Renault bets on Räikkönen

The financier Gerard Lopez wants the Finnish former world champion and Citroen driver today in the world rally championship, alongside Kubica

The owner of Capital Financial Genes that has control of the Renault Formula 1 team, the financier Gerard Lopez, dreams of a park-pilots for next year with Pole Robert Kubica and Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, world champion in 2007 who put behind him Formula 1 for the moment and is working in another specialty, facing the world as an official rally driver for the French Junior Team of Citroen. The chances that the former Ferrari driver acceptance are very scarce. Also because Raikkonen has repeatedly argued that he sees 2010 as a year of apprenticeship in the rallies in preparation for a season in which he will point up.

Renault F1 also affects the 27-year old German Adrian Sutil, who after four years the Force India wants to change shirt and sees the Anglo-French team the only alternative to its current roster. Everything - the ambition for Raikkonen, the possibility of Sutil - suggests that Russian Vitaly Petrov will be replaced: it would contribute to the collection of points in the constructors' championship. That for the Renault F1 mean significant economic revenue.

About the experience of Raikkonen in the rally, many are considering it bad due to lack of results of some significance. However, the former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi has recently defended the Finn: "I am convinced that what Kimi is doing is really in rallies valuable. Imagine what it means for a pilot to start anew in a specialty that is the exact opposite of what he has always competed. For what he's doing, for the courage to face a challenge so hard to him, I admire him. "

Kimi Raikkonen was born in Finland in 1979. He made his debut in Formula 1 Grand Prix of Australia in 2001, with Sauber. He played 157 races, winning 18 and winning in 2007 with Ferrari, the title of world champion. In F1 also has 16 pole positions and 35 fastest laps in the race. Last year he announced his intention to leave F1 for rallies when he was vacated by Ferrari. He was granted with Citroen Sport the chance to contest the championship with a sedan C4 World Rally Car. His best result so far has been to rally of Jordan, where he finished eighth in the overall standings. *

Source: Auto.it
Courtesy: stranezze

*Note (by Fran): this text was clearly written before the Rally of Turkey, where Kimi finished fifth.*