Mandatory question

Turun Sanomat 28.10.2011 20:23:54

Column 28.10.

I have to say that the international F1-media is feverishly interested in hearing if Kimi Räikkönen comes back next year to F1.

FIA:'s press manager Matteo Bonciani came personally to make sure that I would definitely participate in Friday's team manager interview and he let me understand that he expects me to ask a question about the matter from Williams F1-team's CEO Adam Parr.

I fulfilled his wish although I would have gone there to ask my question in any case. I emphasized to Parr that five million Finns are eagerly waiting if Räikkönen is possibly driving for Williams next year.

Parr was sorry in the typical Williams low profile -style telling that nobody can answer a question like that, but if and when changes to the current driver-duo are made they will announce it in an appropriate way.

Parr praised Räikkönen in the tv-paddock telling he was one of the best drivers from the last years and someone who everyone surely would like to see come back, when replying to a similar question asked by MTV3.

Several colleagues still claim that Parr had talked nonsense when replying to my question because they know that the contract is already made. We even placed a small bet which I have to redeem if it is revealed that Räikkönen's possible contract with Williams would have been signed already before this GP-weekend.

The whole F1-people - with the exception of McLaren - is located in the surroundings of the new and splendid Buddh-track. Hence I had dinner with Sebastien Buemi and his trainer Antti Kontsas on Thursday evening.

Buemi is the latest F1-driver who has learned a few words in Finnish. For a smart guy like him it is easier. When we talked about the Finnish F1-history, Buemi praised the magnificent statistics when three out of seven drivers had won the WDC.

I added that out of these seven four are also GP-winners, to which Buemi added that actually there are five of them since Mika Salo had to give away his only victory in Germany 12 years ago.

Quite an information-bank this 23 year old protegé of Kontsas, don't you think?

Turun Sanomat, Greater Noida

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole