Mercedes is going to have to be desperate to put up with that.

Haug hasn't told Helsingin Sanomat anything, HS doesn't have F1 reporters or journalists or sources, actually all of Helsingin Sanomas sports news are translated or provided by the finnish equivalent of reuters STT

Judging from all the information floatind around it looks like Mercedes are just not interested in Kimi. Robertson and Kimi seem to be just spinning this fact a little to accomdate their bruised egos, by saying Mercedes have to prove so and so to them. Thats what you get when your too greedy with no drive i guess.

The information came from Helsingin Sanomat's reporter who lives in Munich. Helsingin Sanomat doesn't report fairytales. The article from this evening very clearly says that Haug confirmed that Raikkonen's mangers have called Nick Fry and offered them negotiations. My guess is that they made the call after Haug had send an open invitation for Kimi to contact them trough Auto Motor und Sport earlier today.

The team has the resources but Räikkönen has not. He is simply not able to do it.
This Mercedes story, "show me the winning car", if true, is a shameful display of arrogance and impudence, nothing more.

GC

Just 4 posts and already Mr. Clueless impersonated.

Says who? Of course Kimi can win the WDC if he he is given a car like Brawn 2009. The question is - can Mercedes field such a car in 2010?

Dismal seasons? Seriously, how many drivers have had better seasons than Raikkonen? If Alonso deserves a Ferrari ride after a couple of dismal seasons in Renault, then surely Kimi deserves a decent ride too.

Half of the grid could have won the title given the car like the 2009 Brawn. My question is: what right has Räikkönen to effectively blackmail Mercedes? (He is entitled to it, of course but Mercedes should not have any contacts with him or his managers.)
I never thought about him as particularly arrogant (in F1 terms, of course) and I think that this is not his but his managers' doing. They created him, they will destroy him.

GC

A lot of people here blame Greed for Kimi's dilemma but Ferrari are also architects for their redundancy payout and payback clause. If anyone knows what it verifiably is, tell us. It places a big disincentive on one basis (financial) for Kimi to go anywhere for a contract less than or near equal to the Ferrari buyout of contract. In the second half of this season it started to look like Kimi was putting in the effort to attaract a top team and salary. McLaren perhaps understandably didn't want to see most of their money going straight back to Ferrari and this has laid the foundations for Kimi's lack of a drive.

Unless some team (perhaps Merc topped up with Deutchmarks) give Kimi a very big contract offer or he has a change of attitude about what motivates him it ain't likely to happen. That isn't opinion, it's logic - one or the other. Show me the MONEY or "Actually I do give a shit about being fired by Ferrari and I want to show them." Ferrari have played a smart move which has put a roadblock in much of the F1 silly season IMO. I am a Rosberg fan but I would like to see him benefit from a really quick teammate like Kimi at Mercedes. This could be a team to challenge not only Red Bull but maybe also McLaren.

I haven't seen anything to suggest the rumours are more than that. The Robertsons will be running around like headless chooks trying to pull a last minute deal out but I think Kimi's thinking has been blurred by the lure of a paid holiday in Lapland. Shame if I'm right.

I can't understand how a team can guarantee a competitive car before gettig on the track? kimi is not understandable person. if he really had wanted a competitive team, he would have comprimised his demands and would have got the Mclaren seat. they say it's not because of the money but whatever the reason is, KR doesn't deserve another seat in Formula 1.

if your job is in Formula 1, then you have to race in f1, attend PR activities and such things.

I really don't want merc to give him a seat.

Robertsons wouldn't be doing their job if they weren't desperately looking for a last ditch chance. They don't need to even inform Kimi they are going to visit Norb but so what? Doesn't mean Kimi has got at all interested in a silver arrow deal. But the Autosport report quoting Steve Robertson included "never say never" - not exactly promising is it.

Expect more delays in announcements all the way down the grid - this is the silliest of sillies.

odvan,i know ur a massive kimi fan,so why the"greedy bastard"
tone?


gud post

AMuS:
Brawn: It would be stupid to let yourself drift into a quick decision now. We will draw up a list of potential candidates and analyze them carefully.

So I see only three possible candidates: Kimi, Nick and Robert if Renault will pull out. But I like Brawn attitude - they definitely will try to get Kimi. So it's up to you my dear.

Who says he's blackmailing them? If they want him, they will agree to his terms. If they don't, they won't. And if he is desperate to remain in F1, he would agree to their terms.

I thought Sutil was in the running too???

At this rate looks like we will have to wait for the New Year for an announcement

i cant merc going for anyone but kimi to replace button.kubica though a big talent,is probably in the same category as a rosberg i-e bit of an unknown quantity at the moment.

about being up to kimi,well it was always this way.theres no way anyone can assure him a ''competitive'' car at this point of preseason.if he doesnt want to race next year,theres no point in fiddling around then...although he did mention he was committed in his f1 interview and wanted to win another title,but thats not the vibe that i get.
i just hope this happens.

how much worse can it possibly get?..less than 48 hrs ago,it was obvious that his career had ended.even if there is a 20% chance around now,we can hope to seeing him drive for another year atleast.

I would rather Kimi never did a PR day in his life and be an interesting driver, instead of a mindless corporate shill like a certain WDC on the gird these days. We want drivers, not public relations exercises, and every once in a while, a driver needs a coke and ice cream.

Unlike Kimi, Alonso was not trailing his team mate by double points, at midseason, and team bosses are quite aware of how much better the ferrari was than the renault in 2009. Kimi only barely beat him in 2008 and scored equal wins despite driving the WCC car, so that was a very poor display. Kimi was lucky Massa got injured because it saved his reputation a little but eventually even that wasnt enough and he seems to be out of F1.

What a coincidence

Ross Brawn is taking a one week vacation too.

I wonder if Mercedes GP will accept that slap in the face. What else could one have to do to prove to be able to win a championship, than wining it the last season?

If that statement gets media coverage in Germany, Kimi will lose a lot popularity.

Bla bla bla.. Every driver would like to have a winning car, only few are in a positition to be able to ask it.

Considering Kimi is without a drive, hes not really in a position to ask for much is he. Funny how hes expecting a top seat to be waiting for him in 2011. It aint gonna happen, he should have driven for peanuts this year and rebuilt his reputation, he had the perfect opportunity, imagine the luck to get sacked yet still have the option of maybe the best seat for the following year? Yet he blew it. He never struck me as a someone intelligent anyway.

I don't really understand when people say "he is not in a position". What position do you want him to be in? He does not mind one bit walking away. There is no position he cannot be in. What do you think is compelling him? He is not a Trulli or Fisichella who is going to be resigned to F1 forever thinking that is their only option. Kimi is his own man, and would not do what he does not like. May be it is a bit too much for people to accept. But he is what he is, live with it. His perspective on F1 is entirely different to you. Chillax and concentrate on other things.

Yes he is. He can take a year off, do some rallies and still he will be the highest paid F1 -driver in 2010. So, why bother for anything less..

Well depends... if he wants the money or he wants to win, because in 2010 he will have 0 race wins, 0 titles...

I'm sure he can decide by himself. If he is more happy driving rally next year, so what. He does have enough money to do whatever he like.
I don't get people here calling it arrogance. Jealous?

He's in a position where he can ask anything, there's no guarantee he'll get it, its quite simple, he can ask for a drive, and a sum of money to reward him for driving, if someone is willing to pay him what he asks all good and well, if they refuse then he does something else, those are the choices he's earned.

In one single paragraph you claim he needs to rebuild his reputation whilst acknowledging that he still had the option of "maybe the best seat for the following year" the fact he had that option suggests to me that his reputation was still valuable to the team negotiating with him for that "best seat", and you say he's never struck you as intelligent

If Mercedes wants to be sure of one or two wins next year, they will need him. They can´t know if there car will be at the top next year.

I´m impressed what Kimi did with that "dog" of his this year.

Yep, agree that Brawn is taking his time.

But he knows that he must have Kimi in order to fight Ferrari and Mclaren.

Rosberg + anyone won't make anything vs Button/Hamilton and/or Massa/Alonso.

Im also in a position to ask for anything. I could ask my boss for a pay rise of one million, and theres no guarantee ill get it either, but it doesnt do me much good to ask does it? When the only option of negotiation failure is coming away totally empty handed, you are not exactly in a strong bargaining position, so I dont understand why you seem to be boasting about Kimi's position He came away with nothing. No hes not very intelligent to throw away his only race option, and not exploit the remaining bit of reputation he had left. After his ferrari career he should have been happy to even be offered a top drive.

It looks like new members struggle to understand some concepts. This isn´t poker; you are literally suggesting no F1 drive for 2010 is "empty hand". Well, it isn´t. Maybe you´re in situation where asking for pay rise of one million could lead to getting nothing. But Kimi can move to WRC, DTM, NASCAR, pretty much wherever he wants. He can keep one-year vacation, and still have people willing to pay big $$$ for his services.

Furthermore, it works to both ways. Mercedes wants to win the WDC. Currently there is only one WDC available. If we conclude asking for too high salary leads to risk of not having a drive for 2010, in the same way refusing to meet Kimi´s demands leads to risk of not having a proven top driver to challenge Ferrari/McLaren drivers, who currently hold 4 out of 5 WDC titles won by current F1 drivers. The difference is, Kimi can simply move to WRC. Mercedes cannot.

Just one year ago most would have said, that Jenson + Rubens is not a good enough combination either.

I with my friend has just discussed Kimi and his decision regarding Mclaren - it has to be connected with LH presence - everyone realize Mclaren would support their boy and future, so perhaps it really wasn't good idea to go there, losing money (even if it's only one million) and being a second number. Mercedes from this point is much more pleasant place. And money could be bigger. Ideal environment. In the end we agree Kimi must try this chance.

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y...sl=de&tl=en

He wants a drive, on terms favourable to himself, if he doesn't get one, he'll do something else, you seem to be labouring the point that he's desperate or should somehow be grateful, he has a talent, that talent has a price tag, those who foot the bill are the best ones to evaluate the worth of that talent, McLaren obviously thought it worth negotiating for, he has a choice, his own choice, not yours, mine, or anyone elses.

You say he threw away his only race option, perhaps he didn't think that option was just reward for his talent, in which case the option may well be viewed by him as not worth keeping.

I'd also suggest he's the one who's the best judge of whether he should be happy or not.

I don't think any team depends on Räikkönen's services.

GC

So true, but I hope they get into agreement. To be honest, I believe the big
money requests comes from Robertsons, who don't want to lessen their 15-25%.

Kimi just wants to drive fast and win GP's and possibly even WDC's.

However, Kimi propably is cool enough to like challenge in WRC also, or even
stay sabbatical, so he lets (and this is bad) Robertsons decide his demands too
much. Money demands come mostly from them, demands for less PR work from
Kimi himself. I think requests for good drive (chance for GP and WDC wins)
comes also from Kimi, why should he drive for anything less?

Most teams would love his racing talent.
(although I feel Colombo will not agree on this)

Zer gut!

Of course they would



And of course he wont

Dreaming a little bit: what about Schumacher and Raikkonen at Mercedes?

2010 would certainly be the best season ever.

MS may not be such a dream according to the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorspor...t-Mercedes.html
Personally, I'll believe it when I see it!

Interview Dieter Zetsche with "Bild" . The interview was published in the German newspaper "Bild" on September 4, 2009




Kimi is hardly cheap !!

That's true. I must admit that I really want Nick to get the second Mercedes seat so I'm a little biased* but this year has shown that saying 'you need X driver to win' isn't true. A year ago Rubens was too old and on his way into retirement and Jenson had just been beaten by Rubens. Mark Webber hadn't won a Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel was obviously hugely talented but had no experience of an F1 title battle. And yet they finished the year as the top four drivers. The difference between a journeyman and a winner, in the public perception, at this level, is often just opportunity.



*Not that I want Kimi out of F1. I'd be pleased if he took another seat, although I like the sound of Le Mans and the WRC, too.

Sleep tight, I should say.

On the James Alien blog, he says norby isnt thinking of hiring MS.

he wasnt going to be a no.2...mclaren dont work that way and whitmarsh's admiration for him is as blatant as anything.if mclaren needed a no 2 driver,a very consistent heidfeld was always available.

mclaren did what they could.one may think 5 or 10 milllion more is like peanuts as compared to what an f1 team spends over a year on a season,but the current economic situation doesnt permit even that i believe.mclaren have to pay back the 40% share over the remaining two years.the portion that merc invested every season is lost too.the mp4-12c project has just started.their going to look for a permanent solution for the engines as well when their contract runs out after 2011.

the thins that made the diff i feel is that one,the money wasnt good enough for raikkonen...and 2 he was going to be paid 1/3rd of what lewis gets...when yer arriving in mclaren territory going up against their ''own'' superstar ,that puts u on the backfoot straight away.that wasnt acceptable to kimi and thats completely understandable.