~Kimi is a king of f1~
31.05.2006., srijeda
F1 igrica
Joj nedavno sam dobila staru verziju igre f1...iz 2002...možda je staro,ali je zakon!!!U samo tri dana sam postala prvak u f1 i to debelo ispred schumachera nekih 70 bodova... i naravno vozim za mclaren i to kao Kimi!igrica je fora jer su sve staze identične,imaš boxeve ma sve...jedva čekam da iziđe ova nova! a nikako da dočekam...isto tako nikako da dočekam novi f1 racing! pa već je kraj mjeseca a njega nema... grozno!!! sada sam se sjetila da ja imam nekoliko smišljenih stihova o Kimiju!  pa dakle..." O Kimi,Kimi to je tvoja meta na kraju sezone biti prvak svijeta!" "E moj Kimi to ti je u krvi nakon svake trke uvijek stići prvi!" "Samo Alonso za glavu se drži ni to ne pomaže jer Kimi je brži!" "na kraju trke Alonso ti plači i ipak priznaj da Kimi je jači!" "ma jebeš Alonsa on ništa ne vrijedi,jedino može da Kimija slijedi!"  To su mi najdraže... da ne pišem novi post ovdje ću ubaciti ovaj video...  Kako Kimi majstorski pređe Schumachera i kaže mu...bokić... (dobro ne kaže,ali tako je ispalo)još jedan kratki... Kimi i Schumi |
30.05.2006., utorak
Mclaren wont rush Kimi
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Finn's decision to be waited on May 29 (GMM) McLaren has not set a deadline for Kimi Raikkonen to make up his mind about 2007, according to team bigwig Martin Whitmarsh. The Woking based squad's 'F1 CEO' revealed in Monte Carlo: ''No -- we are concentrating on the races.'' Whitmarsh added: ''We don't believe it is necessary or useful to set a deadline.'' Raikkonen, 26, is linked strongly with a switch to Ferrari next year, but McLaren have made it clear that - should he want to stay in silver - they favour him over Juan Pablo Montoya as a teammate for incoming Fernando Alonso. ''We are patient people and we will see how it develops,'' Whitmarsh continued. ''The most important thing for the team and Kimi are results.'' Mercedes' competition director Norbert Haug, meanwhile, denied that Raikkonen's continuing run of mechanical breakdowns in Monte Carlo has damaged McLaren's prospects of hanging onto the 'iceman'. The German told 'sid': ''I'm sure he is not jumping up and down with glee (about the result), but he will when he thinks about the speed of his car (at Monaco). ''If we make another step forward with our performance, perhaps he will decide not to leave the team too early.'' McLaren, like many teams, will this week test at Barcelona in Spain |
28.05.2006., nedjelja
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lijepo je prisjetiti se i ovih trenutaka...meni su došle suze na oči zbog ovog videa i pjesme... E ljudi moji ja sam poludila danas kada je kimi odustao…kako je majstorski vozio!Ponovo sam gledala onog agresivnog kimija od prošle godine onog koji letio kao strijela po stazi,onog koji je vladao stazom i bio u očima svih njegovih navijača!Uživala sam dok je ganjao alonsa…falila mi je ova sreća od prošle godine i onda mi se dogodi ovo.a još bolje Kimi, mrtav-hladan.ja sam skoro zaplakala od muke.Ne znam što je Kimi Bogu skrivio!Alonso mi je išao na nerve jer je u biti štopao KImija koji je bio brži i zato je došlo do onog četveroboja,alonso-kimi-webber-montoya.Webber je bio odličan i svaka mu čast,ali onda kada čovjeku konačno ide kao i kimiju,dođu problemi!Iako Montoya vozi za mclaren ta team za koji navijam ne mogu se priviknuti na njega.nije mi bilo drago što je 2. jer to mjesto nije nikako zaslužio!na tom mjestu je trebao biti ili alonso ili kimi jer su se njih dvoje borili kao zvijeri.naravno kimi i webber su imali kvar i to se dogodilo!on je popunio mjesto.No i tu se vidi da je montoya prosječan vozač…Schumacheru čestitke!Iz boxa na 5. mjesto je više nego odličan rezultat.a fisichella?Koji je to humor bio! Jono prestizanje i kočenje me ubilo!ali bravo za njega iako je trebao biti na višem mjestu!Vozač red bulla,David Coultard koji je prije vozio za mclaren došao je čudom do 3. mjesta!Ovdje su i službeni rezultati:1 F. Alonso Renault 1:43:43.116 2 JP. Montoya McLaren + 14.567 3 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 52.298 4 R. Barrichello Honda + 53.337 5 M. Schumacher Ferrari + 53.830 6 G. Fisichella Renault + 1:02.072 7 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1 krug 8 R. Schumacher Toyota + 1 9 F. Massa Ferrari + 1 10 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 11 J. Button Honda + 1 12 C. Albers Midland F1 + 1 13 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 14 J. Villeneuve BMW + 1 15 T. Monteiro Midland F1 + 2 16 F. Montagny Super Aguri + 3 Utrku nisu završili 17 J. Trulli Toyota + 5 18 C. Klien Red Bull + 21 19 N. Rosberg Williams + 26 20 K. Räikkönen McLaren + 28 21 M. Webber Williams + 30 22 T. Sato Super Aguri + 32  |
27.05.2006., subota
Mclaren-kvalifikacije,monako
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Kimi Raikkonen: "Vrlo sam sretan s bolidom koji mi je davao mogućnost za probijanja kroz kvalifikacije. Vjerujem da sam mogao ići i na pole, ali sam na svom posljednjem letećem krugu upao u gužvu - ali, to je Monaco. No, i dalje smo u drugom redu i sa dobrom strategijom i dobrim startom, definitivno smo u prilici postaviti dobar rezultat." Juan Pablo Montoya: "Pomalo sam se borio i sa gužvom i sa podupravljanjem, tako da sam se vjerojatno moga probiti nešto više na start gridu. Ipak, ovdje imamo dobar bolid i jaku strategiju za utrku, pa ćemo vidjeti što će se dogoditi. Treći red nije kraj svijeta i uvjeren sam da će to biti dobar GP, čemu se veselim." Ron Dennis: "Naša pozicija na gridu i trkaća strategija daju nam sve šanse da otiđemo iz Monte Carla s dobrim rezultatima. Obojica, i Kimi, i Montoya, postavili su solidna vremena, ali su upali u gužvu. S radošću iščekujemo sutrašnju utrku." Norbert Haug: "Zbog brzih vremena koja smo imali tijekom cijelog vikenda, smatram da se Kimi mogao kvalificirati na pole. bio je usporen zbog prometa u svom posljednjem kvalifikacijskom krugu, što ga je spriječilo da postigne više. Svejedno, pozicije drugog i trećeg reda su dobra osnova za sutrašnju utrku." Izvor: www.pitpass.com |
25.05.2006., četvrtak
Monaco:1.slobodni trening
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1. Alonso, Renault, 1:16.712 2. Davidson, Honda, 1:16.872 3. Fisichella, Renault, 1:16.888 4. M Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:16.973 5. Montoya, McLaren, 1:17.458 6. Kubica, BMW, 1:17.869 7. Wurz, WilliamsF1, 1:17.949 8. Button, Honda, 1:18.329 9. Doornbos, Red Bull, 1:18.394 10. Barrichello, Honda, 1:18.406 11. Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:18.447 12. Rosberg, WilliamsF1, 1:18.480 13. Webber, WilliamsF1, 1:18.571 14. Massa, Ferrari, 1:18.695 15. Trulli, Toyota, 1:18.703 16. R Schumacher, Toyota, 1:19.021 17. Villeneuve, BMW, 1:19.246 18. Klien, Red Bull, 1:19.543 19. Jani, Toro Rosso, 1:19.651 20. Mondini, Midland, 1:19.669 21. Monteiro, Midland, 1:19.730 22. Liuzzi, Toro Rosso, 1:19.857 23. Speed, Toro Rosso, 1:20.137 24. Albers, Midland, 1:20.552 25. Sato, Super Aguri, 1:21.144 26. Montagny, Super Aguri, 1:21.594 |
23.05.2006., utorak
Monaco GP: Mclaren preview
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The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix marks the 40th anniversary of McLaren, with the team making its Formula 1 race debut at the event in 1966 with founder Bruce McLaren at the wheel of the M2B. Bruce, who had previously won the event in 1962, became the youngest ever Formula 1 Driver/Constructor to enter a race, at the age of 29. Since this time McLaren has won the prestigious race on 13 occasions, which is more than any other Formula 1 team. McLaren's first Monaco Grand Prix victory occurred in 1984 with Alain Prost and the team went on to win every single year, apart from 1987, until 1993. Ayrton Senna won the event a record six times, for which five of those victories he was driving for McLaren. Since the partnership with Mercedes-Benz began, Team McLaren Mercedes has won the Grand Prix on four separate occasions. Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and David Coulthard in 2000 and 2002. Last year Kimi Raikkonen won the race with a dominant victory from pole position. As Juan Pablo Montoya took victory in 2003 (with BMW Williams), Team McLaren Mercedes is the only current team that has two drivers who have won the legendary race. The Grand Prix round the streets of Monte Carlo, which is being run for the 64th time this year, is widely regarded as the 'Jewel in the Crown' on the Formula 1 calendar. From 25th -- 28th May, the glamorous Principality is taken over by the sport for a race, which is, considered to be among the most demanding for both drivers and teams. Kimi Raikkonen: "Monte Carlo is a completely different challenge to the Barcelona track we will be pushing hard for victory. To lay the foundation for a good result you have to perform well in qualifying. In Monaco overtaking is almost impossible as the track is so twisty and narrow. Because of this, I am sure we will see some interesting strategies from all the teams." "Also Monaco is all about the car being responsive, particularly the front end. You are less aggressive under braking here into the corners because the barriers are so close and you need to be precise, and a responsive front end means the car is better in the mid corner and exit performance, allowing you to get on the throttle without having to wait for the car to turn the corner." "At Monaco this is where you can find time, so the handling of the car and the mechanical grip are more important than other areas, such as aero efficiency." Juan Pablo Montoya: "Everything about the Monaco Grand Prix is great, it is such an historic track and this creates a fantastic atmosphere. It is a unique challenge to race at because of its short, tight layout and other factors such as the gutters and manhole covers, the camber as the road crowns and all the white lines. Despite all this, the ride height isn't massively high, instead we run with suspension that has more compliance than normal." "It isn't very comfy for the drivers, as you really feel all the bumps, but you don't notice it because you are there to race. Also the corner loadings and pressures on straights are much less so it is not too tough physically." "Cooling is another issue at Monaco, because there are no real straights. As a result we run with the maximum cooling package of the season and we spent time at Paul Ricard last week focusing on the Monaco spec for cooling." "We covered over 3,000km in total at the test and in addition to work for Monaco, we also looked at specific components and set-ups for the much faster Canadian Grand Prix." Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula One, Team McLaren Mercedes: "The Monaco Grand Prix is the most prestigious event of the year, this is partly the location but also the heritage. The race holds particular significance for the team, as McLaren made its Formula 1 debut at Monte Carlo 40 years ago." "Whilst we are pushing hard to develop the performance of the MP4-21, we are aware we have a challenge ahead on the streets of Monte Carlo if we are to build on this record. Because there is such low grip we will run the softest Michelin tyres of the year." "Team McLaren Mercedes conducted a four day test at the Paul Ricard track last week, where our work with Michelin focused on tyre selection for Monaco. The track was in a configuration to mimic as much as possible the street circuit and we were able to get some positive feedback with Michelin and other areas of the test programme such as the bodywork modifications for the race." "Monaco will also see us use the maximum downforce configuration, good front end grip for exact turning into the tight corners, an engine with good torque and an efficient traction control." Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "Traditionally this Grand Prix is the highlight of the Formula One season, because the street circuit of Monaco today is as unique a venue for a Formula One race as during its premiere 77 years ago. Everything is different from all other permanent race tracks." "The challenge for the drivers regarding concentration and precision is even bigger and therefore winning in the principality is most prestigious. Driving at the limit through the canal between the barriers it can happen easily that a driver hits the guard rails; this happened already to World Champions when they were in the lead without pressure." "The new qualifying format with all competing cars on the track will cause a thriller we haven't seen before this season and in the last couple of years. To find a clear lap in these conditions won't be easy and we can therefore expect a mixed grid with some surprising positions." "With 260 kilometres the race is the shortest of the season; not concerning the driving time, however, and when it rains it might happen that the Grand Prix will last for the maximum time of two hours. The team has good memories of Monaco. Including last year's race Team McLaren Mercedes have won there on four occasions since 1998." Izvor: McLaren Mercedes |
22.05.2006., ponedjeljak
Drivers meets member of the public shock!
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There was panic outside the Renault motorhome in Barcelona on Saturday, when Formula One World Champion, Fernando Alonso, came into contact with a member of the public. The incident happened as Alonso was making his way from the garage to the safety of the motorhome, when a fan, believed to be a nine year old boy, approached the Spaniard to ask for an autograph. A team spokesman told us today: “Fernando was quite shaken by the incident, it is not within his contract to meet ordinary people, and we call upon the FIA to introduce measures to stop this sort of thing from happening again.” A clearly shaken Alonso, recently stung by criticism from Bernie Ecclestone that he does not do much for F1, was later able to leave the circuit following a brief check-up in the medical centre. The FIA's chief medical delegate, Professor Sid Watkins said: “Formula One drivers are a delicate breed, and meeting common people is just not good for them. “In the olden days, F1 drivers used to meet ordinary people nearly every weekend, thankfully things are much safer for them these days.”  |
18.05.2006., četvrtak
Mclaren razmišlja o promjeni strategije
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Iz McLarena su priznali da su nakon Španije njihove ambicije prema osvajanju šampionata znatno poljuljane. Tim iz Wokinga očekivao je da će ozbiljno konkurirati Renaultu i Ferrariju u Barceloni, nakon što su bili pokazali izvjestan napredak na Nurburgringu, ali iz Španije su otišli samo sa petim mjestom Kimija Raikkonena. Time je Finac ostao 27 bodova iza Fernanda Alonsa, a McLaren za Renaultom zaostaje 36 bodova u ukupnom poretku. Martin Whitmarsh bio je iznenađen razočaravajućim nastupom u Španiji i fokusiran je na to da vrati McLaren na čelne pozicije, a tek onda se upusti u razmišljanja o osvajanju titule. "Zaista moramo razvijati bolid", izjavio je. "Ovog vikenda pokazali smo se samo kao ekipa koja želi nešto postići - imali smo treći najbolji bolid. Bili smo peti, ali to nije ono po što smo bili došli. Što se šampionata tiče, trenutno je cilj posvetiti se svakoj utrci posebno i pokušati pobijediti." "Trenutno se ne bismo trebali fokusirati na šampionat već na to da učinimo naš bolid što bržim te da pobijedimo na nekoliko utrka, a onda ćemo razmišljati o ostalome." No, Whitmarsh je priznao da neće biti munjevitog rješenja da se McLaren vrati na stare pobjedničke staze. "Konkurencija je tako jaka da ukoliko vam performanse opadnu za 1%, to već znači da se borite za opstanak. Mislim da nema samo jedan segment da kojem trebamo raditi, neće biti nekog zlatnog rješenja koje će riješiti sve naše probleme, moramo raditi na svakom planu. Napredovali smo, ali nedovoljno." Pored iznenađujuće loših performansi, Whitmarsh i McLaren mogli bi se suočiti s odlaskom obojice njihovih vrhunskih vozača i prije kraja sezone. Raikkonenov ugovor ističe ove godine i povezivan je sa Ferrarijem, a u međuvremenu je i Renault isplivao kao potencijalni poslodavac Fincu. |
17.05.2006., srijeda
Pozdrav!!!
Evo da se javim malo!Na ovom blogu ću pisati sve novosti o f1 tj. o kimiju i mclarenu. Kimi je moj najdraži vozač i nikad nisam mislila da ću pratiti f1.No kako se to dogodilo?Kako se moglo dogoditi da cura prati f1?Slučajno sam prošle godine vidila Kimija na Nurburingu(valjda se tako piše) i jednostavno me pogodilo ono izletanje sa staze i virus me zarazio... napisati ću vam još puno toga o Kimiju i objaviti par slikica! KIMI Basic Facts Full name: Kimi Matias Räikkönen - Pronunciation: Kimi - Räikkönen Nicknames: Iceman, Kimppa, Rakka, his mechanics call him Kimster Nationality: Finnish Date of Birth: 17th of October 1979 Place of Birth: Espoo (Finland). Height: 1.75 m Weight: 65,0 kg Hair: Blond (But he highlights it!) (And remember that purple hair) Eyes: green-grey Residence: Formula Renault: Chigwell, England; Lived in manager's house. F1 (Sauber): Hinwill and Wollerau, Switzerland F1 (Mclaren): Zurich, Switzerland -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- People in Kimi’s Life Dad: Matti, 49, road builder Mom: Paula, government office clerk Brother: Rami; Older by 1 year 10 months; Rally driver in Finland Wife: Jenni Maria Dahlmann; - Married since 31nd of July 2004 - Jenni Dahlman - Miss Finland 2000, Miss Scandinavia 2000; - Born Oct. 27, 1981. 0. - 1.78m tall Boss: Ron Dennis Teammate: David Coulthard (2002 and 2003), Juan Pablo Montoya (2005 till …) Manager: Steve Robertson Physio/Trainer: Mark Arnall Race Engineer: Mark Slade Helmet Designer: Uffe Tagstrom Personal Press Assistant: Kikka Kuosmanen Mentor: " I haven't got anybody like that. I motivate myself alone" Close Friend: Mika Hakkinen (When together, they don't talk about F1!) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Education Qualification: Regular Finnish school system Favorite Subject: Sports (esp. ice hockey during winter) Conscription: 12 months compulsary service in Finnish Army Languages Spoken: Finnish and English -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Hobbies: Snowboarding, jogging, going to the gym, MotoX, ice-hockey, skidoos, jet-ski, golf (learned in England) Motorsports: Watches almost all motorsports on TV Favorite Rally Driver: Tommi Mäkinen and Markus Gronholm Favorite Ice Hockey Team: Espoo, Finland and NHL teams Favorite Football Team: Finnish National Soccer Team Best F1 Overtaking Maneuver: Mika Häkkinen overtaking M Schumacher in Spa 2000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cars First Road Car: Lada First Time in an F1 Car: Sauber Test, Mugello "FANTASTIC!!" Company Cars: Mercedes ML (Switzerland), Mercedes C-Class (Finland) (Sept. 2002) and the Mercedes CLK (Dec. 2002) Dream Road Car: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music Favorite Band: U2 Favorite Singer: Eminem Favorite Finnish Band: Bomfunk MC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Food and Drinks Favorite Food: Chicken, Pasta, Reindeer Meat Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Water, Apple Juice Favorite Alcoholic Drink: Vodka, Smirnoff Ice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clothes Shopping: Doesn't really like clothes-shopping. Racesuit: Sparco Nomex, loose,full vertical velcro fastenings, no waistbelt Raceshoes: Silver and black Ring: Wears a silver one on his left ring finger Sunglasses: Hugo Boss Watch: Tag Heuer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supporters Fans: "Its nice to have fans and I really like all the support I get!!!" Website Visits: "Yes for sure." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Money Salary: $4.5M/year Net Worth: Approximately $16.3M, ranked 28th in 2003 F1 Rich List Charity: Donates a lot to charity especially children's charities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Stuff 3 Thing to Take on a Desert Island: Lots of food, girlfriend and helicopter. Ambition Outside Racing: Start a family at some point Dream Holiday: Carribean Favorite Country: Finland Films: Watches a lot of movies. Likes A Knights Tale and Gone In 60 Seconds Handedness: Right (Writing), Left ((ice-)Hockey) Ideal Dinner Companion: "Girlfriend, girlfriend and girlfriend!" McLaren: "I decided on this team because both drivers are given an equal chance and, as one of the top teams, it means you have a chance to win races, and also of course to try and win the championships." Oversteer: Prefers it. Pets: a doberman, as a wedding gift Rest and Relaxation: Going home to Switzerland, spending time with friends and family Sleeping. Sleeps a lot. Needs to be woken up before qualifying and races Smoking: Kimi hates it! (But Jenni does) Tattoo: Black smiling sun on right wrist (Summer 2001) Yacht: Does not own one; rents House: Kimi lives in Wollerau, Swiss. His house -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kimi’s Answers To Gone in 60 seconds (f1 magazine) Williams over Ferrari Finland over Britain Dry over Wet Hot over Cold Black over White Hotel over Villa Casual over Smart Ron Dennis over Peter Sauber Diamonds over Pearls Vodka over Whisky Photo shoot over Press Conference Häkkinen over Rosberg Kylie over J-Lo Big Mac over Whopper West over East Malaysia over Monaco Star Wars over Star Trek -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Name Days: The origin of name day comes from catholic way of having saints for everyday or day for every saint. At least that's what I think. In Finland most of the people are Lutherans and have no saints. But never the less we want to have names in the calendar. And since they are there, you are allowed to be angry when nobody remembers your name day. That's the explanation for Finish name days, don't know about other countries that have them. No big deal though', children get a little present for their name day and colleagues at work may say "Happy name day", but that's it. All the names don't have a day - just the most common ones. And then some calendars don't have all the names in them because the lack of space. Anyway, Rami has got a name day and it's December 18th. Kimi hasn't got a name day. Kimi isn't very common first name in Finland (well, maybe among 0-3 years boys). Kimi is a Finnish version of Swedish name Kim (and that's short of Joakim). You can find Kim in calendar on 20th of may, and I bet that's when Kimi spends his name day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Did you know that... - Kimi is the 6th Finn ever to drive in F1 - Kimi met Hanna (his ex-girlfriend) on a blind date - Kimi was asleep 20 minutes before his first F1 GP, but can't remember what he dreamt about - Kimi likes traveling across the world - Kimi isn't afraid to stall on the grid - Kimi thinks it would be cool to have Michael Schumacher as his teammate, because he could learn a lot from the world champion - Kimi likes to play golf just for fun - Kimi brought seven of his cousins, four aunts and his 75-years old granny, Sirkka, to watch the Hungarian GP 2001 - Kimi bought a play station - He thinks Eau Rouge is just a corner among the others - He eats junk food whenever he wants to - Kimi says he used to ski a lot, but now he prefers snowboarding - Kimi thinks smoking is very dangerous - His favorite hobbies besides F1 are motor sports - On his free time he watches movies, spends some time with his friends, just relaxes and does a lot of different sports - Between the warm-up and GP he goes to a drivers meeting, eats and relaxes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Rise Of Kimi (from www.mclaren.co.uk) Kimi Räikkonen was acknowledged as a future great as soon as he burst onto the Formula 1 scene in 2001. The following year he reached the big time, stepping into countryman Mika Häkkinen’s shoes at Team McLaren Mercedes. Last year he showed his true potential as he challenged for the Drivers’ World Championship all the way to the final round. Kimi’s rise to the top should serve as an inspiration to any aspiring driver. He made it despite not coming from a wealthy family or landing support from a major backer early in his career. He has progressed purely on talent, and by being in the right place when his results generated opportunities. Despite his new found fame, Kimi’s feet remain firmly on the ground. He’s still close to his parents and the friends from back home that he made before he was a star. His home is in Switzerland, but he goes back to Finland whenever he can, and has a house not far from where he grew up. Kimi inherited his love of speed from his family. However, his first exploits were actually on two wheels, rather than four. “My brother started in motocross when he was three and a half or something, when he couldn’t even ride a normal bike!,” Kimi recalls. “They put those stabilisers on the motorbike. Then when I was five, I started. They got him a bigger bike, and we were racing together on land around the house. “My dad was a mechanic. He used to work for a guy whose son was doing go-karts, so we went to look one day. We bought one kart for me and my brother – I was seven or eight then. I started in local races, not really licensed, but just hobby racing. I was maybe 12 when I started proper racing, which was quite late. My brother raced karts until he stopped at 17 or something, and started to do more car racing. “He wanted to go on because he was more interested in big cars and rally stuff. He’s also taller than me, so he was a bit too big for karts. I was always more interested in racing, while he was just doing it for fun.” Kimi’s dad put everything he had into supporting his boys, and made huge sacrifices. “He used to do three jobs at the same time. He used to drive a taxi, and he worked for the government, driving a big machine that made the roads more smooth. And sometimes he used work on the door of a bar, throwing people out!” At one stage he diverted funds from a planned refit of the bathroom into karting. That meant the family had to still make do with their old outside lavatory, although Kimi says it was no great hardship: “It’s true, but that’s normal for us in Finland…” Soon Kimi was travelling all over Europe, enjoying considerable success. “The first time I raced outside Finland was 1993. I won the Scandinavian Championship, and it all started from there. One of my cousins was helping me to do the European Championship. The first year wasn’t very good. I had some races where I went fast, but I usually ended up somewhere outside of the circuit! But at least some people noticed. Then I started to get tyres for free, and all these things that start to help.” His big break came when he was offered a drive by a man who had not only raced against the great Ayrton Senna in karts, but actually beat the Brazilian to the 1980 world title. “I won a championship in Finland in 1997, and in 1998 a guy called Peter de Bruijn from Holland was planning to build up his own team, and he needed drivers. He said he would like me to drive for him – I was 17 or 18. I stopped school and moved to Holland to do racing. “I was still paying my hotels and flights and things like that, but he paid most of the stuff. It was good, because otherwise I couldn’t really do karts, because we didn’t have money. We always struggled. Anyway that year I won two Finnish Championships, the Scandinavian championship, and I came second in Europe, so it was a good year for us.” His success earned him a lot of attention. One man who saw the potential was former Formula 1 team boss Peter Collins, who had an eye for young talent. Through him Kimi met father and son team David and Steve Robertson. They had already helped Jenson Button up the ladder, and now they gave Kimi their management support as he made the move into cars. “The first couple of tests I did were in Formula Ford, and then I went to race in Formula Renault. It was more fun because they didn’t slide so much and were quicker. But I only did a few races in 1999. In the first one I came third, the car broke down in one race, and I had an accident in another. The car wasn’t very good, so we stopped it.” Aware that he wasn’t in a competitive situation, Kimi and the Robertsons decided to stop the programme and await another opportunity at the end of the year. “I came back and did some go-kart racing – I did the Finnish Championship because I didn’t have anything else to do. I came second in that and in the Nordic Championship. I was just hanging around in Finland. People were giving me a hard time because so many drivers go to England and come back. It was hard doing nothing! Dave and Steve had promised that I was going back to race in the Winter Series in a good team, so I went there and won all the races.’ Kimi found the Manor team much more to his liking. He stayed for 2000, and duly dominated the championship. “In 2000 the Formula Renault rules changed, and everybody had the same car. It was a much better championship, with brand new cars for everyone, and it was much more straightforward. There were 12 races, but I did only 10 because I won the championship before then. I won seven races and had seven pole positions, one second and two thirds.” He makes it sound easy, but it was an awesome performance that really got him noticed. It was achieved despite the distraction of National Service, which is compulsory for young Finns. “It was a little bit difficult, because I was in the army. I went in October 1999, and left in October 2000. I was flying backwards and forwards to Finland all the time. It was a pain! There was all this marching in the forest and camping and the normal stuff. They’re always shouting at you, so it’s not nice to be there. “There was a special place if you were at a high level in some sport, so you got it more easy. I think for 70 days you could be at your races, and if you did well you got some extra days – maybe one day for a race win. I was away for 100 days, so I needed to stay two or three weeks longer or something. But because the new guys were coming in they didn’t care what we did, so we just played computer games and did nothing!’ Even before his army career was over Kimi got his first taste of Formula 1. Despite his limited experience, he landed a test with Sauber. At first nobody expected it to lead to a full time drive, but Kimi immediately impressed the Swiss team. “Basically I had only one full season in cars, and it went quite quickly. I guess I had people behind me helping, and sometimes you just need to be in the right place at the right time. I had a good test. I guess it helped because Dave and Steve made sure I didn’t just have 20 laps. I got three days on my first test, so at least I got used to it. “Then I got the second test at Jerez in Spain, and they said they were interested to do the contract. Everybody was just waiting to see if I’d get the Formula 1 superlicence or not. It changed a lot, because suddenly everyone was interested.” The world was watching Kimi when he made his debut in Melbourne in March 2001. How could this kid straight out of Formula Renault step into a Formula 1 car? He showed that Peter Sauber’s judgement was sound by finishing an astonishing sixth. In fact he barely put a foot wrong the whole season, finishing as high as fourth in Austria and Canada, and fifth at Silverstone. His total of nine points earned him 10th in the World Championship. “The car was good, and I had some good races. The start of the year was a little bit difficult, and then I had quite a few retirements, engine, gearbox, and one time the steering wheel came off at San Marino! But then I had a few good results, which was nice. I didn’t really have any accidents, so it was a good year, and I had a close battle with [team-mate] Nick Heidfeld, which was good also for the team.” Even before the end of the season Kimi had made the next step. He landed a fulltime Team McLaren Mercedes seat for 2002, effectively replacing his friend Mika Häkkinen, who was considering his future. Kimi had met McLaren Group Chairman and CEO Ron Dennis at a party as early as June, but discussions did not became serious until later on. “First we thought it was for testing, but we were not interested in that, but then [Ron] said he would like to have me as a race driver. It all depended on what happened with the contract with Sauber and all those things. In the end everybody was happy, and everybody got something. When I was younger, McLaren was always winning and I was thinking it would be nice to drive for the team one day, because they’re doing so well.” Kimi finished third first time out with the team in Australia, and never looked back. He was also third at the Nürburgring and Suzuka, but his best performance was undoubtedly at Magny-Cours in the Mobil 1 French Grand Prix. He was on course for victory when a late mistake on oil dropped him to second place. The first win finally came in Malaysia in 2003, and but for an engine problem he should also have won at the Nürburgring. His consistent podium finishes – he had seven second places – demonstrated that he could mount a title challenge. “For sure Team McLaren Mercedes is always going to be one of the top teams,” he says. “They know how to win and how to develop a good car. Kimi won again in Belgian in 2004 and secured second places in Britain and in Brazil, where he had an exciting race long battle with new team mate Juan Pablo Montoya.  |
