Kimi Räikkönen: First fun, then business
First fun, then business
Iltalehti 27.1.2012 (paper edition)
By Janne Palomäki
- Of course it's possible that I have to drive behind the lead.
Kimi Räikkönen is a realist. He uses the word "possible", although he knows that the word "likely" would fit in much better.
- It was possible in the same way it was possible with Ferrari in the last year. That car wasn't any terribly good.
Räikkönen won Spa in 2009 with Ferrari's gloomy F60. The value of that performance has never been understood in Finland. The world championship two seasons earlier was a much smaller heroic deed in F1.
Of course Lotus can hit the golden vein and find some loophole like the double diffuser. It's not likely. Räikkönen will have to learn to drive behind others.
But it doesn't matter.
***
The second WDC is - if possible - an even smaller obsession than the first one was. Räikkönen is not coming back to the track with clenched teeth. He comes back because he loves to race wheel-to-wheel. The thing where you measure braking points and guts to turn into corners.
Adrenalin.
A relaxed man sat in a luxurious hotel in Zürich. Maybe Roger Federer's and Rafa Nadal's battle to get to the final was more interesting than the media-event, but Räikkönen didn't have time to suffer during the 19-minute interview either.
He smiled, joked, even laughed. Many would be pleased with a job like that. And perhaps about the approximately 12 million euros annual salary too.
Kimi is the Éric Cantona of track-racing. The enfant terrible who blossoms only when feeling free.
They didn't understand that in Ferrari. Even less in McLaren. There they were only used to drivers who only had room for a chequered flag in their tunnel-vision. Räikkönen is a dreamer - and he might of course dream about a chequered flag or pole position, however the difference of the nuance is clear.
I doubt even Renault/Lotus can treat Räikkönen the right way. But two years in the rally-relegation opened his eyes.
Hey, here's a guy who actually does what he wants.
- It's nice in Lotus. Some Ferrari or McLaren have a slightly different management. Here the atmosphere is more relaxed and homey although everybody is doing their best. I'm sure it's going to be fun.
***
Räikkönen returns to F1 to have fun. In the process he might of course win his 2nd WDC, but no worries if that doesn't happen.
- We drive where we can drive. It doesn't change the fact that I like to drive a racing car.
In Zürich Kimi didn't straightly commit to Lotus. He replied to the question about his contract's lenght with the word 'in principle'. The practice remains to be seen in the F1-world.
But Räikkönen doesn't even have to commit. If Lotus dares to keep the Finn in a loose enough tether, then he will most surely not want to go anywhere else. He is already a World Champion and doesn't have any obsession over a second one.
Iltalehti 27.1.2012 (paper edition)
By Janne Palomäki
- Of course it's possible that I have to drive behind the lead.
Kimi Räikkönen is a realist. He uses the word "possible", although he knows that the word "likely" would fit in much better.
- It was possible in the same way it was possible with Ferrari in the last year. That car wasn't any terribly good.
Räikkönen won Spa in 2009 with Ferrari's gloomy F60. The value of that performance has never been understood in Finland. The world championship two seasons earlier was a much smaller heroic deed in F1.
Of course Lotus can hit the golden vein and find some loophole like the double diffuser. It's not likely. Räikkönen will have to learn to drive behind others.
But it doesn't matter.
***
The second WDC is - if possible - an even smaller obsession than the first one was. Räikkönen is not coming back to the track with clenched teeth. He comes back because he loves to race wheel-to-wheel. The thing where you measure braking points and guts to turn into corners.
Adrenalin.
A relaxed man sat in a luxurious hotel in Zürich. Maybe Roger Federer's and Rafa Nadal's battle to get to the final was more interesting than the media-event, but Räikkönen didn't have time to suffer during the 19-minute interview either.
He smiled, joked, even laughed. Many would be pleased with a job like that. And perhaps about the approximately 12 million euros annual salary too.
Kimi is the Éric Cantona of track-racing. The enfant terrible who blossoms only when feeling free.
They didn't understand that in Ferrari. Even less in McLaren. There they were only used to drivers who only had room for a chequered flag in their tunnel-vision. Räikkönen is a dreamer - and he might of course dream about a chequered flag or pole position, however the difference of the nuance is clear.
I doubt even Renault/Lotus can treat Räikkönen the right way. But two years in the rally-relegation opened his eyes.
Hey, here's a guy who actually does what he wants.
- It's nice in Lotus. Some Ferrari or McLaren have a slightly different management. Here the atmosphere is more relaxed and homey although everybody is doing their best. I'm sure it's going to be fun.
***
Räikkönen returns to F1 to have fun. In the process he might of course win his 2nd WDC, but no worries if that doesn't happen.
- We drive where we can drive. It doesn't change the fact that I like to drive a racing car.
In Zürich Kimi didn't straightly commit to Lotus. He replied to the question about his contract's lenght with the word 'in principle'. The practice remains to be seen in the F1-world.
But Räikkönen doesn't even have to commit. If Lotus dares to keep the Finn in a loose enough tether, then he will most surely not want to go anywhere else. He is already a World Champion and doesn't have any obsession over a second one.
Fonte: Iltalehti.fi (Paper Edition)/Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole
Gostei deste texto, gostei mesmo! Vou aproveitar a fase antes da temporada começar para curtir este tipo de matérias, porque já sei o tipo de coisa que vou ler assim que os primeiros treinos começaram em março.
A parte em que eles falam sobre Kimi ser um sonhador, acrescento, ele tem sorte demais em poder se dar o direito de curtir os sonhos que tem. Nós nem sempre, na verdade, na maioria das vezes, podemos ter o que sonhamos.
Não diria que Kimi seja um sonhador, ele é um homem de sorte, muita sorte. Fazer o que se ama e poder ser feliz com isto é para poucas pessoas neste mundo.
Beijinhos, Ludy
A parte em que eles falam sobre Kimi ser um sonhador, acrescento, ele tem sorte demais em poder se dar o direito de curtir os sonhos que tem. Nós nem sempre, na verdade, na maioria das vezes, podemos ter o que sonhamos.
Não diria que Kimi seja um sonhador, ele é um homem de sorte, muita sorte. Fazer o que se ama e poder ser feliz com isto é para poucas pessoas neste mundo.
Beijinhos, Ludy
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