193 replies to this topic

[bira]

Great, great effort from the Finn. So close...

[Chevy II Nova]

I am not a fan, but he definetly deserves respect. Some more experience and I think he is the next big thing for sure. Too many "what if's" this season. I will look forward to the coming years from Kimi.

[pRy]

My man of the season.

[HP]

Well done from Kimi. He is a force to be reckoned with. Come on 2004

[MuMu]

He did remarkably well considering the machinery at his disposal.

Just a matter of time before he's a champion.

[mmmm]

Originally posted by bira
Great, great effort from the Finn. So close...

KR: "ensi vuonna uudestaan"

[Ghostrider]

Very well done Kimi.

Next year hopefully you get a new car to use.

[PeppeF1]

To bad Mercedes wasn´t up to it at Nurburgring. :/

But a really good season in a not that good car.

[Estwald]

Yet another good drive from Kimi

Very fast and very consistent, his day will come

[QdfV]

Great season by Kimi, look forward to many more

(and change to Ferrari, Kimi!;) )

[ensign14]

When do we get the "Cristiano da Matta 13th in the 2003 WC - comments here" thread?

Still amazed that Kimi came 2nd with 1 win but in last year's car. Wonder whether he would have pushed more had last year's points system been in place?

But for a mechanical failure could well have been champ...ditto but for tyre shenanigans...ditto for a couple of mistakes in qualifying (not races, funnily enough)...ditto but for Ralfie's shameless assault at Hockenheim, which shows how stupid the FIA penalties/stewards are. Ralfie costs Kimi the title, gets nothing. Montoya tries an honest manoeuvre, and is penalized.

[AndrewK]

Yes, an excellent season for Kimi, it really was what us McLaren fans needed after 2002!

Kimi

It is so close for everything - 2 pts for Kimi, 2 pts for the team (for 2nd in constructors)... I guess it really proves that every point counts...

[Ghostrider]

I just have to say, one thing that Kimi is very good at, is staying out of trouble all the time. He almost never get tangled up or loses a front wing etc. That is extremely helpfull for his campaigns especially with the current point system. Very impressive.

[Battousai]

Great season run by the Finn- bodes well for his future.

At the possibility of being flamed- I actually thought this wasn't one of Kimi's finest races- I really expected him to put 30 seconds on DC, but instead it looked liked DC was being held up a bit. Again, unequivocally he did an amazing job this season and IMO him and Alonso are the brightest stars in F1.

[McHulme]

I have to say I'm a little sad. I really wanted Kimi to take it, partly to beat Schumi, and partly because I think Kimi needs to get started so he can get 7 ;-)

It also looked like DC was better all day - was Kimi choking a little under the pressure?

DC came across as an old style racing Gentleman - giving Kimi his car, giving him his race position. A true team mate.

[The Kanisteri]

Give him new car and he can fight more better!

Well done Kimi Räikkönen

[ferrari_forever]

Well done Kimi, the boy did well

Although he doesn't really excite me on the track like MS, Montoya, Alonso and co do...

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Battousai
At the possibility of being flamed- I actually thought this wasn't one of Kimi's finest races- I really expected him to put 30 seconds on DC, but instead it looked liked DC was being held up a bit.

I think they took a punt on changing their tactics and it did not work. He was on a much heavier fuel load for the mid part of the race which made him look slow.

[Cypher]

Kimi, in his first two really crucial WDC races, stayed cool as ever and did everything he could both times.

Can't say that about other people.;) Saved by overall car reliability, nothing more. Not cool.

Kimi, however, really is the iceman.

Driver of the year, no question.

[logic]

Well done Kimi! You were the best this season

[Alexandros]

Originally posted by McHulme
I have to say I'm a little sad. I really wanted Kimi to take it, partly to beat Schumi, and partly because I think Kimi needs to get started so he can get 7 ;-)

It also looked like DC was better all day - was Kimi choking a little under the pressure?

DC came across as an old style racing Gentleman - giving Kimi his car, giving him his race position. A true team mate.

I'm a bit sad too because he was the driver of the year and was deprived a WDC against opponents with superior equipment only due to an engine failure

I think DC performed better over the weekend. It might have to do with set-up though. I can't be certain.

If Mclaren gets at least an equal car to the rest, Raikkonen will destroy the rest of the grid and make F1 boring.

[HP]

Originally posted by ensign14
I think they took a punt on changing their tactics and it did not work. He was on a much heavier fuel load for the mid part of the race which made him look slow.

His car was too slow, no doubt. One time after Rubens pitted, and Kimi was on light fuel, Barrichello still increased the gap.

[TheSaltire]

Kimi...great race...great season...looking forward to 2004. Hats off to everyone at McLaren and especially DC for showing the mark of a true teammate this weekend...

[Scoots]

Kimi did a great job, McLaren did a great job with the 17 (and really screwed the pooch on the 18).

One thing I found curious was Kimi's remark that "at least it wasn't the driver" comment. What it sounded to me like he was doing was taking another shot at McLaren during the PC of the last race. Not good form.

Let's not get too involved in "what if's" ... they always go both ways.

[Gemini]

two years ago FIA did not want to give him F1 superlicence without probabtion...

today he is WDC runner-up...

[Vrba]

Kimi was subdued in Suzuka but have done a good job this year.

Subdued because he needed Coulthard's car (not a T-car) and his team-mate to concede him a place, retirements of Montoya and Alonso and having three fast drivers (Ralf, Michael, Trulli) starting way behind him on the grid. And yet he only managed second place.

Good job because he realized how to maximize his chances within the current rules and because he managed to realize that potential.

He had looked all the time just being there and picking up the pieces but due to the new regulations, the pieces left were greater than before. He enjoyed a great tyre advantage for better part of the season (made even bigger by the fact that when Bridgestone had a weekend off, there was six Michelin cars to beat Ferrari. It's probably a mistake by Ferrari politics in a way but it's irrelevant here.) he drove a well developed and reliable car (that it was a year old in it basic construction means nothing, every really well-conceived car should be able to last several seasons. That's what John Barnard said and I agree. When F2003 come out, it probably differed less from the ultimate version of F2002 than Suzuka 2003 MP4-17/D differed from Australia 2002 MP4-17.)

However, what speaks of his ability is that he came on top of all Michelin runners. Or, maybe, it speaks about the incompatibility of certain drivers and teams. But compared to them, he seems better and that's good for Kimi.

Nevertheless, he drove a nice season, did less mistakes than Michael Schumacher and hadn't had many lows in the races, but also his peaks were not high enough. He drove his races with amazing consistency performing most of the time at 9/10. Schumacher performed sometimes at 10/10, sometimes at 6/10. Probably the small points difference between them reflects correctly the difference between the averages of their respective performances.

Congratulations to Kimi in any case!

Hrvoje

[Spunout]

Great work by Kimi! Fast and consistent...got close to the title but not close enough.

It seems McLaren strategy failed big time today, before his first pitstop Kimi was flying, catching RB & FA very quickly, but after the pitstop his good pace was pretty much gone...

[QdfV]

Wellwell, young Kimi thinks a lot of himself:

Kimi: ´"But at least we didn't lose through bad driving." ´

(He probably forgot some qualifying and starts)

[Hotwheels]

Overall the most consistent driver on the 2003 grid. I think he has the maximum number of Second places in the year - his car was in fact not good enough for P1 .

Also this is the slimmest margin of MS'S WDC win only 2 points ( 1994 - 1 pt, but that race was not finished) . Maybe Kimi's does turn out to be Schurrari's biggest threat .

Last but not least, MS finished 2 mores races in 2003 as compared to Kimi - maybe that would have been enough.

[BuonoBruttoCattivo]

Congrats indeed to Kiwi.

He also maintained #2 over JP, he says he don't care, but it is a good thing to have on resume' given he only has one win and 2 poles as of now.

There are reports leaked to the Italian media that MS confided to certain close-to-him people that "the young fast one that could make me retire" he always talks about have finally arrived in the form of KR and FA.

But it is not confirmed that MS said this... :

[Spunout]

Interesting! So far i have heard 2 versions of his remark:

"At least it wasn´t the driver"

"At least we didn´t lose trough bad driving"

I actually heard:

"At least we didn´t lose to a bad driver"

[ensign14]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo
Congrats indeed to Kiwi.

Freudian slip for a McLaren driver?

[Teez]

Originally posted by QdfV

Wellwell, young Kimi thinks a lot of himself:

Kimi: ´"But at least we didn't lose through bad driving." ´

(He probably forgot some qualifying and starts)

Heh. Well, another example of Kimi cruising around to collect points. Nothing spectacular or even noteworthy from him again this race. His teammate was much faster than him all weekend. Still, he seems to be able to stay away from trouble, which will serve him well in the future. Also very, very lucky to have Montoya and Alonso DNF in front of him and with Michael's misfortune in qualifying and the race.

In any case, Kimi drove well this season, but not well enough to win the WDC.

[Battousai]

Originally posted by Teez

Heh. Well, another example of Kimi cruising around to collect points. Nothing spectacular or even noteworthy from him again this race. His teammate was much faster than him all weekend. Still, he seems to be able to stay away from trouble, which will serve him well in the future. Also very, very lucky to have Montoya and Alonso DNF in front of him and with Michael's misfortune in qualifying and the race.

In any case, Kimi drove well this season, but not well enough to win the WDC.

That's hardly fair- across the entire season, Kimi definitely dominated his teammate who is no slouch himself- this really was one of the few times this year that DC brought the fight to him.

I do agree that the cards almost did fall into his lap, but keeping your nose clean and getting maximum points is a trait another driver has demonstrated (at least up to this year )

[Double Apex]

My god, poor old Kimi must really hate the number 2 by now!

Congratulations on a fantastic season and a very strong performance though!

[Lister of Smeg]

Originally posted by Spunout

I actually heard:

"At least we didn´t lose to a bad driver"

The same as I heard. I think he just was congratulating Schumi.

Anyway, congrats to Kimi for a good 2:nd in the WDC!

[Spunout]

Teez,

Kimi was actually clearly faster than DC until McLaren made a bad call by using 2-stop strategy. Before pitting he was going clearly faster than DC. After the pitstop his pace dropped dramatically.

[Claudius]

Congrats to Kimi for an almost flawless season

And this in his 3rd season.
The sign of things to come methinks...

[SeanValen]

I think Kimi was good this year, I do have something against the scoring system, Kimi won 1 gp, tieing with Fisi's one win gp this year, and to be challenging for the championship still, it wasn't right the FIA should peanalise the championship leader MS like this, Kimi don't like coming 2nd, so I don't think 8 points is good for the 2nd place man, however, I do think Kimi has what it takes to get more wins for the future and stamp his authority on a season, his 2 offs in qualifying in Canada and Spain, are not the mistakes to make, where as MS kept it on track all season, that's a area where Kimi can improve, losing positions in quali was not smart, he needs to know the limits more and be more calcuating in relation to the championship every race of the season, and then drive in accordance to that, so I see a better Kimi driver in the future, but this season he didn't look championship material, but in the future, 2004 he can learn to improve.

[mika911]

Good to see you give it such a fight Kimi. Way to go! Have a great off season, relax, get some great testing in, and we'll all be ready to watch in 2004!

[DawnDudeRugs]

Congrats to Kimi, I'm hardly your #1 fan, but taking the fight to the final race deserves some respect *cough* points system *cough*, had the Ilmor (Mercedes) unit held it together at the Nurburgring, and the -18 development not have been fouled up, we might have actually have seen a stop to this "bridesmaid, never the bride" performances...

[Amrl]

Originally posted by Spunout
Teez,

Kimi was actually clearly faster than DC until McLaren made a bad call by using 2-stop strategy. Before pitting he was going clearly faster than DC. After the pitstop his pace dropped dramatically.

So what, he still sucks! He should take note from Schumacher's driving, sheer brilliance, again. Kinda sad that some have to come here to try lessen Kimi's achievements. Were you dissapointed to Schumacher's driving?

It sure was a great season for Kimi, a lot better that I expected. In my opinion McLaren wasn't as slow as some say here but it wasn't the best car either in more than couple of races, that's why Kimi only managed one win. He was second like what, 8 times? Too bad Mercedes blew in Nurburgring, we know who'd be the hero today if it hadn't.

Also the new qualifying format seems to suit Kimi quite well. Apart from his obvious mistakes he was always very fast, definately one of the fastest over one lap.

Next year is Kimi's

[kismet]

Originally posted by McHulme
DC came across as an old style racing Gentleman - giving Kimi his car, giving him his race position. A true team mate.

Not that he was in a position to actually refuse... But he really does seem like a true team player and that calls for a big

[Enkei]

Kimi was the best driver of the year by far. Too bad, so close...

[Piif]

Well, gotta write this before HSJ comes and makes this thread so fanboy'ish that I can't read it anymore...

A great season for Räikkönen, good for him. Todays performance from him was however not worthy of a WDC so I'm kinda glad he didn't win it. Suzuka was actually one of his worst races this season. But hopefully we'll see even better KR come next season.

[Hotwheels]

From the PC:

Q. Can we get a reaction from all three of you of what Michael has achieved now? Six titles, 70 wins - that is an incredible achievement isn't it?

RB: It is. I think we are never going to compare drivers and I think it is impossible to compare Michael to Fangio, to Senna or whoever is in the frame, but I think he moves to history with a lot of achievements and it seems he is going to beat all the ones. I mean, everyone thought that the pole positions, he was so far away three years ago and it is not that far as well I think, so it is such an achievement.
Q. David, Kimi, would you add anything?

(silence)

Asking the wrong questions to the wrong guys at the wrong time .

[gerry nassar]

Kimi!!!

Well done Kimi - the driver of the season by far. Had it not been for the Nurburgring engine blowup - he would be WDC. Oh well - this will only make him hungrier.

Although Suzuka wasnt his best drive of the year - he still brought the car home in second. Better than others have been able to manage.

Also - he was only 2 points off MS' final points tally. Very Impressive. Star drives all season in on average the 3rd best car - which at times was 2nd best and for a couple of races it was the best.

Good Luck for the future Kimi!

[lanius]

Originally posted by Piif
Well, gotta write this before HSJ comes and makes this thread so fanboy'ish that I can't read it anymore...

Todays performance from him was however not worthy of a WDC so I'm kinda glad he didn't win it. Suzuka was actually one of his worst races this season. But hopefully we'll see even better KR come next season.

MS on the other hand had a great race and deserves the WDC.
Here is what ITV said about the MS' race:
"Schumacher eventually finished eighth with a performance that will arguably rank as one of the scrappiest and least convincing of his career."

Kimi wasn't great today, he had a good race however. Bad setup(his own fault though) combined with bad race strategy and still 2nd. Obviously he had luck when faster cars retired in front of him.

Overall a great season from him though. Hard to forget that he lost some 20 points due to mechanical failures+Hockenheim incident.

[lanius]

Originally posted by QdfV
Wellwell, young Kimi thinks a lot of himself:

Kimi: ´"But at least we didn't lose through bad driving." ´

(He probably forgot some qualifying and starts)

While that sentence is true, Kimi didn't say it.

He said something like: "at least we didn't lose to a bad driver."

[kismet]

Who cares what he actually said? The real quote is nowhere near as good as the made-up one anyway so we might as well use some creativity to make the boy look bad. :