Kimi Räikkönen wishes Robert Kubica good luck in his comeback

Robert Kubica's budding comeback to motosport a year and a half after his accident made Kimi Räikkönen wish him good luck

- It's great to hear that he already feels better. That [accident] was an unfortunate event and he was unlucky. It's marvellous that he can race again and I wish he does well, Räikkönen said in ORF:s interview in Monza.

When asked if the driver is more important in rally than in F1, Räikkönen replied cautiously yes.

- It's a completely different sport and of course you have to have a good car, but the dudes are very close to each other. After a 40-kilometer stint they can be one second apart from each other.

- So if you don't have a good car, then you don't have any chances either, but in some circumstances the driver can make a bigger difference in rally than in F1. It's a real sport, funny and challenging.

Kubica's first comeback-rally went better than expected, since he won the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana -rally in Italy on Sunday.

Source: SuomiF1
Courtesy: Nicole

Heikki Kulta's Blog: Up to luck

In the WC-battle the most crucial 175 points from seven races are still not given out. Hence it's useless to make any long-term conclusions, because the top leader Fernando Alonso has at the moment 179 points.

Therefore so far only Heikki Kovalainen and a few other drivers have already lost their mathematical chances for the WDC...

I'm writing this on the flight from Milano to Helsinki and from there to Turku. Nearby sits Mika Salo from MTV3, with whom we ended up to the conclusion that the next race on Singapore streets in Marina Bay's night will show what Kimi Räikkönen's Lotus really can do.

– Lotus was still the fastest car in July's races. After the break it hasn't gone anywhere in Belgium and Italy. I wonder if they have fallen off the wagon in Enstone factory since other top teams have been busy in their own development work? Salo wondered.

– Spa and Monza are of course special tracks in every sense, hence the more realistic picture of Lotus-car's speed can only be seen in Singapore, which is a downforce-track and where they again drive with softer compounds, which have been more successful for Lotus.

– But at this exact moment it looks like Fernando Alonso will take the WDC. If they had a defense-strategy in Belgium, then in Monza again the Ferrari attacked at full blast, Salo thinks.

I asked after the race on Monza paddock about the sceneries for the WC-battle and about Kimi Räikkönen's chances to come with a super-surprise.

Eric Boullier stated that they knew Monza would be extremely difficult, but that all the remaining tracks would surely be more favorable for E20-car.

– Kimi does have a chance to win this WDC but it's going to be difficult. We will return back to better positions in Singapore. Here in Monza we had to sacrifice our qualification result, because we needed more downforce for our setups than some other teams needed, Bouillier thought.

Boullier was of course also speaking on the behalf of his team. But let's take an opinion from a completely opposite side. 

Peter Windsor is a long-time media personality, who has an immense experience from all F1-works - and who at times has a very critical point of view. 

How will it go in this WC-battle?

– I wouldn't want to sound arrogant, but I predicted already before the first test that Alonso will be WDC and Lewis Hamilton will be his toughest contender. I have at no point changed my opinion. I knew after last season that with the new regulations this will become a very tough and even WC-battle. Back then I believed that Alonso would be in the best position to get the best out of his team and car.

– Of course I can see that Ferrari isn't that great car, but it's good enough for Fernando to win the WDC. Hamilton is a spectacular driver and McLaren is at the moment the strongest car, but just like Mark Webber couldn't take points from Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button also takes points from Hamilton. That's why his chances against Alonso aren't so good.

– I think that during a season like this a fast teammate is really not of any use when every point counts. Felipe Massa is in that sense a brilliant teammate for Fernando, Windsor sums up.

Then what about Räikkönen's chances - he is third isn't he?

– Although I appreciate Finns and although Leo Kinnunen is my eternal idol, I have at no stage seen Kimi as a strong WDC-candidate. He might win some race during the endseason, but a lot would have to go wrong for these other top drivers for him to become a champion.

– This isn't because I wouldn't respect the team, the elements there just aren't top class. And innermost I don't see Kimi as fast as he was when he destroyed Juan Pablo Montoya at McLaren. Although I still love to watch Kimi racing I still don't think he is as fast as he was especially at McLaren, not even as fast as he was when leaving Ferrari.

Michael Schmidt from Auto, Motor und Sport also thinks that Alonso will take his third WDC. Monza changed the settings so that now Ferrari has to now be more alert when it comes to McLaren instead of Red Bull.

– McLaren is at this stage the measure stick for everything. They won three races from pole in a row on completely different tracks with their car. No other team has this season won three races in a row. If Hamilton can drive safely to the end, then Alonso will have a really hard time.

– I guess that this championship will be decided in the very last race.

– Lotus scores points every time, Kimi is the most reliable driver in this serie, but unfortunately the car is too slow. The same tune will continue on the next tracks also, Schmidt thinks.

Martin Brundle from Sky Sports joked if I want him to claim that Kimi is no good or that he will make a sensation.

– Realistically it looks like Alonso has the best assets when going to long distance races whereas those behind him driving for victories are possibly Vettel, possibly Hamilton, possibly Button, possibly Webber, possibly Kimi, possibly Sauber. The scores will get mixed up conveniently and when Fernando like this starts from 10th grid, doesn't drive any super-race - more like a very normal race - comes in 3rd and at the same time grows the score-gap to the next battle. Hey, that's just the luck that a champion needs!

– Kimi is doing a good work. But in order to win the WDC he needs victories, Brundle emphasizes.

Courtesy: Nicole

Good luck, brother Kimi

Posted by Leo Turrini Tue, 29/11/2011 - 11:20

Oh, last night a Greek friend greek told me that it is final. Kimi in Renault for two years.

I said to myself: I am waiting for the official announcement.

And this morning the blog had covered it.

The Curse of the Cola!

What can I say?

I'm happy and sad at the same time.

Glad, because F1 gets a great character. An authentic champion. One to whom I owe emotions from the legendary Interlagos 2007.

Melancholy, because Renault-Lotus future is what it is. I do not believe in miracles. I doubt that Raikkonen could aspire to great things, even though he himself speaks of 'top of the grid' as a goal.

Realistically I take as a parameter the return of Schumacher.

In two years, two fourth places.

Can the Holy Drinker do better?

Given the already certain identity of the winner of Spa 2012, why not?

A serie with six champions simultaneously on the track has never been seen!

Only one last message.

Good luck, Kimi.

You deserve it.

Blow the buggers!

Courtesy: Nicole

Villeneuve: Räikkönen a champion by sheer luck

The 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve made a controversial comment on Kimi Räikkönen: the Canadian states Räikkönen did not deserve his title. Felipe Massa, Villeneuve suggests, did, however.

- If Kimi won the championship, it was by luck, he certainly didn't deserve it, Villeneuve told the Brazilian website TotalRace.

- Felipe was a lot more deserving. He was always more capable than Kimi and it was easy to beat him, he continued.

"I don't get people who criticise Massa"

Villeneuve came down hard on Räikkönen, while having Massa's critics have it.

- He has won races and almost a title, perhaps two. He's a great driver. At the moment he is driving strongly for Ferrari. I don't get people who criticise him, he concluded.

Source: RacingFlashNews

Räikkönen wishes Kubica good luck to get well

Kimi Räikkönen and Robert Kubica were F1-brothers who were especially connected by their love for rally. Now Räikkönen continues for the second year in WRC while the Pole is laying badly hurt in an Italian hospital after his serious rally accident.

What did Räikkönen think when he heard about Kubica's accident?

– That he had quite some bad luck there. That's how it sadly is. It's useless to speculate more on it because it isn't going to change it into anything else, Räikkönen said.

Is rally more dangerous than F1?

– Both are dangerous. Robert just had bad luck like I already said. It was bad luck but there was some good luck too. The worst could have happened if the end of the railing would have come inside through the spot where he was sitting. Those things can just happen. Every racing driver has to deal with that risk.

– Hopefully Robert will be allright, Räikkönen sighed.

Kaj Lindström doesn't remember any accident like Kubica's ever before.

– It is a serious matter and makes you stop to think when something like that happens to the dude. Fortunately his hand didn't have to be amputated. That accident had ingredients for absolutely everything when the car took off and the railing hit so that it got inside to steer over the gearbox.

– I don't know if it would have helped no matter what would have been done. When it happens, it happens. There are always dangers. And Kubica isn't any rookie because he has about 20 rallies behind him, Lindström thinks.

Turun Sanomat, Hagfors

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

'Just this once, I'll ride my luck' – Mark Webber

Ever since his points-scoring debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2002, Mark Webber has learned the hard way that one minute you're riding high in Formula One, the next, the fates conspire and dump you on your backside. So when the chance of an unxpected win came his way at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Aussie took it with both hands.

You could argue that this win was a bit lucky because Sebastian Vettel's challenge was curtailed by a drive-through penalty, but I'll take it! I've been in F1 long enough to know that you take the rough with the smooth in this sport.

I still had to deliver the lap times when it mattered and I've now led 314 laps this season, which is more than any other driver.

My victory in Hungary was the perfect way to enter Formula One's four-week summer break.

It was my fourth win of the year and it put me back in the lead of the world championship.
With Seb coming home third, Red Bull Racing are now leading the constructors' table as well, so it was a good day for the team.

We knew very early in the weekend that the RB6 would be competitive. The Hungaroring had no long straights and lots of corners, which was a combination that played to the strengths of the car.

After first practice on Friday, we knew we had a very good chance of winning the race. First, though, there was the battle for pole. It was a straight fight between Seb and me: I had the edge in Q2, but he did a better lap in Q3 to take pole.

That left me on the dirty side of the grid, which is a huge disadvantage at this track because it's so dirty off-line. And it was no different this year.

Seb and Fernando Alonso, starting third, got away better than me, so I slipped into Fernando's slipstream and fought him in to Turn 1. But this wasn't his first grand prix; like me, he was celebrating his 150th F1 start and he knew what he was doing.

He defended well and I had to settle for third place. Thereafter, my plan was to jump the Ferrari at the pitstops but I didn't have to wait that long. Some debris at Turn 11 brought out the safety car on lap 15 and everyone dived in to the pits for new tyres. Except for me.

The team told me to stay out because they thought I had the pace to open a gap big enough to jump Fernando later in the race. Once the race had gone green, I put in one qualifying lap after another for 25 laps. I needed a minimum of 20 seconds over Fernando for it to work, so I pushed very hard.

It wasn't without its risks because we didn't know how the super-soft tyre would hold up over a 42-lap stint.

We hadn't done anything like that mileage with a single set during practice and the hotter track temperature on race day put more wear on the tyre. The left-front tyre was pretty worn by the end of the stint, but it worked out well.

The guys gave me a great pitstop on lap 43 and I emerged from the pits six seconds ahead of Fernando. Job done. I knew then that the race was in the bag and all I had to do was rattle off the remaining laps.

So I had some luck but as I said earlier, I still had to deliver the lap times when it really counted.

This is the last you'll hear of me for a while because I'm going to switch off my phone and go nowhere near an aeroplane or a hotel room during the summer break.

I'm going to chill out with Annie, the dogs and my sister, who's coming to stay with her family for a while.

Only once I've had some proper R&R will I turn my attention to the next race at Spa-Francorchamps. It's one of the classic F1 venues, which all of the drivers enjoy. It's fast and exciting to drive, and I hope the RB6 will be competitive there as well.

Happy holidays!

Mark

Source: RedBull