Kimi Räikkönen: Wonderful when Swedes support a Finn
Kimi Räikkönen: Wonderful when Swedes support a Finn
Kimi Räikkönen about the F1-comeback, Ronnie Peterson, interest in Sweden and goal for the season.
He has raced for McLaren and for Ferrari. Now Kimi Räikkönen is back.
In a Lotus, to battle over a new WDC title.
– I can promise you that I will do my very best every time I sit in the car, he tells Sportbladet.
Kimi Räikkönen came to F1 as a square raw talent, found by Peter Sauber. His natural speed on the track ensured that he quickly walked over to McLaren, where he proved just how fast driver he is and soon after that he was second in WC. After that he got a WDC-title with Ferrari, he took it during his first year with the Italians and it's the latest title the Italians have ever since.
But in 2009 he left F1 and went to WRC, he still had a contract with Ferrari but when Fernando Alonso came Kimi Räikkönen was bought out.
The Finn chose to test WRC and even NASCAR, but after two seasons he is back again. In another legendary team. He will be beating a legendary black Lotus for at least two seasons.
”One of the best teams”
A task that he takes very seriously.
– When stars like Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt and Niki Lauda raced it was a completely different era, Kimi Räikkönen explains in an exclusive interview with Sportbladet.
– All three of them were the big names during that era. Lotus is one of the best teams together with Ferrari and McLaren, and I'm immensely proud over having the possibility to drive for all those teams during my career.
The interest for your comeback has been huge in Sweden. What do you want to say to your Swedish fans?
– That it's always wonderful to hear that there are Swedes who support a Finn. Please continue with that! I love racing and I promise to do my very best every time I sit in the car.
– I have never lost my passion for F1, but possibly for other things that are related to the sport. When I drove NASCAR last year I realized how much I missed racing, to race against other drivers. In rally you always race against the time, he said.
What did you learn during your time in WRC?
– That it never hurts to try something different. Rally is absolutely the most difficult sport I have tested, but it has absolutely nothing to do with F1. I master F1 better than rally and it will help me during my comeback.
”I don't care what people say”
The expectations on him are big - but they don't matter to Kimi Räikkönen.
– I would never had come back if I wouldn't be motivated, but there is nobody else who knows what I do or what I think except for me. It's like I don't care about what people say, I'm happy to be back and would never had signed a contract unless I would really had wanted it. It feels very interesting and very exciting to be back, he says.
He began and ended the tests by being the fastest driver.
- It's always wonderful to have the fastest time but during testing it's not especially important. I have earlier too been the fastest. So it isn't really any big deal, the Finn says.
Kimi Räikkönen is back in F1 because of one and only reason.
He wants to race again.
Anna Andersson
Fonte: Sportbladet (publicação da Suécia)/Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole
Bacana o texto acima. Leve, bom de se ler. E só para quem não sabe, finlandeses e suecos têm um rixa antiga, a Suécia foi colonizadora da Finlândia, e ao longo da história destes países há disputas não só de passagem política e territorial, como é claro, esportiva.
Mencionem que você é sueco ou finlandês em um jogo de ice hockey para qualquer um dos torcedores destes times e verão o resultado. É bem estilo Brasil e Argentina no futebol! rsrsrs... Por isto o título do texto, a pergunta da jornalista e a resposta de Kimi.
E sim, concordo com o finlandês, o rali é a categoria mais difícil do automobilismo. #fato
Beijinhos, Ludy
Kimi Räikkönen about the F1-comeback, Ronnie Peterson, interest in Sweden and goal for the season.
He has raced for McLaren and for Ferrari. Now Kimi Räikkönen is back.
In a Lotus, to battle over a new WDC title.
– I can promise you that I will do my very best every time I sit in the car, he tells Sportbladet.
Kimi Räikkönen came to F1 as a square raw talent, found by Peter Sauber. His natural speed on the track ensured that he quickly walked over to McLaren, where he proved just how fast driver he is and soon after that he was second in WC. After that he got a WDC-title with Ferrari, he took it during his first year with the Italians and it's the latest title the Italians have ever since.
But in 2009 he left F1 and went to WRC, he still had a contract with Ferrari but when Fernando Alonso came Kimi Räikkönen was bought out.
The Finn chose to test WRC and even NASCAR, but after two seasons he is back again. In another legendary team. He will be beating a legendary black Lotus for at least two seasons.
”One of the best teams”
A task that he takes very seriously.
– When stars like Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt and Niki Lauda raced it was a completely different era, Kimi Räikkönen explains in an exclusive interview with Sportbladet.
– All three of them were the big names during that era. Lotus is one of the best teams together with Ferrari and McLaren, and I'm immensely proud over having the possibility to drive for all those teams during my career.
The interest for your comeback has been huge in Sweden. What do you want to say to your Swedish fans?
– That it's always wonderful to hear that there are Swedes who support a Finn. Please continue with that! I love racing and I promise to do my very best every time I sit in the car.
– I have never lost my passion for F1, but possibly for other things that are related to the sport. When I drove NASCAR last year I realized how much I missed racing, to race against other drivers. In rally you always race against the time, he said.
What did you learn during your time in WRC?
– That it never hurts to try something different. Rally is absolutely the most difficult sport I have tested, but it has absolutely nothing to do with F1. I master F1 better than rally and it will help me during my comeback.
”I don't care what people say”
The expectations on him are big - but they don't matter to Kimi Räikkönen.
– I would never had come back if I wouldn't be motivated, but there is nobody else who knows what I do or what I think except for me. It's like I don't care about what people say, I'm happy to be back and would never had signed a contract unless I would really had wanted it. It feels very interesting and very exciting to be back, he says.
He began and ended the tests by being the fastest driver.
- It's always wonderful to have the fastest time but during testing it's not especially important. I have earlier too been the fastest. So it isn't really any big deal, the Finn says.
Kimi Räikkönen is back in F1 because of one and only reason.
He wants to race again.
Anna Andersson
Kimi Räikkönen about...
...his feelings before the season:
- So far we have only tested and I assume that people drove with less fuel every now and then, that's why it's useless to make any analysis before the season starts. The absolutely most important thing for us has been that the car works well without having any bigger reliability-problems.
....why are there more top drivers from Finland in F1 and WRC, but no Swedes:
- We have lost to Tre Kronor in ice hockey so many times, then we started to win suddenly. Never give up. Now it's up to Sweden to get and maintain a driver to the top class in racing, after that it's easier to get the next one and the next one. I think that it's about how we have succeeded in Finland.
...difference between Kimi Räikkönen 2009 and 2012
- I guess I'm two years older but other than that nothing has probably changed. It was wonderful to drive rally the last seasons and it was really difficult at times. It was easier during the second season but it's a terribly difficult sport. Now I look forward to the comeback, F1 is a sport that I know how it works and that I have been part of very long, it's different to rally where I had no idea over what was going to happen next. Then I went to drive NASCAR and also didn't have any idea about that either. Hence it should be easier with F1, it's more like everyday business.
...the miss in the qualification where he positioned 18th:
- It didn't go exactly as we had planned, there's no problem with the car but I made a mistake and then we also had a problem with communication about how much time was left. That's how we missed the chance to make another lap. It cost us a good starting position but that's how it can go sometimes. We should have easily made it to Q2 and this is probably not the best start one can imagine, but we will try and make it up in the race. The car has speed, absolutely.
Kimi Räikkönen
Age: 32
Nation: Finland
Merits: WDC 2007, WC-silver 2003 and 2005. WC-bronze 2008.
GP-victories: 155/18.
Pole positions: 16
Podiums: 62.
F1-career:
Sauber 2001
McLaren 2002-2006
Ferrari 2007-2009
Lotus 2012-2013
...his feelings before the season:
- So far we have only tested and I assume that people drove with less fuel every now and then, that's why it's useless to make any analysis before the season starts. The absolutely most important thing for us has been that the car works well without having any bigger reliability-problems.
....why are there more top drivers from Finland in F1 and WRC, but no Swedes:
- We have lost to Tre Kronor in ice hockey so many times, then we started to win suddenly. Never give up. Now it's up to Sweden to get and maintain a driver to the top class in racing, after that it's easier to get the next one and the next one. I think that it's about how we have succeeded in Finland.
...difference between Kimi Räikkönen 2009 and 2012
- I guess I'm two years older but other than that nothing has probably changed. It was wonderful to drive rally the last seasons and it was really difficult at times. It was easier during the second season but it's a terribly difficult sport. Now I look forward to the comeback, F1 is a sport that I know how it works and that I have been part of very long, it's different to rally where I had no idea over what was going to happen next. Then I went to drive NASCAR and also didn't have any idea about that either. Hence it should be easier with F1, it's more like everyday business.
...the miss in the qualification where he positioned 18th:
- It didn't go exactly as we had planned, there's no problem with the car but I made a mistake and then we also had a problem with communication about how much time was left. That's how we missed the chance to make another lap. It cost us a good starting position but that's how it can go sometimes. We should have easily made it to Q2 and this is probably not the best start one can imagine, but we will try and make it up in the race. The car has speed, absolutely.
Kimi Räikkönen
Age: 32
Nation: Finland
Merits: WDC 2007, WC-silver 2003 and 2005. WC-bronze 2008.
GP-victories: 155/18.
Pole positions: 16
Podiums: 62.
F1-career:
Sauber 2001
McLaren 2002-2006
Ferrari 2007-2009
Lotus 2012-2013
Fonte: Sportbladet (publicação da Suécia)/Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole
Bacana o texto acima. Leve, bom de se ler. E só para quem não sabe, finlandeses e suecos têm um rixa antiga, a Suécia foi colonizadora da Finlândia, e ao longo da história destes países há disputas não só de passagem política e territorial, como é claro, esportiva.
Mencionem que você é sueco ou finlandês em um jogo de ice hockey para qualquer um dos torcedores destes times e verão o resultado. É bem estilo Brasil e Argentina no futebol! rsrsrs... Por isto o título do texto, a pergunta da jornalista e a resposta de Kimi.
E sim, concordo com o finlandês, o rali é a categoria mais difícil do automobilismo. #fato
Beijinhos, Ludy
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