📰 Auto News BREAKING: Kimi Räikkönen Leaves Formula One

[Bru]

[Jalopnik]

http://jalopnik.com/5407320/breaking-kimi-raikkonen-leaves-formula-one

After failing to find a car for 2010, Ferrari’s world champion has announced that he is to leave F1 for rallying.

The laconic Finn’s premature exit was the talk of the sport for most of the year, especially after Ferrari’s 2009 car turned out to be quite a dud. Nowhere was Räikkönen’s indifference more stark than at the Malaysian Grand Prix, where during a break forced by torrential rain, he wandered about the pits with a bar of ice cream instead of remaining by his racing car.

Räikkönen was forced to leave Ferrari at the end of the season to make way for Fernando Alonso. There were talks with Toyota, hampered by Räikkönen’s high price and ultimately by Toyota’s exit from Formula One, then there were talks with his former team McLaren, which fell through. One has to wonder whether Räikkönen’s exorbitant salary demands—rumored to be close to $50 million, very much not in synch with his performance over the last two seasons—were a deliberate move on his part to ease his exit from the sport.

Going where many Finn have gone before, Räikkönen is set to continue his career in rallying. He has, in fact, already debuted in the World Rally Championship: Räikkönen drove a Super 2000 class Fiat Grande Punto Abarth for Tommi Mäkinen Racing at this year’s Rally Finland in August.

He leaves the sport after nine seasons, with occasional displays of devastating speed and a lucky world championship in 2007, when he exploited the rivalry between McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton and the hubris of the latter to beat both at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix, claiming the title which had eluded him at McLaren.

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[Bob Kazamakis]

That's where the finns belong. In the dirt.

 

[Mook]

more

The times they are a-changin' in Maranello. As if the departures of Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Jean Todt over the past few years wasn't enough to shake things up for the Scuderia, a new round of change-ups is looming on the horizon.

First up is Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion who Ferrari is paying to vacate his seat in order to make room for Fernando Alonso. Following earlier reports that Kimi would stand to make more by sitting out next season, the Finnish driver's manager has reportedly announced that he'll be taking a sabbatical. This, after negotiations with McLaren broke down over such issues as salary, promotional obligations and freedom to drive the occasional rally. Raikkonen's repeatedly reiterated that he's only interested in a winning team, and could take the year to hone his rally skills instead. A tie-in with Red Bull could provide him with a WRC drive and a return to F1 for 2011.

Meanwhile, Kimi's predecessor, Michael Schumacher, is reportedly changing his role with the team as well. For the past couple of seasons, Schumi has served as a special adviser to the Scuderia, often showing his smiling mug on the pit wall at various grand prix events. But while the seven-time World Champion has signed on for another three years to help with the development of future Ferrari road cars, his F1 role with the team has apparently ended. In an effort to sort out why Schumi won't be active with the team any longer, speculation has escalated that Michael could reunite with Ross Brawn and return to the cockpit as a driver for the newly christened Mercedes Grand Prix team, while others suggest he could join his former boss Jean Todt with a role in the FIA.

Finally, Luca di Montezemolo is eying a change in his role as well. The chairman isn't leaving his post as head of either Ferrari or parent company Fiat, but he has announced that he's likely to step down as head of the Formula One Teams Association. The representative body was formed to negotiate on the teams' behalf with the FIA and Formula One Management, but with Montezemolo's longtime underling Todt now heading the FIA, many have been citing a potential conflict of interest. For his part, Montezemolo says he wants to concentrate on his job as chairman of the Italian automakers.

 

[Angus]

how do you pronounce his last name? holy hell

 

[Mook]

rai ko nen

 

[Alacran]

This blows. I will tell you this i will not cheer for Hamilton but maybe Alonso. Maybe i will try the Senna band wagon. F1 has nothing now compared to the days of Shumi and Raikkonen.

 

[IDAFC21]

My money's gonna be on Vettel next year. If red bull gives him a good a car as they did this year, he'll have a real strong shot as long as he doesnt have as disastrous start to his season as he did this year

 

[Alacran]

that is the only reason to watch F1 to see if Vettel can pull it off...

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Button.

 

[IDAFC21]

In team Hamilton? If button takes the chip again next year at that team I'll proclaim him a greater driver than Schumacher. I've been a Button fan for years, dont ask me why, and I'm glad hes finally got a championship to his name, but I think going to mclaren was a dumb move for him.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Long time button fan. That's all. Hamilton is talented also I think....

 

[IDAFC21]

I wish good things for Button also, but I dont know. He said hes always looking to up the challenge...well, you got it mate. Trying to shine in that team is gonna be the biggest challenge of his career