Finland's gold was celebrated even in the F1 Champion Team

Topfysio Tommi Pärmäkoski celebrated Vettel's F1-championship in November. On Sunday evening he got something new to celebrate.

Together with his colleague Antti Kontsas, Pärmäkoski organized a joint Icehockey WC -studio for Finnish F1-trainers in Switzerland.

Pärmäkoski played icehockey himself in Mestis during 2002-03 as a goal keeper, "as a good sportsman but not as an especially talented hockey player".

– It was a great game from Finland's whole team and especially from Petri Vehanen (goalie). Deepest respects also to Sweden's goal keeper Viktor Fasth, who became a WC-star coming almost straight from their Mestis-level, Pärmäkoski thought.

Vettel, who has got a wooden Finnish sauna built in his home, tried out this weekend his renamed Red Bull Ring.

– Vettel called after Sweden made the opening goal but it got more quiet after that, Pärmäkoski revealed.

When Finland played against Germany Vettel was racing in Turkey. The competitive WDC made a bet with his fysio about who will win - he lost, which is very rare for the man these days.

Vettel leads the serie with 34 points to Lewis Hamilton after only 4 races.

– The car is good, the driver is good but there's at least 15 races left. The most important thing is to keep the feet on the ground and just take peacefully one race after another, Pärmäkoski says.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Q&A with Jenson Button after Istanbul

Jenson Button says he'll put Turkey "down to experience and move on" after he lost out due to his three-stop strategy...

Q: Turkey was a race where you seemed to hold all the right cards yet couldn't play them at the right times...
JB: "Yeah, pretty much. I think, like everyone else, we went into the race believing that a three-stopper was the best strategy. And while it quickly became quite apparent that most people were being pushed into a four-stopper, I looked after the tyres in that first stint, managed to gain a few laps on the cars around me and still looked set to make a three-stop strategy work.

"I think we were on course for a decent result, but I suffered a bit when, in the team's attempt to get me into clear air, I was boxed a bit too soon into the tyres' life. Plus, I was released into traffic and then those earlier-than-necessary stops left me with a bit of a final stint, which meant that I really struggled for pace on tyres that were really past their best."

Q: And what do you draw from that?
JB: "It's disappointing because, from the cockpit, I didn't really do anything wrong - I drove a clean, strong race and looked after the tyres, but I suffered a bit as a result of that. As we've seen in the first three races, all the teams and drivers are on a steep learning curve with these tyres and we just have to notch this one down to experience and move on. I think we'll all learn something from Sunday and, hopefully, we can put it to good use as soon as possible.

"Besides, we didn't really have the pace in the car, to challenge for victory on Sunday. When you have the car beneath you that has good pace, it does make your strategy easier: when you're forced to push, you sometimes have to make a marginal call, or try to make a less-than-perfect strategy work. We never said it was easy, and it's good that we feel confident enough to make risky calls. I'll be heading into the next two races feeling more confident that we'll be back to our usual position up at the front."

Q: It looked like the team's performance took a knock at Turkey - do you think you'll bounce back in Spain and Monaco?
JB: "For Turkey, we'd planned to introduce a couple of useful upgrades, but for several reasons, we weren't able to get them onto the car. As we've said before, the championship battle is basically a development race, and we stumbled a little bit in Turkey because the progress that we'd anticipated making wasn't quite there.

"But I know how this team reacts - they won't have liked having fallen off the bubble in Turkey, and we feel pretty confident that we'll be able to get the pace and reliability from some of our planned upgrades, so I'm optimistic that we'll have those components back on the car for Barcelona.

"We're always developing new solutions, too, and I know that the designers are pushing hard on all fronts to make sure we're in a position to win more races."

Source: jensonbutton.com

Ecclestone: I can’t do my job when I’m dead

Bernie Ecclestone reverted to his typical sardonic humour and image of invincibility when asked in Turkey if he fears Formula 1 slipping from his grasp.

Asked by Bild am Sonntag if he is worried he may soon have to relinquish his role as the most powerful figure in the Formula 1 paddock, he answered simply, “Yes.”

Asked why, the 80-year-old Briton told the German Sunday newspaper, “Because I can’t do my job when I’m dead.”

He suggested to Bloomberg in another interview that he cannot understand the interest of News Corp and Ferrari linked Exor when the sport’s current owners CVC are not interested in selling.

And he revealed, “There’s been other interest for quite some time”, adding that CVC might only be swayed with a “bloody enormous” offer.

FIA president Jean Todt confirmed on Sunday that the governing body has the right to veto a sale.

Curiously, another spanner in the works could be Todt’s predecessor Max Mosley, who called the FIA veto the ‘Don King clause’ because the flamboyant boxing promoter would not be an appropriate owner for the sport.

It’s about “having a suitable, proper person” owning Formula 1, Mosley told Bloomberg. “From a personal point of view, I don’t think they’d be the right person,” he said, referring to News Corp.

Mosley’s main gripe with Rupert Murdoch is his UK tabloid News of the World, responsible not only for the infamous ‘Nazi hookers’ story but also for hacking the phones of celebrities.

“There has been clear illegality,” said Mosley.

A News Corp spokeswoman declined to comment on Ecclestone or Mosley’s comments.

Source: YallaF1

Sebastian Vettel not worried about KERS in Turkey

World champion Sebastian Vettel insists he is not worried about KERS in Turkey this weekend, despite the problems that have afflicted the system on the Red Bull this year.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Vettel said, “We have had some problems but have had. That’s why for this next race I am not worried.”

Red Bull left China three weeks ago with clearly the fastest car but far from the best KERS system, after Adrian Newey repackaged the Renault based unit over the winter for best aerodynamic performance, which has been the RB7′s strength.

The repositioning of KERS elements caused cooling problems at the first three races of 2011, but team consultant Helmut Marko insisted this week that the team used the Easter break to fix the system.

The world championship leader also revealed that the RB7 will have some other upgrades for Turkey this weekend.

“When I asked the team what (new) to expect, I received many answers,” Vettel answered cryptically. “You’ll have to ask them for yourself.”

Source: YallaF1

Massa's Blog: As a racing driver, you always want more

The biggest event in my life since the Chinese Grand Prix is that I turned 30 around a week ago! I celebrated with my family here in Monaco and I have to admit, it did feel significant hitting thirty. Although, on the other hand, I don’t feel any different, I don’t feel older but it’s strange not be twenty something anymore. When I first appeared in Formula 1, I was twenty: it was ten years ago and I cannot complain about my career and my life since then, which has always delivered more than I expected. But as a racing driver, as a competitor, you can never be happy and you always want more and that is what motivates me. Looking at the current driver line-up in F1, I can take encouragement from the fact that, even if there are plenty of very young drivers in the sport, there are also guys like Michael (Schumacher) who show that it is possible to have a very long career and seeing him still competing makes me feel even younger!

After a long break from racing, I will be heading for Turkey very early on Thursday morning and I have to say that Istanbul is a very special place for me, as it was here in 2006 that I took my first ever F1 victory, which is something no driver can ever forget. I remember it as an incredible win from pole position and also I recall the fact I finished ahead of Michael and Fernando who were fighting for the championship that year, which all added to making it a great achievement. And after that, I made it a hat-trick, winning for the next two years, when I was definitely the fastest man on track. In fact, apart from the three wins from three poles, since I am in Ferrari I have always finished in the points at Istanbul Park, but I hope the Turkish wins won’t stop at three! It sounds strange, but looking back at my results in Istanbul and combining it with my recent significant birthday, it might even be a further motivation to get a good result this weekend. However, we must be realistic and I know we need a good improvement on the car, as we were not as strong as we expected in the first three races. But everyone in Maranello has been working very hard to produce some aero updates for this race, so hopefully we can be a bit stronger, even though these new elements cannot be considered to be a major upgrade. That is the story for this weekend, but we can expect more improvements to follow at the races immediately after this one.

If you look at our positions in qualifying at the last race, we did not have the performance to deliver a podium result, but during the race itself our pace was such that we were actually fighting for a top three finish. We cannot say now what the situation will be in Turkey, because if we have been working hard, then so have the other teams, but it is not impossible that we will find ourselves with a car capable of fighting for a podium. It is true that the tyre situation is the same for everyone, but it is equally true that this could again be the key factor in deciding what happens in the race. The famous Turn 8 will be very important, because you really put a very heavy load on the tyres at this corner so we need to think carefully about the car set-up to deal with it and control the degradation. One element that could make this a completely different situation is that, currently, the weather forecast predicts some rain on nearly every day of the race weekend, which means we and especially our strategists, have to be very concentrated and ready for anything. I can’t remember rain in Istanbul, so it could make life interesting.

Since China, I’ve kept in touch with my engineers to know what they are working on and I also spent two days at the factory and in the simulator last week, which was important for our development work. I enjoyed having a break from this with the unique opportunity of driving three Ferraris on the same day around Fiorano for a filming event: I had a Formula 1 car, the 458 road car and the 458 in its Challenge version. It was good fun, but the problem was that when you step out of the F1 car and into the road car – even a Ferrari – you have to be very careful about your braking points for the corners, because they are very different. But it all ended safely!

Source: Ferrari.com

Massa's Blog: Try to fight back immediately

Posted by Felipe Massa

I am back home in Brazil, having taken the long flight from Istanbul on the Sunday night after the Turkish Grand Prix. I have to say, it’s good to be back in Sao Paolo as it’s been a few months since I was last here. I have some promotional work to do in South America and also, at least it’s the right side of the Atlantic for the next race in Canada.

Looking back at the Turkish Grand Prix, I think the only honest way to describe it is as the poorest performance from Scuderia Ferrari so far this season. We were uncompetitive through the whole weekend from Friday through to Sunday, struggling in every session, especially qualifying. So, when it came to the race, I think we did the best we could do, given our pace and our position on the grid. It was a shame, given that the Istanbul track is one of my favourites, where I have won three times in the past at the wheel of a great car. This time, it was not so positive, but no way are we going to give up and we must just keep on working and try to fight back immediately.

We can do it, because we did a fantastic job over the last winter and came out with a great car at the start of the year, which was a massive improvement compared to the car with which we ended the 2009 season. At that point, we had found the right direction to take in working on the car. However, from a certain moment of the season up until now, our development has not seen the car improve as much as we had hoped for or expected. In the same time period, we saw our competitors improve their cars significantly. This is the situation facing us now, so we must start by understanding why the good direction we had up until that moment has not continued. I am sure we can do it, because Ferrari has the capacity in terms of the people working for the team and also because it has come from behind in the past to again be competitive with the very best cars on the grid.

As far as the championships are concerned, the situation is not yet in a critical position for us: given that there are still twelve races to go, it is one hundred percent open, which means we can still fight for both championships. However, at the moment, it’s true that Red Bull has a better performance level, as it has done all season, while McLaren which was behind us a few races ago is now ahead of us in terms of their car performance. We simply have to push hard to try and get ahead again. If the ability to achieve this goal is based on our desire to do so, then I am confident we can improve.

Source: Massa's Blog - Ferrari.com

Alonso's Ferrari frustrations grow

Reports suggest that Fernando Alonso is becoming more and more disillusioned by Ferrari's failure to compete at the front of the field

After a fast start to the season in which Alonso won the season-opening Bahrain GP, Ferrari have tailed off of late, with the team forced to settle for eight and ninth spot in Turkey, a race that was supposed to be a celebration of their 800th race in the sport.

Reports now suggest that Alonso is becoming highly frustrated with the teams' lack of progress.

"I'm told that Fernando Alonso is very frustrated by Ferrari's rate of development. Compared to his time at McLaren in 2007, when the British team had updates for every race, Ferrari's flow of new parts this season has been very slow, with no more than little tweaks here and there so far," explained BBC commentator Jonathan Legard.

"The result is that the car that started the season right on Red Bull's heels is now, in Alonso's words, 'the fifth quickest'.

"It seems Ferrari have a major upgrade for the European GP at the end of June - a copy of Red Bull's downforce-producing exhaust system, and a new diffuser. But the fear is that it will not leapfrog Ferrari back up the grid because their rivals will have at least kept pace. The team are also puzzled as to why the car is competitive on softer tyres but well off the pace on the harder compound," he added.

Legard's remarks have been solidified by Alonso's admission that even with their planned upgrades, the Italian team will not be at the front of the field.

"We know that McLaren and Red Bull are very far away and we don't know if that's enough. We have to work hard," said Alonso.

"We don't know how long it is going to take, but the truth is that we are almost eight tenths from Red Bull and 6 or 7 tenths from McLaren, and these developments [for Valencia] are not going to give us that much."

Having earlier in the week said that Ferrari could not cope with the developments of the 'bigger teams', team boss Stefano Domenicali remains confident that there is still time for Ferrari to mount a title challenge.

"We are not going to stop developing this car - we are not throwing away these races so far," he said.

"We will continue working on the F10 until the end of the season. The championship is still open and we have seen that anything can happen in the races. We will not give up," he added.

Source: Planet-F1

Red Bull pair Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel set for talks after Turkey blunder

Mark Webber is to hold clear-the-air talks with Red Bull Racing team-mate Sebastian Vettel

Webber is hoping he and Vettel can resolve their differences ahead of the next race in Canada on June 13 as a feud erupted following their accident in Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix.

Both Red Bull drivers blamed each other for the lap-40 collision in which the young German turned into the Australian as he attempted to pass down the inside.

The outcome saw Vettel spin out of the race and Webber require a new front wing, allowing Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to score a one-two for McLaren.

Speaking in his column in the Australian Daily Telegraph, Webber said: "Seb and I will sit down and have a chat about it because we need to avoid costly slip-ups like this in the future.
"We'll probably have a difference of opinion about what happened on Sunday until we go to our graves, but we're both adults and we need to find a way of racing together that doesn't compromise the team.

"If we'd been fighting for 18th and 19th positions when this accident occurred, no one would have cared. As it was, we were fighting for the lead, and it's all anyone wants to know about."

Team principal Christian Horner blamed both drivers for the shunt, believing Webber should have given Vettel room, and accusing the 22-year-old German of turning in too aggressively.

Webber, though, is adamant he did nothing wrong, adding: "Vettel had a bit of a top-speed advantage and I could see him coming down my inside.

"We were fighting for the lead, so I stayed tight to ensure he'd be on the dirty side of the track as we approached the braking area. I was holding my line and he came across on me.

"We made contact. It was only a light touch, but when you're travelling at 300kmh (186mph) that's all you need for a situation to end in tears."

Source: Daily Telegraph

[Video] Webber explains Turkey crash

Source: YouTube @ TheGPUpdate

800 Grands Prix for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

The Turkish Grand Prix is a landmark event in the history of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. The race at Istanbul Park will be the eight hundredth Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix in which the team from Maranello has taken part.

Ferrari is the only team to have competed in every season at this the highest level of motor sport and it also holds all the records: Drivers’ titles (15,) Constructors’ (16,) wins (211,) podium finishes (632: apart from the wins, it has 223 second places and 198 thirds,) pole positions (203) and fastest race laps (221.)

“Eight hundred Formula 1 Grands Prix represents a milestone in the life of Ferrari, which fills us with satisfaction and pride,” commented Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo. “Today, I want to share our delight in this achievement with all the drivers who have driven our cars in the World Championship and with our fans. It is nice to look back and see what we have done together, aware that we are part of a story that is without equal and is ongoing.

“Personally, I am proud to have been part of this journey for so many years now,” continued Montezemolo. First as Sporting Director (1973-1976) and then as President (since 1991,) Luca di Montezemolo has been involved in 359 of the 799 chapters of Ferrari’s history in Formula 1, in which time the team won a total of 17 World titles (7 Drivers’ and 10 Constructors’) and 123 Grands Prix.

Other records held by Scuderia Ferrari and the men who drove for it are: Constructors’ Championship points (4229.5,) consecutive wins (14, 1952-1953,) one-two finishes (80,) victories in one season (15, 2002 and 2004,) wins in one season per driver (13, Schumacher 2004,) consecutive wins for a driver (9, Ascari 1952-1953,) consecutive podium finishes per driver (19, Schumacher 2001-2002,) one-two finishes for a driver pairing (24, Schumacher-Barrichello 2000-2005,) consecutive points finishes per driver (24, Schumacher 2001-2003.)

Source: Ferrari.com

Massa's Blog: Proud of being part of Ferrari’s history

Posted by Felipe Massa

I’ve had a busy time travelling to and from Maranello since the last Grand Prix, last week to work on preparation for Istanbul on the simulator and yesterda, I went back to Italy to take part in a football match for the Telethon charity, of which Luca di Montezemolo is president. Playing with me on the Telethon team were Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella and there were lots of former professional football players, actors, singers and VIPs. Then today, I flew to Turkey for the next round of the world championship and it’s one I am really looking forward to.

Istanbul is a special track for me, as I have won three times in a row out of the five times we have raced there. I enjoy it a lot and I am looking forward to this weekend to try and do it again. Last year, when our car was not so competitive, I still managed to finish sixth, so I am hoping for something better this time, even if we have seen that the opposition is very strong at the moment. I can’t really explain why I have always been strong at Istanbul Park, but there is something about the track characteristics that seems to suit me in a similar way to Bahrain or Sao Paolo: I just click with these places and I feel very comfortable driving there. The most interesting part of the Turkish track is Turn 8, which is basically four left hand turns all taken as one, which puts quite a strain on your neck and upper body as it probably generates the highest lateral G-forces of any corner on the calendar. This year, in the early stages of the race, we will also have to tackle it with a much heavier car because of running on full tanks, which means it will be much slower than usual. But that is something we have experienced at all the races this year and while in qualifying Turn 8 is difficult but you are pretty much flat out, in the race you will have to back off the throttle. This season, in the early laps, we have seen that we can be 6 to 7 seconds slower per lap than in qualifying.

After running very competitively in Monaco on Bridgestone’s softer tyres, in Istanbul we will be back to their Medium and Hard compounds: the engineers have been pushing very hard to get to the F10 to make these tyres work better for us than they did in Barcelona for example, so I expect we will have made some progress. Also, the asphalt in Istanbul is the most abrasive we will have encountered so far this season, resulting in higher tyre degradation and that fact, combined with the higher temperatures we can expect this weekend, should see us work the tyres better.

All rounds of the championship are equally important in terms of the points on offer, but this weekend’s race has a special significance for everyone in the team and back at the factory. It will be the eight hundredth Formula 1 World Championship event in which the Scuderia has taken part, dating back to the first race of 1950 in Monaco. For me, it will be the sixty ninth time I put on the red fire suit and step into the cockpit of a Prancing Horse car and it is fantastic to be part of that history, part of the most famous racing team in the world. This is my job, but I never forget how special it is to drive for Ferrari. Although it will be nice to celebrate this milestone with the team this weekend, in Formula 1 it is the present and the future that matter, so the best way to celebrate the 800 would be to have a perfect weekend, ending with a great result on Sunday afternoon.

Source: Massa's Blog - Ferrari.com

Alonso's Blog: A good result to celebrate the 800 Grands Prix

Posted by Fernando Alonso

I arrived tonight in Istanbul having spent a few days in Maranello. With the team, we have worked hard to be as well prepared as possible for the upcoming weekend of World Championship action, an event that has a special significance for all of Ferrari. It’s here in Istanbul that the Scuderia celebrates its eight hundredth Grand Prix in Formula 1, which is an amazing achievement. My role in this exceptional story only started a few months ago and it is only six chapters long, but I can already understand how special it is to be part of the legend that is Ferrari.

Apart from the work with the team, I have also been on the simulator and, yesterday I was able to indulge in my two favourite sports; football and cycling. Yesterday afternoon, I watched a stage of the Giro d’Italia, along with Stefano Domenicali and it was a great experience. It was a time trial, from San Vigilio di Marebbe to Plan de Corones and I followed my friend Carlos Sestre every inch of the way on a support motor bike. I like cycling as part of my training programme but I also like to watch the big races. I had already been to the Tour de France and the Vuelta, but never the Giro: it was a great atmosphere with lots of support, especially for the Italian riders. I tried to give my support to Carlos and the other Spanish riders: one of them still wears the pink jersey and I was pleased to join him on the podium when he put it on again at the end of the stage.

In the evening, in Modena, I played football in the charity match between the Telethon and Nazionale Italiana Cantanti teams. Once again here there was a great crowd with the stadium filled almost to capacity: the Italians really know how to show their support and on this occasion they had good cause, namely to gather donations for medical research.

The race in Istanbul kicks off the second third of the championship and there is still everything to play for. Even if, so far, the Red Bulls have been the most competitive, the field is evenly matched, with at least five or six drivers in the hunt for the title. I hope this will be a “normal” race in that I should not find myself once again at the back of the pack after a few laps, which is what has happened for one reason or another in four of the first six races this year. We have the potential to be competitive and it would be fantastic to be able to celebrate the Scuderia’s eight hundredth Grand Prix with a great result!

Source: Alonso's Blog - Ferrari.com

Lampinen waits for Kimi's pace to improve

Turun Sanomat 05.5 2010

Rally legend Simo Lampinen lives nowadays in Germany but on Tuesday he was walking in Turku TS car & communication museum and talked a lot as he usually does. Lampinen who works for FIA is still following closely the WRC-serie.

– Kimi Räikkönen coming into rally has been an interesting and positive thing. I would have thought myself that Kimi would drive better than we have already seen.

– I talked with Kimi in Rally Turkey and it seems like he is finding the notes little by little. It's clear that he enjoys the relaxed rally world more than the paddock-life in F1 where everything is planned millimeter by millimeter and minute by minute.

According to Lampinen Räikkönen should get in the speed of the top drivers in the near future. That's when it can be probable that Räikkönen will rise to fight for the WRC-championship one day.

– It can't take much more than over one year if you are championship-material. The top speed has to be found during next season.

Lampinen is one of the few Finnish rally drivers who have created an international job career in the managment of car races after his own driving career was over. Lampinen has worked hard in many places but right now he is mostly seen as WRC-serie's safety group's member.

– The safety group goes and checks that the route and the other arrangements are in order. After that they leave the organisers two-three months to rectify possible lacks.

– I don't go to all races, I take some three or four races per year. Last year I was in Rally Turkey.

Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

Raikkonen still not ruling out F1 return

Kimi Raikkonen insists he still has not made a decision about returning to Formula One in 2011.

After agreeing to end his Ferrari contract a year early late in 2009, the Finn signed on with Red Bull and Citroen and then endured a difficult and crash-laden start to his new career in the World Rally Championship.

But early this month in Jordan, 30-year-old Raikkonen became the first driver since Carlos Reutemann to score points in both F1 and world rallying.

And then shortly after declaring he is not missing Formula One, he finished less than 7 minutes behind winner Sebastien Loeb in Turkey for fifth place.

But when asked if his recent results make it more likely he will stick with rallying in 2011, Raikkonen told Turun Sanomat newspaper: "It has not turned in any direction.

"There is no rush for me to make decisions. We'll have to see what are the possibilities and what for me is the most interesting -- what I enjoy the most and what it is I most want to do," he added.

"We will see at a point some time later this year," said Raikkonen.

Famously not fond of F1's off-track activities and pressures, and ruing the lost days of characters like James Hunt, Raikkonen's observers agree that he seems happier in the rallying world.

"If the F1 world could go back 20 years, it would be the same as rallying now," he said. "It (rallying) is still professional but in just a bit more of a relaxed style."

Source: Motosport

RÄIKKÖNEN: I WILL ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING TO DO

Kimi Räikkönen drives in WRC this season. His plans for next season are completely open and Räikkönen isn't going to start worrying about the future yet. And he has no reason to do so either, like the man himself says: I will always find something to do.

Räikkönen came in 5th in Rally Turkey. Part of the stages were on tarmac.

- Of course it's somewhat more familiar to drive on gravel but there they drove on tarmac with gravel tyres and that's something completely new.

- Then when you drive with real tarmac-tyres it's going to be more like what I'm used to.

- When they have drove the same roads for 6-8 years the old hands have quite an advantage when they almost remember the roads by heart. That's where the difference comes from.

- In summer there will be few completely new tarmac-races so nobody has any advantage there.

Kimi's name has been flashed, again, in rumours concerning F1. Räikkönen admits that rumours are part of motorsport.

- Firstly there's a lot of reporters in the F1-world. Everybody wants to make stories and they interview a lot of people out of which some deliberately tell wrong things and some tell right things. Then everything gets quite mixed up, Räikkönen thinks.

- Everybody wants to do their own story. There has always been rumours and there will always be too.

There isn't much truth in the recent stories. They have tried to fit the Finn into F1 but at the moment Räikkönen is focused on rally.

- I only have a contract for this year so it could be that everything changes next year. I'm in no hurry to decide anything, there's still many months before I even need to start thinking about it.

The comeback to F1 is possible but Räikkönen admits the disadvantages of the sport. Without doubt the media banging is smaller in WRC than in F1 which is filled with rumours and media.

- Of course F1 is the sport I've been doing for a long time and doing it for my living. Of course you would want to do it but there are also a lot of other things you can do for your living.

- There's much of all kinds of useless things in F1 that many don't like. A lot of everything and people are fighting for useless things. It really doesn't belong there and it spoils many good things in the sport, Räikkönen thinks.

The contract with Red Bull is for this year. The Iceman is cool and calm when he talks about his future. The door to F1 isn't yet closed.

- Of course I have to see what next year brings with it. I don't have anything against F1 but I don't have a craving back there either. Of course things can change suddenly.

- I haven't worried much, I will always find something to do, Räikkönen ends the interview.

Why is Räikkönen's name on Guns´n Roses' new albums credits and what is his favourite movie? Watch YLE Urheilu's internet-program Urgent next Monday where you can hear more Räikkönen's thoughts.

Source: YLE.FI
Courtesy: Nicole

FANTASTIC, KIMI!

by Marcus Grönholm

Here we go again.

Let's catch Kimi Räikkönen first, he was definitely the biggest Finnish name in Turkey Rally.

Success in the WRC-serie doesn't come at once - not even if you would have won everything possible in the lower series. Not to talk about how difficult succeeding is for a driver who hasn't rallied before. Kimi's 5th position in Turkey was a really tough achievement, for real.

Okay, over five minutes to the lead but let's forget about the minutes. The most important was the position. Now Kimi has found the real deal, now he had the touch. Great.

5th position gave Kimi credability and selfconfidence which will take him further again. Turkey rally proved that he is on the right road. The journey to the top has began.

Kimi has improved in listening to the notes and he has also learned to know better his Citroen. That's why he has the guts to put the foot on the pedal more down.

In the future the most important thing for him is to have the calmness to learn. He has to have the energy to constantly battle so that he grows into succes in rally too. The time for winning, which he got used to in F1, comes later.

Apart from that nothing new and wondrous happened in Turkey. The rally was won by - surprise, surprise - Sebastien Loeb, has anyone ever heard of the man? Oh well, it looks like it's going to be this again from race to race. Citroen and Loeb leading while the others whine.

There hasn't been any real battle for victory. When it was time for it Loeb came in his own pace and made winning look ridiculously easy. Unbelievable.

Mikko Hirvonen came with his Ford in a pace that was okay but I'm sure he is still gutted over hitting a stone. Of course the battle hasn't been decided yet but in the next races Mikko's difference in points to Loeb shouldn't grow over 40. Otherwise the battle will calm down remarkably and then nobody has the energy to get excited about the races.

But it's good that Mikko is attacking by taking risks and that he went flat out for the victory. I myself am of this opinion because during my own career I found the optimal driving style through numerous drivings off the road. But that's how it is, Loeb is conquered only by taking risks, you won't win him otherwise. And because you get 25 points for each victory the importance of winning is big.

I'm sure Malcom Wilson from Ford wasn't satisfied when Jari-Matti Latvala rolled. Okay, same as with Mikko, these things happen sometimes when you drive on the limit. One has to remember that Jari-Matti has drove three even races before this.

Wilson must be gutted over Citroen being on top again when it comes to the manufacturer-battle. The French team has now four competitive cars and drivers, Ford has only two.

Ford has to show what they are made of in the next races. The current level isn't enough.

Source: Iltalehti.fi
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi trusted the renting company

Kimi Räikkönen flew on Sunday after the WRC-rally from Turkey to Nizza. From there the man continued by car home to Switzerland.

Räikkönen's entourage used a private plane which they got from a renting company.

- Companies like that don't take any risks so I'm sure it was safe. Other than that I have no idea about the technical reasons.

TRUST

Kimi Räikkönen flew on Sunday from Turkey to Nizza and drove home to Switzerland from there. The airports in Switzerland were closed because of the ash.

Source: Iltasanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

AutoSprint: And Kimi gets points again

Fifth overall, so Kimi Raikkonen could celebrate in Turkey his second race finished in the points after Mexico.

The Finnish driver was satisfied at the end, both for the result and for the great experience made during the race.

The former Ferrari driver is going to take a break now: he won't race in New Zeland and we can see him again at the end of May, in Portugal.

Source: AutoSprint
Courtesy:_TaniaS_

Co-driver praised Räikkönen's skills

For Kimi Räikkönen fifth place in Turkey WRC-rally was a fantastic result. Räikkönen was behind Citroen's French-star Sebastien Loeb, who was the winner of the rally, by approximately 7 minutes. Co-driver Kaj Lindström praised Räikkönen's performance.

- A great performance from Kimi. Of course there can always be improvement but this result gives energy for Kimi for the coming challenges, Lindström said.

According to Lindström one could see in Turkey how close Kimi drives to the top drivers when everyone are forced to drive in roads they don't know beforehand. In most of the WRC-rallies Räikkönen has to learn stages while the more experienced drivers know the routes better.

- Turkey was a new race for everyone. Now we know where we are going. In the future we aim to narrow off the difference to the top. Bulgary might be the next good place for comparison because there the roads are new for everyone, Lindström pondered.

Lindström reminded that through experience rally-driver's driving rhythm improves. At the same time the driver learns to pay more accurately attention to the notes from the co-driver and the pace accelerates even more.

- Polishing the notes to the stage that you trust them 110 procent comes through experience.

According to Lindström, Kimi is dedicated to rally with certainty only for this year.

- I won't by any means decline cooperation if Kimi wants to continue in rally after this season too. But it is too early to think about that, we have not talked about this issue even with each other yet, Lindström said.

Source: YLE.Fi
Courtesy: Leijona

Kimi Räikkönen Rally of Turkey 2010 Opening Ceremony

Source: TRT.net - YouTube

Courtesy: _TaniaS_