Naah, he rides just where he shoud be.. Anyway, doin´great compared to his team-mate..

Most certainly not. Ogier is doing very well, and is on his way to join the top-4 guys by 2011. Sordo looking good as well.

Yeah apologies for that mistake, it was as you say an electrical engine problem. He's just had a great stage though (Marcus) only 7 or so seconds off the lead for the stage.

It would be good to see Marcus feature more.

I think on asphalt, he will be in the top 4 already this year

Kimi's finished 9th on the stage so far.

Hey, looks like my boy's managed to harness his general averageness and actually beat a couple established WRC drivers on SS7. Woohoo!

Lol !! nice to see he was quicker than Wilson on that stage

On ss7 he was 1.5 secs off Hirvonen per km.

Kimi going to RB in 2011!

Those rallies - pure mess. Without coverage and even proper timing.

WHAAAT the heck, he just came back?? Wow, that´s nice..

does anyone have a live timing link?

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=405&a...&rally_id=S

and if you click on Split time, you appear to follow split times of stages

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=405&a...ry=&stage=7

Don´t count on that. Maybe reds and this bank (what was it name) buys some TAG Heuers for the rally series..

...and Solberg. Does Petter have some problems with the car?

thanx...listening to the live radio and not getting anything

SS7 is pretty much 20 km long, Kimi 33 seconds off Hirvonen (best time) and only 14 behind Ogier, that is less than a second/km. Very good!

All he' s gotta do is finish it and find the right groove for him.

Yes he is doing very well. Again...a little too keen in parts, but he'll learn that the rally is never won on the first day. But overall... pretty good for a rookie..

Looks like Kimi needed a shunt to wake up and show some good pace.

I hope he'll stick with it and show generally competitive form for all year.

Functionally, he does not need this kind of rigor; financially, he has enough $ to coast for the rest of his life regardless of results (the hunger factor), and he could care less about what the media thinks.

I hope he will not take the easy way out... just wondering around stages and run back to F1 next year without achieving some eye opening results this year (that will demonstrate his raw talent and versatility in top motorsports - F1 & World Class Rallying)...

So, this WRC adventure will be a true test of Kimi's character and motivation like never before...

Great shame for Marcus today with the technical gremlins in the car.... and despite visitng the scenary for the 2nd time in as many events, Kimi Raikkonen is now posting some pretty decent times...

I expect Latvala to push hard tomorrow and for Loeb to start to push on Mikko, but Hirvonen has driven a superb event so far...

What exactly would 'eye opening' be? a win?... not gonna happen.... 2nd, Very unlikely.... 3rd... Possibly on Tarmac with a couple of retirements/problems ahead of him... 4th....Maybe

Anything from 5th to 8th is in fact doing very well in his first season. I know people seem to think Kimi is a driving god with skills greater than anyone else in the world... BUT..Rallying is a very specific discipline that takes years to master...and it is also a TEAM sport as there are TWO of you in the car...no just on your own...

So yes he is doing well.... but I would suggest sensible expectations, will lead to happier viewing.....

I believe he signed pre-contract with RB F1 because all news sites reported the same when his contract with Citroen leaked to press.

Also I have no doubts he perfectly knows what he could achieve in WRC.

RB just need to produce nice car this year.

I think while Kimi would swallow dust all year in wrc he will remember the taste of prize champagne and beautiful view around Spa.

That is what I would count as a success for him in WRC. To hit the podium once. And it is a hell of the job, needing loads of luck. But, would be a massive success on my mind..

Hope he´ll make it somehow. Because winning the WRC...eeeeh...not in five or six years.

The plan might be; to drive a last season with WRC cars, return to F1 with a proper car for.. let´s say two years and THEN focus on rallying. The man is not too old to do that. And is not kind of a man to be happy just to surf there, in any racing..?

Probably about spot on there....

He definitely wanted to have a go at the latest WRC machines before they disappeared.. but I can easily see him coming back and spending 5 to 10 years in the sport, after he has a run back in F1 for a couple of years.

Exactly. I think top three on a individual stage this season would be great. I do think he will achieve that, but as you say, rally is so much more than just driving. I think it will do him good in general though because it is really team work. In F1, the team work basically stops when you release the clutch, but in rally, that is where it really starts. On top of that, Kaj is no wuss that will kiss Kimi's ass so if he want success he will really need to practice taking advice and orders.

I remember when he came toMcLaren, he was not interested in any advice from Mika. I thought then, and still think, that an attitude like that is going to make everything more difficult than it have to. I do not say he would have been faster listening to Mika, but he would get other points of views and maybe more friends in the team. You need friends in any team.

this is automatically supposing that RB would want him in their car for 2011 which is honestly very unrealistic to me.f1 will move on too much in 1 season.if the rules remain relatively unchanged for 2011the current grid will have valuable experience of driving these rear heavy cars with no refuelling that kimi has no means to compensate for...his commitment levels will be under a shadow again.as much as i want this to happen,im sure RB wouldnt be stupid enough to sign a contract with him for 2011 just now.not even if haug manages to snatch vettel away

Good point.

You don´t actually need "friends" but You need people You can work with. Respect an co-operate from both sides. Took me a long time in my civil life to understand... but nowadays I can use it as a tool.

Never actually thought that the world of rallying might teach my man something he could benefit if ever gettin back in F1. But if so...uuh, he´ll be cleaning the table..?

Kimi is doing nice job .

But his unluckiness is continuing into Rally also...

a) it is only about RB?
b) tell MS that one season out of game is too much
c) about commitment..? Aging is learning.
d) never, ever thought that Haug just might, even silently, in his wildest dreams...want....someone else also..? Than SV?

Naah, driving off the road is not unluckiness.. But one day, he´ll keep that Citroen on the road..

Three latest posts from me? Bye, I´ll head to sauna..

Yeah I think Petters had problems on and off, I haven't been able to give it my full attention today, life interferes to much

If he has a good last stage tonight perhaps that will strengthen his resolve even more, considering the time he lost in SS6 he did well in SS7, at least he's moving back up the positions, albeit slowly.

Hopefully he can have a better day tomorrow, but all in all, he's still in with a shout, and even just finishing the entire rally will be a minor milestone.

Absolutely new tyres, no DDD (w/o it Kimi drove with heavy rear because of KERS half a season).

And you penalized all rookies this and next year?

RB already has proven title contender in Vettel's face.

Wanna bet Kimi will comeback?

Not only this, I think Kaj is a tough enough old man ready to kick Kimi's ass if he ever goes out of line... or at least has enough control not to let things go that far.

I wonder if this 'newfound' sense of cooperation that he is almost sure to learn carries over to any possible F1 return.

a).yes.pretty much so.he has specifically said he will only step into a competitive car.ross bran hasnt shown any intention of hiring raikkonen except when he was totally left out of options at the end of last season.he even commented that kimi was greedy(saying he was negotiating with teams as if he wasnt being paid anything by ferrari).mclaren have bpth their drivers under contract for three years.ferrari option is done and dusted.that only leaves RB and thats the one team that the laytest speculation is directed at.

b)again do u think brawn had anywhere else togo when kimi turned them down?...plus the relationship b/w brawn and MS played its part as well...plus that fact that MS's commitment has never been questioned.and lastly well there is only one MS.

c)yes commitment.i for one would be the first one to admit he may have had commitment issues in 08.fellow kimi fans need to stop thinking hes perfect or his commitment never wavered one bit when he drove the UStery ferrari that year.

d)yes SV is the one haug wants.but firstly u never know vettel might decide to say longer at RB once they produce the winning car this year.haug has been pretty clear about what he thinks about the way kimi handled his mclaren negotiations.

one needs to realize the current situation...do u think Ron didnt have another 10 million to spare even when MW wanted him so dearly?...it isnt such a big amount when u consider the 300 + million theyre spending on a season..

one simply cant expect kimi to take a year off,drive rally cars for a year and then step back right into a competitive car right away next year without the experience of those rear heavy cars.yes stranger thngs have happened in f1 but i wouldnt bet on it

again a completely different situation where in this case the handling of the machine will change continously as the race goes on and the fuel level drops.this will take some getting used to.

u have a good point about the rookie appearing next year as they wont have any experience either but that is again very variable as maybe ud see the whole grid retained next season.

I think he can learn plenty from Kaj, i also think he'll be a willing pupil, Kimi is wise enough to know that there's usually very little to substitute for experience, and Kaj has to rank amongst one of the best.

"This is very difficult. Much more challenging than the Formula Ones, Kimi admits."

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

translate.google.com is the best humor site on the net

I think fuel and car behavior is not a problem for Kimi. They will have tests, etc. The real problem is nice setups which help to drive car on the edge. That's all Kimi need.

And I repeat it again, it would be new tyres for all. Every driver besides new car should used to it. We all saw how it looks, with Michelin to Bridgestone transition: Alonso and Kimi struggle a bit but cope with it.

It does leave something to the imagination doesn't it

"The date went okay until the pirouette"

God damnit, that is something that I might have said, sometime

Driving off the road is not bad luck. Bad luck is your engine exploding on the very last lap, or having a suspension failure on the last lap or even having somebody dump a whole load of fuel on you and the fuel ignites in your face.

Few more crashes and Kimi will get very frustrated and suddenly Formula 1 doesnt´t seem so bad after all.
We will see lots of Kimi crashing news this year...Rally is really really difficult...
Kimi is talented, but that is not enough,it takes atleast two years to learn WRC.

or being standing still in the pits red light and some careless guy crashing in to him. yeah.. those were the days...

First of all I must say I´m not the only one drunk at here...

a) I did not understand a word You said. Well maybe few but anyway.. RB sure would be the natural choice but.. which two teams after Ferrari sacking my man was linked in??? And BTW, in F1 You should have learnt..You can Wipe Your .ss with these "3 year contracts". Even in a mighty, brilliant, legendary british team

b) timeline babe, timeline. I was talking about timeline. You honestly think that KR is not able to come back after one year???? Silly You, would not be the first one. He ain´t that shitty - for Your records

c) You just c a n n o t understand what I wrote? Can You? About learning processes...?

d) this is a part which makes me wonder where do You come from? And for how long did You stay there...?

And

"one simply cant expect kimi to take a year off,drive rally cars for a year and then step back right into a competitive car right away next year without the experience of those rear heavy cars.yes stranger thngs have happened in f1 but i wouldnt bet on it"

One really can. One would be out of one´s mind. If one could not..


(greetings from sauna. It was great..)

Great pic
He does not actually look too unhappy, but who can tell from a snapshot.

What I thought, he actually looks pretty amused.

Where's the picture source from please 'prty'? Thanks

I don't know, I saw it in another forum.