QUOTE (monaco @ Oct 29 2009, 05:24) 
Not sure if this is the thread for this --
But I have been following the discussions on the fate of Kimi Raikkonen for the next season.
I have been an avid Ferrari fan since 1996 and became a Michael Schumacher follower the year after. I have gone to three GPs ( two at Monaco) and have been waving the red flag with such fervor
... But during those times he drove for McLaren ( the "hated" enemy by the Ferrari camp then ;) ), I have found myself compelled to cheer for Kimi when he reached the chequered flag ahead of others because of a flawless or very strong race - which is a very rare thing for me to do, when he was representing a very strong competitor of Ferrari!
I do fully understand that Ferrari may have had strong technical or organizational reasons ( but also believe financial considerations came into it - that, I understand, too) - or at least LDM believed so and may have acted in the corporate and the racing team interests -- to replace Raikkonen with Alonso. But I am rather appalled at the way they have treated Kimi, per the public pronouncements of LDM and Stefano Domenicale. Is this the Ferrari way?? Maybe I do not know the team close enough even after being a strong supporter of the team for so long (strong enough that I was one of 15 lucky invitees to the car inauguration in Maranello, part of a group chosen from the Ferrari forum in the earlier part of the 2000's, which I could not go to because my invitation came too late to get an Italian visa then), but I never thought they would treat someone who has brought them a WDC this way. It was kind of humiliating. If they have simply kept their mouths shut...and just made the formal announcements of the driver-switch, then I would not be so appalled.
Would I still cheer for Ferrari! Of course! But I wouldn't be surprised if I also send out a loud cheer for Kimi for winning in whatever team he decides to join in 2010 - even if it was the "hated" McLaren ;)
But I have been following the discussions on the fate of Kimi Raikkonen for the next season.
I have been an avid Ferrari fan since 1996 and became a Michael Schumacher follower the year after. I have gone to three GPs ( two at Monaco) and have been waving the red flag with such fervor
... But during those times he drove for McLaren ( the "hated" enemy by the Ferrari camp then ;) ), I have found myself compelled to cheer for Kimi when he reached the chequered flag ahead of others because of a flawless or very strong race - which is a very rare thing for me to do, when he was representing a very strong competitor of Ferrari!I do fully understand that Ferrari may have had strong technical or organizational reasons ( but also believe financial considerations came into it - that, I understand, too) - or at least LDM believed so and may have acted in the corporate and the racing team interests -- to replace Raikkonen with Alonso. But I am rather appalled at the way they have treated Kimi, per the public pronouncements of LDM and Stefano Domenicale. Is this the Ferrari way?? Maybe I do not know the team close enough even after being a strong supporter of the team for so long (strong enough that I was one of 15 lucky invitees to the car inauguration in Maranello, part of a group chosen from the Ferrari forum in the earlier part of the 2000's, which I could not go to because my invitation came too late to get an Italian visa then), but I never thought they would treat someone who has brought them a WDC this way. It was kind of humiliating. If they have simply kept their mouths shut...and just made the formal announcements of the driver-switch, then I would not be so appalled.
Would I still cheer for Ferrari! Of course! But I wouldn't be surprised if I also send out a loud cheer for Kimi for winning in whatever team he decides to join in 2010 - even if it was the "hated" McLaren ;)
Thanks for that. I can tell you that you are far from the only Ferrari supporter who feels this way.
But for all the talk about the family that is Ferrari, there certainly are a lot of examples that shows otherwise. Historically speaking, as senna da silva said. They did fire Alain Prost for instance if I remember correctly. I think when it comes down to it they are just as cynical and calculating as the next team in F1. But the Kimi saga has reached a new low point for them when it comes to driver management.
