune was certainly on his side at the Hungaroring yesterday as his two main title rivals encountered trouble.

Hamilton suffered a puncture that resulted in him finishing fifth, whilst Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa was cruising to victory when his engine blew three laps from the finish.

Appreciating the luck, Raikkonen added: "It's been a bit difficult for me in the last few races, but we are still in the championship.

"Despite my problems, finishing third yesterday and scoring more points than the guys in front of me in the championship was not too bad a result. I will take it any way I can get it.


"We will see how we can sort things out for the next race and see if we can be stronger and fight for the victory.

"There are still many races to go, we're there in the championship, so I'm not too worried about things."