Williams and Räikkönen

The rumours about Kimi Räikkönen and Williams continue and the presence of his management team David and Steve Robertson in the Williams team hospitality unit in Abu Dhabi only added to the story-mongering. The fact is that the pair are based in Dubai, where they run a trading company, dealing in steel, wood and consumer goods, so it is a logical place for them to appear each year. However, there is no question that they are talking to Williams about Räikkönen but is is not as simple as most team-driver negotiations as I hear that Räikkönen is looking to acquire some equity in the team. Sir Frank Williams is famous for not parting with shares. The team lost Adrian Newey back in the mid 1990s because it would not make him a shareholder and the recent flotation was simply a device to raise money to allow both Williams and his longtime partner Patrick Head to extract some of the value from the team, without losing control of the business. Williams continues to hold the majority share of slightly more than 50 percent, while Austrian wheeler-dealer Toto Wolff has around 16 percent, Head has reduced his stake to just 5.8 percent and Cyrte Investments, a Dutch investment company, largely controlled by Dutch media magnate John de Mol bought up 5 percent. The rest is traded on the XETRA exchange in Frankfurt.

There are 10 million Williams shares and trading thus far has produced no sale larger than 18,715 shares, which is a tiny percentage, so there is no sign of anyone building up a stake. On paper the team is worth €170 million, but it should be remembered that when the shares were floated the value was €246 million, so anyone other than the original shareholders will make a substantial loss if they sell now.

Räikkönen and the Robertsons have already been team owners in Formula 3. They established Räikkönen Robertson Racing at the end of 2004, when Kimi was still racing for McLaren. The team, based in Woking, was managed by Boyo Hieatt and enjoyed some success in the British F3 Championship, winning the title in 2006 with Mike Conway. The team was never really in contention after that and at the end of 2010 the company was sold to Hieatt.

It is probably a good time to try to buy shares in the team, as it is at a low point in its history and the chances are that with new engines and a different design team, the team will make some progress next year. If not the share price will suffer and so shares might become easier to acquire. The team admits it is interested in signing Raikkonen and says that a negotiation is going on at the moment.

Source: joesawardwordpress.com
Courtesy: Claudie

Close your eyes, Kimi!

My reporter buddy Alan Baldwin wrote after Abu Dhabi qualification on his twitter: "Don't look here, Kimi".

Why not? Well because this is the first time in the history when Williams-cars have to start from the back to a GP. Baldwin came up with a joking slogan about how the result better not be shown to the driver who they want in the team.

Williams bottom rock this season is a harsh fact. When I asked the team's other founder Patrick Head if he remembers the cars ever being in the back row, he shook his head and assured it has never happened before.

And if it has, then a painful information like that has at least been wiped out of his memory.

In a way this grid result comes at a bad time. The future big sponsors from Qatar are at the paddock as the team's guests. With these kind of positions they won't at least speed up those negotiations which already are about to be finished.

Williams has had an awkwardly bad season. Head was asked what the main reason for the catastrophy is, but according to him it's the sum of many factors. When the reliability has plagued the whole team this season Williams hasn't got any kind of compensation for their positions behind the top 10.

By changing Rubens Barrichello into Räikkönen it would in some way at least shake up the team to shape up. I heard from the inside circle that the mechanics in Williams already have a tough competition over who gets in the team operating around Kimi's car. The spirit is that it will definitely be fun in Kimi's team.

Frank Williams is still the master in his team. They were a bit astonished over the way he replied on Friday evening to two questions presented by Finnish reporters.

When I asked in FIA:s official press conference if he is interested in taking Räikkönen as his driver, he replied that he won't comment on the rumours.

When MTV3 asked the same from him in their own exclusive interview, filmed by two cameramen, he said that it's not a secret that they are very interested in getting Räikkönen.

This or that. I guess that Räikkönen's rallying career at least ended to his retirement in Wales on Saturday.

Turun Sanomat, Abu Dhabi

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Betting company experts believe in Räikkönen's F1-comeback

Unibet's international motorsport-experts believe Kimi returns to F1.

There has been rumours about Kimi's comeback to F1 during the autumn. The man drove the last two seasons in WRC and this season ended so that Räikkönen's private team was excluded for the rest of the season from WRC-serie. The man has mostly been taken to Williams.

According to Unibet's experts the F1-rumours are strongly grounded: the company gives clearly the smallest coefficient 1,50 for Kimi driving in F1 in 2012.

According to Unibet the motivation factors are especially for Kimi's comeback: there's yet no success in WRC and he has a strong will to show his skills and speed in motorsport's indesputable royal class.

In Spain Räikkönen didn't want to continue his own race after engine problems although his car was fixed and he could have continued with super rally. Also Räikkönen didn't want to communicate in Spain with the reporters, which could indicate that he isn't willing to comment on his F1-negotiations. Räikkönen agreed to step in front of the media in the season's earlier rallies.

Kimi's Future - Kimi Räikkönen's Start for the 2012 Season

Formula 1 1,50
Not racing 3,50
WRC 5,00
Indy Car 6,50

Source: Plaza.fi
Courtesy: Nicole

Räikkös-rumours from one side to another

The rumour mill around Kimi Räikkönen's possible comeback to F1-tracks after two years as Williams' driver is accelerating all the time on Singapore Grand Prix -paddock. The former F1-commentator from ITV, James Allen, writes in his blog that the contract negotations would already be on the finish line.

Allen told TS that his information is based upon reliable Williams-sources.

Allen says that Williams will get bigger sponsor money by hiring Räikkönen. On the other hand the team's share of the tv- and commercial-income from Bernie Ecclestone's FOM-company shrinks smaller than ever before since Williams is about to come only 9th in the WCC-serie.

The reporter from German Auto, Motor und Sport -paper, Michael Schmidt, presents again that Räikkönen's factory-visit in Grove was only a way from the team to put pressure on more econimical clauses when negotiating with other driver-candidates.

According to information Schmidt has, Williams doesn't necessarily have to hire two drivers who bring sponsor money. Hence they still have the chance of paying another driver like Rubens Barrichello the same way they have done before.

Turun Sanomat, Singapore

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Helmut Marko comments on Räikkönen rumours

Rumours about Kimi Räikkönen making a comeback to F1 are on again. At paddock there has been rumours Red Bull wants Kimi to Formula 1 with big money. Helmut Marko comments on rumours and says there has been no talk about Kimi.

- We can't comment because there isn't any truth in it. I tell you that for 100 % there are no negotiations. We have a list of drivers and in this list Kimi isn't mentioned. And nobody from us did talked to him, Marko told to MTV3.

The rumours about Kimi coming back to F1 on Red Bull's wheel started when Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel got a team order at British GP. Red Bull told earlier this week Webber's renew is almost ready, and only needs a signature of Webber.

Source: RacingNewsFlash

Vettel jokes amid Webber contract rumours

Amid rumours Mark Webber is close to agreeing a new deal for 2012, Sebastian Vettel cracked a joke in Canada when asked who his ideal Red Bull teammate would be.

The reigning world champion humorously plumped for Dirk Nowitzki, the German basketball player who is seven feet tall and tips the scales well above 100 kilograms.

"He wouldn’t even fit in the car," Vettel laughed to Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "So then I’d have one opponent less."

More seriously, Vettel said his only requirement for a teammate is "respect and honesty", and answered "why not?" if he could imagine sharing a garage with Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso.

Source: Nextgen

Talk of Ferrari switch not realistic - Kubica

Robert Kubica has confirmed he would like to race alongside his friend Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.

Asked the question directly by the Spanish newspaper El Pais, the Pole answered emphatically: "Yes."

But 25-year-old Kubica, who is under contract for the coming seasons with Renault, added: "It is not realistic to speak about it, even less so after Massa renewed until 2012."

He said he is not concerned with F1’s incessant rumours and speculation.

"For me it’s no problem. In 2008, when Alonso left McLaren, it was said that he could come to BMW and I would have liked that. But it’s just speculation.

"Anything can happen - maybe in five years when Alonso’s contract ends we will be together at Renault," added Kubica.

Before joining Ferrari for the 2010 season and beyond, Alonso insisted that it was the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.

Is it the same for Kubica? "Yes and no," he answered.

"Ferrari is a great team with a long history of successes behind it. In Italy, it’s an institution; more than a team.

"So it is understandable that the Latin-character drivers have a lot of interest in racing with them," he added.

Also in Korea, Lewis Hamilton dismissed a suggestion from a reporter that the career of a great driver would be incomplete without a stint at Ferrari.

"Ayrton Senna was the best of all time and he was at McLaren," said the Briton.

"You never know what’s going to happen and you can never say never. But I will be here (at McLaren) for as long as they want to keep me."

Source: NextGen

Domenicali: No truth to Massa rumours

Stefano Domenicali says he's getting rather "bored" with rumours claiming that Robert Kubica will replace Felipe Massa next season.

As the silly season hits high gear, fresh reports claim that Kubica is on his way to Ferrari next season to team up with Fernando Alonso while Massa is heading to Sauber.

However, Ferrari's team boss insists there is no absolutely truth to the rumours.

Asked in Singapore whether he could 'put that story to bed completely and tell us it's rubbish', he said: "Absolutely.

"I totally underline what you've said, because I think it's getting boring news.

"Every day there is something new on that and I tell you that Peter (Sauber) and I meet a lot of times because we have a good professional relationship, so I can confirm what you said, absolutely."

Source: Planet F1

Massa, Webber, play down rumours about futures

Felipe Massa insists he is not being affected by the speculation predicting his Ferrari tenure will end this season.

The Brazilian's contract runs out this year, and amid rumours that Robert Kubica could be set to replace him in 2011, 29-year-old Massa is currently struggling to match the pace of his new teammate Fernando Alonso.

"For sure I am happy to stay (at Ferrari) if they want me, I trust Ferrari and in the end I have no interest in what people are saying.

"What I care about is working hard and fixing things as quickly as possible," Italian reports quote him as saying.

Corriere dello Sport suggested that Massa might be headed to Red Bull next year, to replace the possibly retiring Barcelona winner Mark Webber.

"In this world you hear so many things every week and every month," said Massa, who became Michael Schumacher's last Ferrari teammate in 2006.

The Massa/Red Bull rumour comes in the wake of Lewis Hamilton's assertion two months ago that 33-year-old Webber might retire at the end of 2010.

It is further rumoured that while Kimi Raikkonen was earlier expected to return to F1 in Webber's place next year, the 2007 world champion might in fact be content to prolong his new world rallying foray.

To Sydney's Sun-Herald newspaper, Australian Webber has once again played down the Hamilton comments.

"They came about from when we were on a plane together back from the Japanese grand prix last year," he revealed.

"We were talking about getting the timing right in terms of retirement, in sport in general. When I do call it a day - and I really don't think that it will be at the end of this year - I want to do so on a good note.

"But I'm driving well enough and I believe I can still bring a lot to the plate in the next year or so -- meaning next year," Webber insisted. "I've got a few years in me yet."

Source: F1 Complete

British bank eyes Red Bull sponsor deal - report

British banking giant Barclays is looking for a road into formula one.

Sources told Marketing Magazine that the London based bank, which according to Forbes is the world's 25th largest company, is in talks with Red Bull Racing.

Barclays denied the report.

The bank is currently title sponsor of England's Premier League football competition, with its three-year deal estimated at close to EUR100 million.

The Royal Bank of Scotland is pulling out of its Williams deal at the end of this season, and Holland's ING left Renault amid the crashgate scandal of 2009.

But Spain's Santander is strongly involved with both Ferrari and the British team McLaren, having successfully expanded its European and UK operations.

Source: F1 Complete

RIKU KUVAJA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE GERMAN CLAIMS: NOW WE CONCENTRATE ON RALLY

The German Bild am Sonntag -magazine is busy pushing Kimi Räikkönen back into the F1-circus.

Bild am Sonntag manages to push in fresh F1-rumours in a convenient time. Räikkönen's rally career has started in a coughing way and Webber managed to make a classic blunder in Australia GP.

Riku Kuvaja doesn't listen to the claim.

- Rumours. This is a genre where there has always been and will always be a lot of rumours, Kuvaja said to Iltalehti.

- We are focusing on rally with all we got. When something new appears we will inform.

According to Kuvaja Räikkönen doesn't have the interest to follow all the rumours about him.

- He doesn't read them. Kimi has lived in the same rumour mill for ten years already.

Source: Iltalehti.fi
Courtesy: Nicole