Räikkönen's spokesman: No need to worry over Kimi's hand

Riku Kuvaja assures MTV3 that Kimi's accident wasn't severe.

Räikkönen hurt his left hand in Swatch Snow Mobile -race in Austria on Saturday. Lotus F1 Team announced on Saturday-evening that Kimi had hurt his hand. According to the Italian Omnicorse.it-website he would also have a deep cut in the hand. Riku Kuvaja calms down the situation to MTV3.

– There's no reason to get worried over this, nothing that spectacular happened. On Saturday he mainly had to go and check to see that everything is in order, Kuvaja says.

Kimi was apparently meant to go on Monday to check his wrist but Kuvaja can't say if he even needed anymore visits to the doctor on Monday. Yet the man assures that there's no reason to worry over Kimi's wrist, the thing has been blown out of proportion.

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi's Camp Firmly Denies the Equity Rumours

Respected German magazine Auto, Motor und Sport reported about rumours that Kimi Raikkonen had supposedly bought a stake in the Lotus F1 team with a couple of his millionaire friends.

Raikkonen's assistant Riku Kuvaja told on tuesday that Kimi is just an employee of the team when the two year long contract was announced.

Has there been a change in the situation?

- "No there has not. I do not know where they come up with these rumours. This is such a time that you hear rumours all the time", Kuvaja says.

If the rumours about Raikkonen's Williams negotiations were true, the man is interested in having a stake in a F1 team. Kuvaja however says that there is no current interest for something like that.

- "It's hard to say anything about the future. Let's do this now first and see what happens next", Kuvaja says.

Source: Iltalehti
Courtesy: Nicole

Riku Kuvaja: Kimi isn't dreaming of a victory immediately

Kimi's assistant Riku Kuvaja told IS that Kimi will hide for a while before showing up before Finnish F1-fans and the Finnish media.

- We will keep press conferences both for Europe's and Finland's media in the near future, Kuvaja tells.

He conveyed Räikkönen's greetings where the driver is all fire over his comeback to F1.

- Great that the deal was born. Now Kimi only waits to get to business meaning developing the car and driving the car.

- Renault is a potential team. We are not speaking of victories yet, we speak of pushing into the grid's top.

Source: Ilta-Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi's Assistant: Kimi Got What He Wanted

Kimi Räikkönen is really satisfied with his new F1 deal.

Räikkönen's assistant Riku Kuvaja has gotten used to dampening Kimi related stories. Now you can hear the happiness in his voice and you can almost see the smile via phone.

- Kimi is really satisfied with the deal, Kuvaja says happily.

He will not reveal the financial value of the two year long Lotus Renault deal but admits that it matches the value of an ex-World Champion. So Kimi got what he wanted.

Räikkönen's dream of returning to F1 lived almost through all his time spent in WRC. In the end Kimi didn't get to drive rally long enough for it to have been realistic to wait podiums nor championship.

- The desire to return to F1 kept growing all the time and in the end that lead to the negotiations and to this deal, Kuvaja says.

There were negotiations with several teams but according to Kimi's assistant the decision came easy. That was influenced both by Kimi's role in the team and the finacial side. But the most important thing was the return itself.

Source: Iltalehti

Kimi returning to F1? This is how his spokesman coments

James Allen put a spin to the rumour mill by saying in his blog that according to his sources Räikkönen would have been negotiating for weeks with Williams. According to him the contract would be close already.

Riku Kuvaja crushes the claim to Iltalehti.

- That's how they write. I have nothing to comment on the whole subject but I can say that we are not negotioating with anyone over anything, Kuvaja said.

A year ago Räikkönen's name came up in connection with Renault. Now Kimi is again a hot name in rumours concerning a mid-level team.

Did this remind you of last autumn?

- You know yourself that there is no genre with more rumours as there is in this, Kuvaja said.

Everything still open

According to Kuvaja all options are still open. Räikkönen might drive F1, Nascar, Rally or Le Mans next year. He also doesn't have any time schedule for making a decision for next year.

Kuvaja says that Räikkönen hasn't bothered his head over the rumour mill.

- At the moment he is concentrating on Rally France. Now it's important for him to concentrate on racing.

Räikkönen arrives to France tonight. Tomorrow recce starts and the actual race starts on Thursday.

- The season has gone better than last year. Now we have even perfomances. But it's a hard and demanding genre, Kuvaja tells about Kimi's feelings.

- We have no special goals for the rest of the season. We go race by race and finishing it is always a goal, Kuvaja ends.

JOONAS PARTANEN

Courtesy: Nicole

PR manager to IS: Räikkönen is OK

According to the Kimi Räikkönen's PR manager Riku Kuvaja, the hospital trip was mainly a precautionary measure.

Kimi Räikönen was forced to abandon his plans to attend the motorcycle trade fair held in Helsinki in connection with the planned launch of his motocross team project.

Instead of the exhibition centre Räikkönen ended up in the hospital because of stomach symptoms. Raikkonen was in the Meilahti hospital, located in Helsinki on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

-Yes, that is the case, Räikkönen's PR manager Riku Kuvaja confirmed to IS on Friday.

Kuvaja did not want to go into the details, but confirmed that the hospital trip will not affect Räikkönen's future plans.

- Kimi is ok. It was not too serious, it was food poisoning or some other stomach illness.

- The hospital was visited just in case.

Räikkönen's World Rally Championship season starts in Sweden next week.

Räikkönen's hospital trip was first reported by MTV3 on its web page.

Source: Iltasanomat
Courtesy: sleenster

What kind of a team boss is Räikkönen like?

- Ice One Racing was born to motorsport. It is divided into rally and motocross. If something else comes up later it can also be Ice One Racing, the chairman of the company, Riku Kuvaja, told MTV3.

Kuvaja has lately been working with getting sponsors for the motocross-team.

- The markets are quite interesting at the moment. Of course there could be more but we have a pretty good situation.

- He has got a lot for himself from motorsport during the years. Now he wants to help youngsters, this time in motocross, Kuvaja tells.

What kind of a team boss is Räikkönen like?

- I'm sure we will see during this year what kind of a team boss he is. I would guess that he would be very calm and professional. He has been in a tough school during the past years, Kuvaja says.

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Raikkonen did not like the behaviour of Renault

From Iltalehti

Riku Kuvaja told that Räikkönen got upset over Renault's unfair behaviour.

- Kimi wasn't upset over it for long. It just wasn't gentlemanlike behaviour. It's not right to use an outsider for own purposes, Kuvaja said.

Has Kimi been in contact with Renault over this matter?

- No.

Did this now ensure that Kimi will continue in rally?

- He has many options. When we know more we will tell what Kimi is going to do.

Courtesy: Nicole